Strawberry Mansion High School

Strawberry Mansion High School is a public high school in Strawberry Mansion, Philadelphia. It is part of the School District of Philadelphia. It was previously named Strawberry Mansion Junior / Senior High School,[2] and Strawberry Mansion Middle/High School.[3]

Strawberry Mansion High School
Address
3133 Ridge Ave

Philadelphia
,
Pennsylvania
19132

United States
Information
TypePublic high school
School districtThe School District of Philadelphia
PrincipalMr. Brian McCracken
Staff16.50 (FTE)[1]
Grades9-12
Enrollment277 (2017–18)[1]
Student to teacher ratio16.79[1]
MascotStrawberry Mansion Knights
WebsiteStrawberry Mansion High School

History

Strawberry Mansion opened in 1977. In April 1992 the school had 1,600 students both middle and high school grades and 65% of them were from low income families. At that time the school had a high drop out rate. That year the school had a Business Academy, a "school within a school" teaching students job skills and preparing them for further education and immediate post-graduation employment.[4]

In June 2011 Thomas FitzSimons High School and The Young Women's Leadership School at Rhodes High School closed, and the students were reassigned to Strawberry Mansion.[5]

In May 2013 the school had 435 students. At that time 92 students were in the graduating class and 55 of them were accepted to community colleges and/or four year universities. Some of them were unable to afford the deposit fees. As of 2013 every student is required to go through a metal detector and the school had 94 security cameras. From 2008 to 2013, it was consistently on the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's list of "persistently dangerous high schools".[6]

It is located in a school building with a capacity of 1,762 students and 249,000 square feet (23,100 m2) in space.[5]

Academics

In 1992 Kimberly McLarin of the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote that Strawberry Mansion was "not known for academic excellence".[4] McLarin wrote that the science club at Strawberry Mansion, named Science Force 2000, was "becoming a force at city and regional science fairs."[4]

In 1992, a 16-year-old student submitted a science fair project that concluded that lead levels in water in residences of teachers living in Cherry Hill, Mount Airy, and North Philadelphia were high, but at levels acceptable under federal law. Because of her project, some teachers began testing their water pipes.[4]

Football

In August 2015, the Strawberry Mansion varsity football team began to practice, after a hiatus of almost 50 years.[7]

Controversy

Strawberry Mansion High School is considered to be one of the most dangerous public highschools in the country.[8] The Pennsylvania commission on crime and delinquency consistently labelled it as one of the state's most dangerous schools until its removal from the list in 2013.[9]

Feeder patterns

Schools feeding into Strawberry Mansion include:[10]

  • Dr. Ethel D. Allen School (K-8)
  • James G. Blaine School (PK-8)
  • William Dick School (K-8)
  • Frederick Douglass School (K-8)
  • Edward Gideon School (K-8)
  • William D. Kelley School (K-8)
  • E. Washington Rhodes School (K-8)

Notable alumni

References
  1. "Strawberry Mansion HS". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  2. "Schools". School District of Philadelphia. 2006-02-09. Archived from the original on 2006-02-09. Retrieved 2016-01-30.
  3. "Strawberry Mansion Cluster Office". School District of Philadelphia. 1999-09-15. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
  4. McLarin, Kimberly J. "Scientifically Speaking, It's A Winner Strawberry Mansion Is Making A Name For Itself On Academic Grounds." (Info page) Philadelphia Inquirer. April 26, 1992. B01 Local. Retrieved on August 16, 2013.
  5. Graham, Kristen A. "Philadelphia superintendent identifies schools he intends to close." Philadelphia Inquirer. December 15, 2012. Retrieved on November 30, 2015.
  6. Effron, Lauren. "Inside One of the Country's Most Dangerous Schools, There Are Fights, Threats and Hope." (Archive) ABC News. May 31, 2013. Retrieved on August 15, 2013.
  7. "Strawberry Mansion: Revamped High School Trying to Make a Comeback". Philadelphia Neighborhoods. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
  8. https://www.publicschoolreview.com/blog/philadelphia-school-labeled-one-of-the-most-dangerous-in-america#:~:text=Strawberry%20Mansion%2C%20a%20public%20high,for%20the%20past%20five%20years.
  9. https://www.pccd.pa.gov/ossa/school-safety/Pages/Persistently_Dangerous_Schools.aspx
  10. "High School Directory Fall 2017 Admissions" (Archive). School District of Philadelphia. p. 63/70. Retrieved on November 17, 2016.

Further reading

  1. https://www.inquirer.com/philly/news/breaking/ABC_News_Diane_Sawyer_revisits_Strawberry_Mansion_HS_six_months_later.html
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