The rules for Philly's school selection process are changing again - here's how
Students from six Philadelphia zip codes - some of which are new - will get preference for certain magnet schools.
The guidelines for how students are admitted to Philadelphia’s magnet schools are changing.
Philadelphia School District officials announced a number of shifts Wednesday that will be put into place for the application window for the 2027-28 school year, opening this fall.
It’s not yet clear when the school district will open the 2027-28 application processfor its 37 criteria-based schools.
The changes are:
Only students’ grades in math, English and science will count toward students’ eligibility for criteria-based schools. Social studies grades will no longer count.
The zip codes that guarantee admission to four of the city’s top magnet schools to students are shifting. Children who live in 19132, 19133, 19135, 19138, 19140 and 19141 who meet academic criteria are now guaranteed admission to Masterman, Central, Carver High School of Engineering and Science and Academy at Palumbo.
New to the list are 19138 — Germantown — and 19141 — sections of North Philadelphia including Logan and East Oak Lane.
No longer on the preference list are 19121 — parts of North Philadelphia including Brewerytown and Sharswood — and 19136, Holmesburg and Torresdale.
The zip code list is re-calculated annually based on which sections of the city were most underrepresented for admissions to Philadelphia’s selective schools.
Students who attended pre-kindergarten program at a district school now get preference for admission to that school’s kindergarten class.
Students who attended a district summer career and technical education program now get preference for admission to a career and technical education program.
More students will receive individualized review, or consideration for admission to criteria-based schools, as long as they meet eligibility requirements for any of the five schools they apply to. Individualized review applies to any student who is an English Learner, or who has a Individual Education Plan or qualifies for a federal 504 plan.
The change is “to allow more students with disabilities or who are English learners to access magnet schools,” officials said.
The changes come weeks after a judge signed off on a $650,000 settlement to a lawsuit brought by three families challenging the special-admissions policy.
The families, backed by lawyers from America First, an organization formed by Stephen Miller, a top aide to President Donald Trump, alleged that the school system had shifted to a “blatantly unconstitutional, race-based” admissions system.
Each of the families had children who met academic criteria for the magnets of their choice in 2022, but who did not get in. The litigation came after Philadelphia overhauled its special-admission system in the name of equity.
The settlement forced no changes to the process, which has evolved since its inception in 2021. Though zip code preference is still in place, the district no longer uses a computer-scored writing exam. It gives some sibling preference, and it guarantees admission to high school programs attached to magnet middle schools as long as students maintain high grades.
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