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New middle school at Drexel to open to 5th graders this fall

February 10, 2016

A new Science Leadership Academy middle school will open this fall to fifth graders in a temporary location on Drexel’s campus, the School District of Philadelphia announced today.

DornsifeCenter

Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships (photo from drexel.edu)

The district expects about 90 fifth graders to enroll in the fall in the temporary space at Drexel’s Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships (3509 Spring Garden). Building plans for the school’s permanent home are under way on the site of the old University City High School and Drew Elementary School near 38th and Filbert.

Most of the fifth grade students will come from nearby Samuel Powel Elementary, a highly rated K-4 school.

Drexel’s School of Education will also support the middle school with help in planning and executing the curriculum, similar to the arrangement Penn has with the Penn Alexander School. Drexel President John Fry helped create the Penn Alexander school and other neighborhood initiatives as an executive vice president at Penn under former president Judith Rodin.

Costs to cover the start-up and planning of the new school will be covered by a $1.8 million grant from the Philadelphia School Partnership. The new school will be called the Science Leadership Academy Middle School (SLA-MS).

Students will remain at the Dornsife Center site for “at least two years,” according to the district. The new school will accommodate some 360 students when it is completed.

District Superintendent William Hite announced a plan last fall that included the Drexel-based middle school, the closure of other schools and the conversion of the Samuel B. Huey School to a charter.

2 Comments For This Post

  1. Wow Philly Says:

    They acquired the Univ City property at a super discount, then use public school funds $1.8 million to temporarily house the students. Later will use public school funds to build and relocate the students to the previous Univ City H.S. site. When it’s all said and done, Drexel will have received more in public funds than they paid for the site. Wow!!!

  2. J Says:

    Yes, and several generations of highly motivated science focused children will have a better shot at a successful future.

    I can’t see any problem here. Forget your highly-flawed ideological motives and think of the kids.

    Drexel is a great school and their backing of Philly kids is one to be applauded.

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