Lower Merion Is PA's Least Equitable School District, New Report Says

LOWER MERION TOWNSHIP, PA — The Lower Merion School District is often listed among the best in the state and even nation by various groups examining schools across the country.

But a new report from WalletHub says the district is Pennsylvania's least equitable.

WalletHub's new report ranked districts across the state from most equitable to least equitable.

With all the factors considered, the website listed the Lower Merion School District at No. 499, putting it last on the list.

According to WalletHub, the district has $26,774 in expenditures for public elementary and secondary schools per pupil and has an average household income of $138,233.

The report only looked at financial figures to determine the ranks and doesn't include information on student outcomes and other educational factors.

Nearby, the School District of Haverford Township was ranked No. 464 and Radnor Township School District was ranked No. 497.

To determine the ranks, WalletHub first scored 12,876 school districts throughout the country based on average household income and expenditures for public elementary and secondary schools per pupil.

For expenditures, for each 1 percent above the state's average, WalletHub removed 1 point from a base score of 50 points for each district. For household income, for each 1 percent above the state's average, WalletHub added 1 point to a base score of 50 points for each district. The inverse was true for each 1 percent below the state's average.

The final score for each district was calculated by taking the absolute difference between the score for expenditures and the score for household income.

WalletHub then ranked the districts based on the total score, with the lowest value, representing the most equitable, being ranked 1.

See the full list here.