CORRECTION: A previous version of this release did not include a link to the new report. The link has been added below.
Harrisburg, Pa., August 5, 2025—The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) is violating state and federal law around “persistently dangerous schools,” endangering the safety of Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable students, and threatening billions in federal funding, according to a groundbreaking analysis from the Commonwealth Foundation.
More than 40 percent of Pennsylvania schools face dangerous incidents, but state officials refuse to label them dangerous. The new analysis found that PDE violated state and federal law by failing to identify persistently dangerous schools and neglecting to provide safe school choice alternatives for students attending dangerous schools.
In May 2025, the U.S. Department of Education directed states to update their definitions of “persistently dangerous,” and more aggressively enforce procedures around the law, hinting at future penalties for non-compliance.
A Right to Know request showed that PDE does not identify any “persistently dangerous schools.” Without this distinction, the Shapiro administration has failed to ensure all public school students in Pennsylvania are safe during their commute to and from school, failed to ensure safety while at school, and failed to provide legally-required school choice options for students attending persistently dangerous schools.
By neglecting to follow and enforce federal law, Pennsylvania is not only endangering the lives of students but also risking the loss of billions of dollars in federal funding.
Key Findings
- Since 2004, federal and state law required that students attending persistently dangerous public schools are provided the opportunity to attend a safe school within their local or neighboring school district.
- As of June 2025, PDE has zero schools with a “persistently dangerous” distinction.
- Commonwealth Foundation analysis found that, in the 2022-23 school year, 1,134 school buildings, or 42.7% of schools, should have been identified as persistently dangerous, according to incident reports.
- A 24-year longitudinal study revealed:
- 37.3 percent of Pennsylvania’s public schools are persistently dangerous based on the number of violent incidents reported by school districts over the last 24 years.
- 71.4 percent of Philadelphia public schools are persistently dangerous.
- 89.1 percent of Pittsburgh public schools are persistently dangerous.
Rachel Langan, Senior Education Policy Analyst of the Commonwealth Foundation, issued the following statement in response:
The Pennsylvania Department of Education’s failure to comply with the law is harming the lives of students across the state. Despite a federal directive and clear evidence of violence in schools across the state, the Pennsylvania Department of Education, under Governor Shapiro’s oversight, refuses to designate more than 37% of schools as “persistently dangerous” as required by law.
This failure has real consequences. It leaves hundreds of thousands of children stuck in unsafe schools and denies families the legal options designed to protect students from violence.
Every child deserves to be safe during their commute to, from, and while at school. Children cannot learn if they do not feel safe. Ignoring the law to avoid uncomfortable political pressures does nothing to protect our kids—and raises serious questions about this administration’s priorities.
The PDE’s refusal to act –– and the Shapiro administration turning a blind eye –– violates state and federal law and actively deprives kids of their right to an education by failing to provide a safe learning environment and a path to a better future.
Every student deserves to feel safe at school. If Shapiro’s administration cannot provide that, one must question what else they’re failing to provide for our kids.
Read the full analysis here.
For media inquiries, please contact Giana DePaul at gmd@commonwealthfoundation.org or (215) 859-0384.
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