Philly has closed 17 charter schools in 11 years. Here’s why.

Philadelphia City Council’s recent attention to charter schools — whether they have been treated unfairly, and why a majority of closures over the past decade have been of Black-operated charters — has thrust the matter into the spotlight.

Councilmember and education committee chair Isaiah Thomas spoke plainly at a contentious hearing on Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s school board nominees — a matter that is not yet settled — earlier this month: “Why don’t we treat Black charter schools the same way we treat white charter schools?” (Black-led charters represent about a quarter of the city’s sector, but a majority of its closures.) “How do you look at that number and say that’s not racist?”

(Of the 17 schools that closed between 2013 and 2023, nine, or 53%, were Black-led.)

An independent investigation authorized by the school board in 2021 examined allegations of racism raised by a coalition of Black-led charters. Its report, released in October, found problems with transparency and training, but no “intentional acts of racial discrimination or bias” by the board or district charter schools office.

Members of the coalition and its supporters later blasted the board’s characterization and handling of the report; some called for the resignation of members of the school board.

Here’s a look at every Philadelphia charter closed since 2013, and the reasons for each school’s end, as articulated by the charter schools office and School Reform Commission (until July 2018) or school board (after July 2018).

Each school had due process available to it via the ability to appeal to the state Charter Appeals Board, then Commonwealth Court, then the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Charters have the ability to stay open while pursuing due process, which often takes years to complete.

Officials cited academic and management concerns about Hope, in West Oak Lane. Examples include a failure to meet growth targets and academic performance below state, district, and charter school average, a failure to make timely payments to the state teacher pension system, and significant barriers to entry for students. Hope was a Black-led charter.

The Palmer Charter School, in Northern Liberties, closed two months into the school year amid a financial collapse; the school ran consistent deficits and was unable to pay salaries and creditors. It also had operational and academic issues, including performance lower than district and charter school averages. Palmer was a Black-led charter.

The closure of Wakisha, in North Philadelphia, was not prompted by any SRC or district action. It ran out of money. It was a Black-led charter.

Arise, a school for students in the foster care system, closed after significant academic concerns were raised. The school was also cited for “failure to meet generally accepted standards of fiscal management or audit requirements” and other financial and operational problems. It was not a Black-led charter.

Truebright, part of a group of schools organized by followers of the Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, operated a school in Olney. It closed because of academic issues, including performance that was lower than state, district, and charter school averages. It was not a Black-led charter.

Imani, in Germantown, was an African-centered charter. It was ordered to close because of poor academics and what a state panel described as “the continued substantial instability of Imani’s fiscal operations.” It was a Black-led charter.

New Media, in East Mount Airy, was closed because of poor academic performance, financial problems, and failure to provide students with the rich technology New Media had guaranteed in its charter. It also failed to meet its legal obligations to English language learners. The school’s founder and founding board president went to federal prison after admitting they stole more than half a million dollars in taxpayer money. New Media was a Black-led charter.

Young Scholars Kenderton, in North Philadelphia, closed on its own, blaming the high cost of educating the school’s significant special education population. The school reverted back to Philadelphia School District control. It was not a Black-led charter.

Academic problems — including the school representing itself as a college prep school but offering no Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or other college programs for a time — were cited for World Communications, which was one of the first charters opened in Philadelphia, and located in Southwest Center City. The school also failed to ensure that all of its employees had federal background checks and child abuse clearances, and was cited for financial irregularities. World Communications was not a Black-led charter.

Delaware Valley failed to meet student performance standards spelled out in charter law, ensure all staff had background checks, and had financial problems ranging from deficits over multiple years to failure to make some payments to the state teachers’ retirement system. The school was located in Logan and was not a Black-led charter.

Khepera fell short of academic goals, including those it agreed to in charter conditions. The North Philadelphia school also had operational and financial problems, including failure to pay its landlord, make payroll, or offer federally mandated extended-year programming to students with disabilities because it had no money to do so. Khepera was a Black-led charter.

Eastern was cited for having consistently poor standardized test scores and operational issues, including violating students’ due process rights, losing affiliation with Eastern University, and a failure to follow the law around identifying students with diverse learning needs. The school, in East Falls, was a Black-led charter.

CHAD was closed for academic issues, as well as operational and financial ones, including a failure to implement its mission and instructional model, have a legally compliant English learner program or student code of conduct. The school also lacked certified special education teachers, and failed to make timely wage tax payments. CHAD, in Center City, was not a Black-led charter.

Stetson was a struggling district school that was given to the nonprofit ASPIRA organization to run as a charter, but ultimately taken back because it failed to dramatically accelerate student progress, as was promised under the school system’s Renaissance charter program. It also had operational issues, such as failing to comply with its own bylaws, and financial issues including using charter funds to be used by ASPIRA and other ASPIRA charter schools not affiliated with the district. Stetson, in Kensington, was not Black-led, but Latino-run.

Olney, like Stetson, was given to ASPIRA to run as a charter under the district’s Renaissance program, but its charter was pulled over similar issues — academics, financial, and operational.

Daroff, another district school, was given to Universal Companies Inc. to run as a charter. It abruptly closed days before classes were supposed to begin for the year after a battle between the school’s board and Universal resulted in the management company cutting ties with Daroff. The school had been cited for academic issues, operational problems including improper student expulsions and failure to meet city fire code, and financial issues such as lending money to other Universal entities, some of which was never repaid. Universal Daroff, in West Philadelphia, was a Black-led school.

Bluford was another Renaissance Charter run by Universal for most of the charter’s tenure. It too got caught in the fight between the school’s board and Universal and operated without a management organization for the final year of its charter, and had issues similar to Daroff’s. Bluford was ultimately returned to district control. Universal Bluford, in West Philadelphia, was a Black-led school.