Original Research by School Decision on New Foundations Cs
New Foundations is a city-wide charter serving all grade bands from kindergarten through grade twelve, with an enrollment spread fairly evenly across elementary and middle school but concentrated more heavily in the ninth-grade entry point. The student body is roughly evenly split between white students, Hispanic students, and Black students, with smaller numbers of Asian students and other identities represented. Data on the share of students with economically disadvantaged backgrounds or English-language learning needs was not available, so a parent would want to contact the school directly about those populations if they are relevant to their family.
The district operates under a single school structure rather than multiple campuses, meaning all grades learn in one organization under one set of academic and disciplinary policies. That consolidation shapes how younger and older students interact and how the school allocates resources across K-12.
New Foundations has recently announced a significant change to how families enroll. Beginning in the school year that starts in the fall of 2026, admission will shift to a citywide ranked-choice lottery process called a Single Best Offer, administered through Apply Philly Charter. Under this new system, families will rank their charter school preferences, and the system will place them at a single school, holding waitlist spots only for schools ranked higher than their placement. This replaces the traditional separate-application model and means families cannot hold offers from multiple charters simultaneously. For any parent considering enrollment in or after that year, this structural change affects how applications work and what waitlist positions mean.
Academically, the district has built its curriculum around what it calls a Graduate Profile, a K-12 standard centered on academic understanding, civic engagement, and emotional wellbeing. The curriculum is intentionally interdisciplinary and standards-based, and service-learning is embedded at every grade level. This reflects a deliberate pedagogical choice that parents should understand as the academic and social framework shaping daily instruction across all ages.
At the high school level, New Foundations has established dual-enrollment partnerships with Holy Family University, Manor College, and the Community College of Philadelphia, allowing eligible seniors to earn college credits during their high school years. This pathway expands post-secondary value for students and families weighing whether the school's upper grades align with their college-planning goals.
State assessment results and graduation rates were not available in the data, so a parent evaluating academic outcomes would need to request those directly from the school or check whether such data has been published publicly. Chronic absenteeism at New Foundations sits in the top quartile among the school districts across Philadelphia County, indicating that attendance rates are better than the median district in the region. Per-pupil spending falls in the middle range of county districts, on the lower side of that middle, which reflects how resources are allocated across the system.
The school does not report which students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, nor does it report the number or share of students receiving special education services or identified as English learners. Those details matter to families whose children have those characteristics, and a prospective family should ask the school directly for that context.
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