BEFORE YOU APPLY TO HIGH SCHOOL Apply for the 2020–21 school year! KNOW WHAT’S OUT THERE UNDERSTAND YOUR TIMELINE DECIDE WHAT’S IMPORTANT FIND & COMPARE SCHOOLS VISIT SCHOOLS APPLY TO SCHOOLS! GREATPHILLYSCHOOLS.ORG 2019-HSToolkit-PRINTER-073119_CC2019_crw1.indd 1 8/2/19 5:07 PM For even more information, visit GREATPHILLYSCHOOLS.ORG Academic performance results Attendance and incident rates Course o erings Extracurricular programs Application details, including deadlines, tuition and how to apply Citywide school fairs, including the Philly K-8 School Fair and the Philly High School Fair School events and open houses QUESTIONS? WE ARE HERE TO HELP! TEXT GUIDE OR EMAIL (215) 804-4545 [email protected] 2019-HSToolkit-PRINTER-073119_CC2019_crw1.indd 2 8/2/19 5:07 PM Before you get started The “Before You Apply to High School” Toolkit takes you through the steps of choosing and applying to high schools in Philly. Use this toolkit to identify what you want in a school, which schools fit your needs, and how For even more information, visit to apply. Bring this with you on school visits and take notes on the workbook pages. GREATPHILLYSCHOOLS.ORG Schools by type District schools ........................................................................................................................................3 Academic performance results Charter schools .......................................................................................................................................4 Private schools ........................................................................................................................................5 Attendance and incident rates Course o erings Timeline for applying to schools Understand your timeline ...................................................................................................................6 Extracurricular programs Workbook pages Application details, including deadlines, Decide what’s important to you .......................................................................................................9 tuition and how to apply Find and compare schools .................................................................................................................11 Citywide school fairs, including the Philly K-8 School Fair Visit schools ............................................................................................................................................13 Apply .........................................................................................................................................................15 and the Philly High School Fair School events and open houses Application instructions District School Selection Process .................................................................................................. 16 Archdiocese of Philadelphia (for Catholic schools) .................................................................18 Apply Philly Charter .............................................................................................................................19 QUESTIONS? WE ARE HERE TO HELP! TIP This toolkit is best used with the GreatPhillySchools High School Guide or with greatphillyschools.org. TEXT GUIDE OR EMAIL [email protected] (215) 804-4545 All contents © 2019 by the Philadelphia School Partnership, 150 South Independence Mall West, Suite 1200, Philadelphia, PA 19106. GREAT PHILLY SCHOOLS is not affiliated with GreatSchools, Inc. GREATSCHOOLS is a registered trademark of GreatSchools, Inc. 1 2019-HSToolkit-PRINTER-073119_CC2019_crw1.indd 1 8/2/19 5:07 PM Know what’s 1 out there When searching for schools to apply to, it’s important to know what your options are. In Philadelphia, there are three main types of schools. Among these three types, there are more than 100 high school options. Each school type has different admission policies. District schools Your student is always guaranteed a spot in their neighborhood District high school. There are also citywide and special-admission District high schools that you can apply to. Charter schools Charter schools are independently run public schools that often select students from a lottery. Renaissance charter schools give preference to students from a specific neighborhood. Private schools Private schools almost always charge tuition. They include Catholic schools, other religious schools and independent nonreligious schools. Many offer financial aid. TIP Don’t limit yourself! You can apply to more than one type of school, and applying does not necessarily mean your child must attend that school if they are admitted. You have the option of 2 applying to multiple types of schools, and then making your choice later. 2019-HSToolkit-PRINTER-073119_CC2019_crw1.indd 2 8/2/19 5:07 PM District schools The School District of Philadelphia offers many great public high school options. You are allowed to select up to five options, so it’s important to think carefully about where to apply. Use the lists below as a starting point. Citywide- Special-admission Neighborhood admission schools schools schools Citywide-admission schools sometimes Special-admission (magnet) schools Neighborhood schools are automatically have GPA or attendance requirements, have academic and behavioral open to students living in the school’s but are generally easier to get into than requirements. They may require “catchment area,” or neighborhood special-admission schools. additional application materials, such as zone. Many host CTE programs. To essays or interviews. find your neighborhood school, use All Career and Technical Education the Find a School search feature on (CTE) programs are citywide-admission. How they make admissions decisions: greatphillyschools.org and enter the There are no entrance requirements for Special-admission schools review student’s home address. incoming students. student applications and issue acceptances or rejections. They often How they make admissions decisions: How they make admissions decisions: require high scores on 7th grade PSSA There is no need to apply, although Students must apply through the District exams. registration is required for students new School Selection Process and are then to the school. Visit your neighborhood entered into a lottery. school with proof of address to enroll. Building 21 Academy at Palumbo Parkway Center City Middle Abraham Lincoln HS* Constitution HS The Arts Academy at Benjamin College HS Benjamin Franklin HS* Dobbins Career and Technical Rush Parkway Northwest HS for Peace Frankford HS Education HS* Central HS and Social Justice Furness HS The LINC (Learning in New Franklin Learning Center HS* Parkway West HS George Washington HS* Context) HS George Washington Carver HS of Philadelphia HS for Girls John Bartram HS Mastbaum Area Vocational Engineering and Science Philadelphia HS for the Creative Kensington Creative and Technical HS* Girard Academic Music Program and Performing Arts (CAPA)* Performing Arts HS* Philadelphia Military Academy (GAMP) Science Leadership Academy Kensington Health Sciences Randolph Career and Technical Hill-Freedman World Academy Science Leadership Academy at Academy* HS* Julia R. Masterman Laboratory Beeber Kensington HS* Robeson, Paul, HS for Human and Demonstration School Walter Biddle Saul HS of Martin Luther King HS Promise Services* Lankenau Environmental Science Agricultural Sciences* Academy* School of the Future Magnet HS William W. Bodine HS for Northeast HS* Swenson Arts and Technology Motivation HS International Affairs Overbrook HS HS* Northeast Medical, Engineering, Penn Treaty The U School & Aerospace Magnet Roxborough HS* Workshop School* Samuel Fels HS South Philadelphia HS (Southern)* Strawberry Mansion HS Promise Academy Thomas Alva Edison HS* * This school offers CTE West Philadelphia HS Promise program(s). Academy* Widener Memorial School William L. Sayre HS Vaux Big Picture High School TIP Pay attention to a school’s grade levels — you often have a higher chance of admission at the lowest one. For example, if a school serving grades 6–12 already has an 8th-grade class, it may have limited spaces for new 9th graders to enroll; however, there may be more open spaces in the 6th grade. 3 2019-HSToolkit-PRINTER-073119_CC2019_crw1.indd 3 8/2/19 5:07 PM Charter schools Charter schools are free, independently operated public schools. They cannot have academic or behavioral requirements for admission, and there is no application fee. Many accept applications through Apply Philly Charter (applyphillycharter.org). Lottery-based Lottery preferences Many, but not all, charter schools give lottery preferences to In general, most charter schools hold a lottery to fill their applicants with sibling(s) enrolled in the school. Some charter available spaces. Applications submitted by a school’s application schools also give deadline are entered into the lottery. If you are not selected in preference to students who previously attended another charter school (sometimes called “feeder the lottery, you will be placed on their waitlist. The waitlist is patterns”). restarted each year. To learn about lottery preferences of different charter schools, Neighborhood-based visit their school profiles atgreatphillyschools.org . (“Renaissance”) Apply Philly Charter Neighborhood-based charter schools, also known as Renaissance schools, enroll students in their neighborhood “catchment” Families can apply to most charter schools on one website: boundaries and do not