Philadelphia School Catchment Guide

In Philadelphia, the public school system operates based on catchment areas. So, what’s a catchment?! It’s just a fancy name for a neighborhood. Students who live in a specific catchment are given priority enrollment in the corresponding public school(s) within that area. Residents must provide proof of residency to attend a school in their catchment, but they may also apply to a school outside their neighborhood if they so desire. If accepted, they must provide their own transportation to get there.

(Sidebar: charter and private schools are a different story and rules for enrollment vary by school. For a complete list of charter schools in Philadelphia, use this link.)

Some catchments serve more than one neighborhood, some neighborhoods have more than one school to choose from, and some schools belong to multiple catchments. This guide will break down the 13 biggest catchments in Philly, but for the complete list of 329 public schools, you can check out the School District of Philadelphia’s school finder tool.

Nebinger Catchment 

This serves the Queen Village and Bella Vista neighborhoods and includes George W. Nebinger School, a K-8 located at 601 Carpenter Street, and Horace Furness High School, a 9-12 located at 1900 S. 3rd Street.

Meredith Catchment 

This serves the Queen Village and Bella Vista neighborhoods and includes William M. Meredith School, a K-8 located at 725 S. 5th Street, and Horace Furness High School, a 9-12 located at 1900 S. 3rd Street.

Stanton Catchment 

This serves the Graduate Hospital, Newbold, and Point Breeze neighborhoods. Schools in this catchment include Edwin M. Stanton School, a K-8 at 901 S. 17th Street, and South Philadelphia High School, a 9-12 at 2101 S. Broad Street.

Arthur Catchment

This catchment also serves the Graduate Hospital neighborhood, with only one school: Marian Anderson Neighborhood Academy (formerly known as Chester A. Arthur School), a K-8 located at 2000 Catharine Street.

Greenfield Catchment 

This serves the Rittenhouse, Fitler Square, and Center City West neighborhoods. This catchment includes Albert M. Greenfield School, a K-8 at 2200 Chestnut Street, and Benjamin Franklin High School, a 9-12 at 550 N. Broad Street.

McCall Catchment 

This serves the Society Hill and Washington Square West neighborhoods and includes General George A. McCall School, a K-8 at 325 S. 7th Street, and Benjamin Franklin High School, a 9-12 at 550 N. Broad Street.

Spring Garden Catchment 

This catchment serves the Spring Garden neighborhood, including Laura Wheeler Waring School, a K-8 located at 1801 Green Street, and Benjamin Franklin High School, a 9-12 at 550 N. Broad Street.

Kearny Catchment 

This serves the Northern Liberties neighborhood and includes General Philip Kearny School, a K-8 at 601 Fairmount Avenue, and Benjamin Franklin High School, a 9-12 at 550 N. Broad Street.

Adaire Catchment 

This catchment serves the Fishtown neighborhood and includes Alexander Adaire School, a K-8 at 1300 E. Palmer Street, and Penn Treaty School, a 6-12 at 600 E. Thompson Street.

Ludlow Catchment

This serves the Kensington neighborhood. Included in this catchment is the John Moffet School, a K-5 at 127 W. Oxford Street, and Penn Treaty School, a 6-12 at 600 E. Thompson Street.

Hackett Catchment 

This catchment also serves the Kensginton neighborhood and includes Horatio B. Hackett School, a K-5 at 2161 E. York Street, and Penn Treaty School, a 6-12 at 600 E. Thompson Street.

Bache/Martin Catchment 

This serves the Fairmount neighborhood and includes Bache-Martin School, a K-8 located at 2201 Brown Street, and Benjamin Franklin High School, a 9-12 at 550 N. Broad Street.

Penn Alexander Catchment 

This serves the University City and West Philadelphia neighborhoods and includes Penn Alexander School, a K-8 at 4209 Spruce Street, and West Philadelphia High School, a 9-12 at 4901 Chestnut Street.

So, there you have it! It’s important to note that the School District of Philadelphia asks that home buyers “not make a decision to move or to purchase or rent a home or apartment based on these charts alone, and always verify the information provided by the School Finder application by contacting your local school or the School District of Philadelphia directly.”

If you’re ready to find the perfect home for your family this school year, contact us to get started!