This article was originally published in The Notebook. In August 2020, The Notebook became Chalkbeat Philadelphia.
The deadline for students applying to Philadelphia School District schools that are not their neighborhood schools is 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12. This year, for the first time, the School District’s application process is entirely online.
Philadelphia families and students interested in receiving online high school application help can attend Free High School Application Night on Wednesday, Dec. 10, at one of eight locations around the city.
This free event will bring teachers, administrators, and volunteers together from 6 to 8 p.m. to help students complete their applications and provide them access to computers.
The event will be offered at the School District’s headquarters, 440 N. Broad St., and at seven Free Library branches around the city.
Parents and caregivers can learn more about the application and school selection process by going to the School District’s website or by visiting GreatPhillySchools.
The District recently announced that many magnet schools still have spots available.
· Carver High School for Engineering & Science – 731-student school that will add 7th and 8th grades in the fall. The curriculum focuses on science, mathematics, engineering, technology and medicine. · Parkway West High School – 307-student school whose partners include the University of Pennsylvania, Penn State University, Drexel University, Cheyney University, USDA Forest Service, Overbrook Environmental Center and Philadelphia Academies. · AMY Northwest (Academy for the Middle Years) – 276-student middle school with a new focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It has partnerships with Drexel Medicine, Philadelphia Museum of Art and NewsWorks. · Fitler Academics Plus – 260-student elementary school that calls itself a “shining example of what’s right about public education.”
Other special-admission high schools where the District says there’s space still available include Bodine High School for International Affairs, Girard Academic Music Program (GAMP), Hill-Freedman World Academy, Motivation, and Parkway Northwest High School for Peace & Social Justice.
Other District schools looking to add more students are Philadelphia Military Academy and the elementary schools of Hackett, Howe, A.S. Jenks, McCloskey, and Shawmont, according to the District.