History

Germantown Academy, the country’s oldest independent, non-sectarian day school, and Project H.O.M.E., a nationally-recognized program for ending homelessness, established the Community Partnership School to attend to the educational needs of children from an underserved North Central Philadelphia neighborhood. This neighborhood, located in the 19121 zip code area of Philadelphia, is characterized by high rates of poverty, unemployment and crime. Most students in the neighborhood do not graduate high school on time, and many drop out before receiving a diploma.

Behind the Community Partnership School lies a simple belief: With a top-notch education—the type delivered at the country’s best independent schools—inner-city children can achieve at the same level as their more affluent suburban peers. The school’s goal is to prepare talented students from North Central Philadelphia so they are ready to attend excellent middle schools once they graduate from CPS. Germantown Academy supplies the school’s core curriculum and administrative oversight, while Project H.O.M.E. provides the school’s venue as well as social services and support to the families attending the school. The Community Partnership School also hopes to create a model for partnering other suburban independent schools with community-based programs to bring new educational opportunities to children in low-income urban areas. At the same time, the school seeks to establish a demonstration program illustrating best teaching practices for urban children.

The Community Partnership School opened in September 2006 and currently serves 49 children in pre-kindergarten through third grade in North Central Philadelphia. The school will add one grade of 12 students each year, until it serves 84 children from pre-kindergarten through the fifth grade.