Schools: Philadelphia School District's Voluntary Transfer Program

While it's nice to think that we have a whole year before our pre-schoolers become Kindergartners, some important decisions need to be made over the next two months if you want to send your child to a public school other than the one whose catchment you fall into.

First of all, what is a catchment? The Philadelphia School District (PSD) is broken into geographic areas from which children are assigned to schools. You could be assigned to a different school than the people across the street from you, or down the block from you. The best way to find out which school is your neighborhood school is to call the PSD at 215-400-4000. Give them your residential address and they will tell you which catchment you are in.

If you would like to send your child to a Philadelphia Public School outside of your catchment, you must complete a Voluntary Transfer Program application. For the 2009-2010 school year, these applications are due between September 15 and October 31, 2008. Applications can be picked up at your local school or downloaded from the PSD website.

On the application, you may list and prioritize up to 5 schools. Admission to any of these schools is not guaranteed. Decisions are made based on a lottery and space available. Parents have reported that it is helpful to submit the Transfer application to your desired school(s) in addition to the School District.

Over the next month, we will highlight the top three elementary schools in Germantown, Mt. Airy, and Chestnut Hill: Charles W. Henry, Henry H. Houston, and John S. Jenks.