Academic Programs

The student body of Philadelphia Academy is diverse in a number of ways; hence, our academic programs range from Advanced Placement to entrepreneurial studies to vocational training. All of these levels are appropriately challenging with rigor as the foundation for learning. A strong foundational core allows students and teachers to build critical and creative thinking, oral and written communications, and intellectual curiosity. Achieving the goal of individual academic success relies on the partnership between students, teachers, parents, and administration. First, the expectation of the student is to engage in learning in earnest. Teachers and administration remain committed to challenging students to perform at their highest level every period of every day. Parents bolster the school’s values and support students in their scholastic endeavors. Successful partnerships have proven results at Philadelphia Academy.

Mathematics

The Philadelphia Academy Charter High School Mathematics Department is committed to helping students become problem solvers and critical thinkers who are able to build on their knowledge of math through Algebra, Geometry and beyond. Our students will be able to use logical and abstract reasoning in real life problems, through the use of technology and in future courses in math and science. The Mathematics Department will engage students with lessons and projects that will illustrate multiple concepts and interdisciplinary interconnections with science, history, writing, art, music and technology. In order to accomplish our mission students will not only be assessed using traditional methods of testing but though, projects, homework, class work, cooperative activities, and class participation.

Science

The Philadelphia Academy Charter High School Science Department will provide your students with a strong base in Environmental, Biological, Chemical, and Physical Sciences. The goal of our program is to integrate classroom, laboratory, and field activities to build a strong foundation. Students will learn about such topics as Cellular biology, flora, fauna, human body, atomic models, chemical properties, chemical reactions, biomes, life cycles, environmental cycles, environmental threats, and physical laws (thermodynamics, relativity, force and motion). 


English

The Philadelphia Academy Charter High School is dedicated to student excellence in diverse fields of education. The English Department has developed a curriculum that furthers the goals of achieving this high level of comprehension and utilization in the areas of grammar, exposition, and literature. Beginning in 9th grade, students will be provided with a strong foundation in grammar, which will be reemphasized each subsequent year, becoming more challenging as they progress through school. Students will be engaged in and master the elements of rhetoric and composition, starting with the traditional five-paragraph essay and culminating in the research paper. Building on the strength of a progressive four-year textbook structure that covers such varied genres as poetry, drama, essays, fiction, and biographies, students will be exposed to some of the greatest masterpieces in World, British, and American literature via supplementary texts. All of the texts emphasize a diverse range of art and letters in genders, philosophies, religions, and ethnicities.

History

The Philadelphia Academy Charter High School Social Studies Department is committed to creating an innovative curriculum that is designed to produce well-rounded, socially aware students, equipped with real world skills that they will utilize for a lifetime. Our department will expose students to historical concepts, diverse civilizations and cultures, contemporary geography, philosophies, religions, gender roles in society, changes in government, economic theories, and race relations in society. The Social Studies Department will engage students in lessons and projects centered around literature, art, poetry, and music of the times being studied in order to create a worldly student. 
In order to accomplish our mission, it is crucial for students to become familiar with the entire world they are studying. Students will be required to read one novel per academic year (either written about or written during the time being studied) as well as complete two interdisciplinary projects (one relative to Math and Sciences and one relating to Arts and Humanities) per academic year. Students will also be required to think critically about music, art, poetry, and foods from different time periods. These requirements will make some abstract concepts of History more tangible to our students. The curriculum at Philadelphia Academy Charter stresses integrated learning, in which every subject works together to develop a unified experience, providing students with a holistic view of how each subject applies to the real world.

Languages

The Philadelphia Academy Charter High School Foreign Language Department is committed to creating an innovative curriculum that is designed to produce well-rounded, culturally aware students, equipped with real world skills that they will utilize for a lifetime. In the Spanish and French Departments, we advocate for an eclectic approach that focuses on language as a communicative tool and as a means to further learning via interdisciplinary thematic units. The Foreign Language program will enhance students’ language art skills, cognitive development, and multicultural awareness and will help students develop basic communicative skills in the target language.