Original Research by School Decision on The Workshop School
The Workshop School is a small public high school serving grades nine through twelve in Philadelphia. Its enrollment is small, with students distributed fairly evenly across the four grades. The entire student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student composition is predominantly Black, with smaller numbers of students identifying as American Indian or Alaska Native, Hispanic, or multiracial, and very few identifying as Asian or white.
Philadelphia itself is one of the most walkable major cities in the United States, built on a foundation of historic rowhouse neighborhoods radiating from a dense downtown core centered on City Hall and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The city is anchored by major employers in healthcare, higher education, life sciences, and financial services, including the University of Pennsylvania, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Comcast, and Johnson & Johnson operations. The neighborhood where the school is located sits in West Philadelphia's 19139 ZIP code, part of a historically rooted residential area with local commercial corridors typical of the city's neighborhood character.
The housing market in that ZIP code reflects broader Philadelphia affordability patterns. Home values are below the state average and substantially below the national benchmark. Rents are moderate and more affordable relative to income than purchase prices, making rental housing more accessible than ownership for families in the area. Property taxes have risen in recent years as the city has redirected revenue to schools and completed a countywide reassessment, increasing costs for homeowners.
State assessment data for the school was not available, nor was a graduation rate, chronic absenteeism data, or information on staffing, attendance policy, or specific course offerings. These gaps reflect either the school's small size or limitations in public reporting for this particular entity. A parent interested in understanding academic performance, program breadth, or student support would benefit from contacting the school directly.
The Philadelphia School District, which operates the school, has undertaken significant curriculum changes beginning in the 2023-24 school year. The district adopted Illustrative Mathematics for all grades starting then and rolled out a new science-of-reading approach to English language arts instruction the following year, with EL Education for grades K-8 and StudySync for grades 9-12. This standardizes how reading and mathematics are taught citywide. Early results showed a small dip in reading proficiency in the first year of the new ELA curriculum, with two-thirds of students still not reading at grade level districtwide. These changes directly shape classroom instruction at every district school, including the Workshop School.
The district also received increased funding in recent years. The city raised the school district's share of property tax revenue in the fiscal 2025 budget and a 2024 property reassessment has generated additional revenue for schools over the coming years, though it has also raised property taxes for homeowners. In April 2026, the school board approved a large facilities master plan that includes significant changes to school locations and programs across the city over the next decade. That plan specifies that the Workshop School will be co-located at Overbrook High School beginning in the 2026-27 school year, a change that will directly affect where students attend and the physical setting of the school.
For a family considering this school, the key questions center on its specific academic programs, how the curriculum changes are being implemented at this particular site, and how the planned co-location at Overbrook will affect school operations and student experience. The school's small size and the student population it serves suggest a neighborhood-rooted institution, but without available data on course offerings, graduation outcomes, or program focus, a visit and direct conversation with school leadership would provide essential detail for making an enrollment decision.
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