Marianna Dobos (286)

The Philadelphia School District is a diverse educational system that caters to the needs of thousands of kids across the city. Striving to reach equity among students, in 2021, the district modified its school selection system for criteria-based schools. As a result of heavy backlash from Philadelphia students, parents, and teachers, the process has changed again.

The first modification of the process for school selection contained substantial changes, the largest being a revamp of the entire process altogether. District criteria-based schools will now utilize a centralized lottery and waitlist system, omitting any input from administrators or principals about their incoming students. Additionally, the new system will prioritize applications from qualified applicants who live in specific zip codes and have the lowest representation of students accepting offers at criteria-based schools, which include Central, Masterman, Academy at Palumbo, and Carver School of Engineering and Science. New changes to the process also eliminate requirements for letters of recommendation, interviews, and essays. This heavy change received many demands for change from students, families, and faculty. The school district responded with a new plan, in an attempt to make a compromise between their ideas and public demand.

The updated school selection process, as of August of 2023, grants current eighth graders the ability to attend their school’s high school if they meet the criteria. These schools include Masterman, Carver School of Engineering and Science, GAMP, Hill-Freedman World Academy, and Science Leadership Academy At Beeber. 

All things considered, the school selection system is still a work in progress and is evolving to prioritize diversity and equity. Balancing the needs of individual students with the goal of creating a fair and equitable selection system requires effort and collaboration between the district, its students, families, and faculty. As Philadelphia tweaks its system, it is important to remember that all students deserve to have opportunities to receive a high-quality education.