City

Our name alone–-The Philadelphia School––speaks for itself! TPS is a city school. A city school in Philadelphia, although Philadelphia is not simply our location.

Our founders were committed to urban living and raising their children in the city. They sought to establish a school for which the city would serve as a topic of study, as an extension of the classroom, and as an inspiration for civic engagement.

How lucky we are to be situated in Philadelphia, one of our nation's most historic cities! At TPS a study of colonial America features visits to a wide range of 18th-Century historic sites––from Independence Mall to Christ Church to Franklin Court to Stenton House Museum. When our students examine the life of Benjamin Franklin, they are able to retrace his footsteps in old Philadelphia; and they can can actually see the only surviving first printing of Poor Richard's almanac at the Rosenbach Musem and Library, located only a few blocks from The Philadelphia School. A study of abolitionism, the Civil War, and Reconstruction takes our children to Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church, the Johnson House, and the GAR Civil War Museum.

Our teachers turn regularly to Philadelphia's rich cultural and educational resources to enrich the curriculum. Throughout their time at The Philadelphia School, students will come to know well such destinations as the Free Library, the Academy of Sciences, the Franklin Institute, the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Penn Museum of Achaeology and Anthropology.

Our children have the opportunity to meet Philadelphians from all walks of life. First and second graders, on their walking tours of the neighborhood, meet and interview the local florist, grocer, and bicycle shop owner. People who have made a difference––social workers serving the homeless, green architects, city officials, actors, musicians, artists, scientists, journalists––are regularly invited to enrich classroom studies and to share their experiences and passions.