🎒 Philly’s school district is growing | Morning Newsletter
And South Jersey farm fears.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Good morning, Philly. The city officially got 3.1 inches of snow as of yesterday morning. But there’s good weather news for the Eagles Super Bowl parade: Friday will likely be chilly, but sunny and tranquil.
Enrollment at the Philadelphia School District is growing after years of shrinking. Our lead story explains how one neighborhood school is attracting more students.
And tens of thousands of undocumented farm workers in South Jersey are laying low and “scared to death” of potential U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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West Philadelphia High School’s enrollment grew more than 50% in six years, from just 482 students to 726 now. The notable rise comes after years of decline — and it’s not alone.
🎒 The Philadelphia School District population is still dramatically lower than it had been before charter schools began to draw students from neighborhood public schools in the 1990s. Yet in the 2024-25 academic year, the district has enrolled more students than the year before for the first time in a decade.
🎒 At West Philly High, leaders attribute the growth to new programming designed to attract more students from the area, introducing classes such as real estate, mortuary science, and tatooing. The school also hired more counselors and a director of culture, and offers rewards for positive behavior.
🎒 “Students take the courses they want,” an assistant principal told The Inquirer. “They need math and English, but it’s those electives that get them in the building.”
Education reporter Kristen A. Graham visited to find out what’s working to boost enrollment.
In other school news: The Pennsylvania Department of Education found that illegal restraints were used on two students in a Central Bucks special education classroom.
Amid the tomato, cranberry, and corn fields of South Jersey, undocumented farm workers are wracked with anxiety over the mass deportation threats from President Donald Trump’s administration.
By the numbers: Around 54,000 undocumented immigrants live on as many as 2,100 farms in Burlington, Camden, Cumberland, Atlantic, and Ocean Counties.
Family fears: Though no ICE raids have been reported yet on local farms, some field hands are making arrangements for their children in case the adults are deported. Others go out only at night to avoid drawing attention.
Economic impact: At the same time, farmers are concerned that a smaller labor force could wreck the growing season, leaving crops unpicked and generating economic catastrophe. They don’t expect American workers to fill the gap.
Reporter Alfred Lubrano digs into how deportations could impact South Jersey’s farms.
What you should know today
Police have identified the man they say shot an officer in the hand and chest in North Philadelphia on Tuesday night before fleeing and fatally shooting himself.
Two Lower Merion court clerks pocketed nearly $7,500 in fines paid by drivers for speeding tickets and other issues, then dismissed the cases to avoid scrutiny, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Pennsylvania Sen. Dave McCormick said Democrats and Republicans worked together to urge Butler County-native Marc Fogel’s release from Russian custody.
Philly-area scientists are concerned about the uncertainty around National Institutes of Health funding, saying cuts would hurt research, jobs, and patients.
Could recreational marijuana really bring $1.3 billion in revenue to Pennsylvania over five years? Here’s how other states are faring.
In a speech laying out her 2025 agenda, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker on Wednesday said her focus is on increasing housing production.
A private company has paid $1 rent to the Delaware River Port Authority for decades for a public property — but a new appraisal sets market rate at $330,000, bringing scrutiny to the deal.
Barnes & Noble is returning to Bryn Mawr almost two decades after closing its shop in the same location. Independent bookstores fear being squeezed out.
Philly’s florists and chocolatiers are hurrying to adjust as the Super Bowl parade falls on Valentine’s Day — traditionally their busiest day of the year. Meanwhile, an Olney funeral home capitalized on the Eagles’ winning streak with a Chiefs-themed casket.
🧠 Trivia time
When the Eagles fly into the Super Bowl, Philly fans trade boos for booze. What was the most popular type of alcohol bought at state-owned liquor stores in the city and its suburbs last week?
A) New Amsterdam Pink Whitney minis
B) Surfside iced tea cans
C) Bottles of Chardonnay
D) Fireball minis
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🔥 Wondering: Why do people in Philly destroy things after a Super Bowl win? Surgeon Ala Stanford and her students explain.
🍽️ Anticipating: The long-planned food hall set to open this fall at Schuylkill Yards.
🧻 Heeding: These Super Bowl parade survival tips from fans who went in 2018.
🇬🇳 Considering: The impact of immigration executive orders on Guinean asylum-seekers in Philly.
P.S. This link was broken yesterday, so here it is again:
🥩 Counting: All the things Kansas City has to send to Philly since they lost the Super Bowl, including a Manet oil painting, beer, and lots of beef.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: South Philly-raised singer behind “The Twist”
BECK BYE CHURCH
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Chris Eleazar, who solved Wednesday’s anagram: Stephen Starr. The Philadelphia restaurateur’s Japanese spot Pod will close later this month, just shy of its 25th anniversary.
Photo of the day
🎹 One last musical thing: WXPN’s Free at Noon concert series turns 20 this year. If you’re ever around midday on a Friday, check it out. I attended my first Free at Noon show at World Cafe Live last week and had a blast. (Also highly recommended: Sharon Van Etten’s new album with The Attachment Theory. Start with “Trouble.”)
Have a great day. See you tomorrow morning.
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