91 Philly schools will close early Friday because of expected heat

With temperatures forecasted to soar into the 90s, some — but not all — Philadelphia schools will close early Friday.

Ninety-one of the Philadelphia School District’s 216 buildings are not fully air-conditioned; those will close two hours early. Air-conditioned schools will remain open. If schools have air-conditioning that is not fully functional, principals can appeal to assistant superintendents to make decisions.

District officials say they are working toward air-conditioning every school in the system, but that won’t happen until 2027. Until then, the district plans on keeping its patchwork system of some buildings being able to offer classes in the extreme heat and others needing to close.

» READ MORE: Philly schools won’t be fully air-conditioned until 2027. Here’s why.

The barrier to installing air-conditioning in every school is not the cost of the units themselves, but the district’s old buildings and their poor electrical service.

“Thank you for your patience and flexibility as we navigate extreme heat conditions while working to provide every school with the updated air-conditioning system it needs to support comfortable teaching and learning environments for students and staff,” Chief Operating Officer Oz Hill wrote in a letter sent to principals Thursday afternoon.

The school system last year moved to new hot-weather protocols that stipulate officials begin monitoring conditions when temperatures are projected to reach 85 degrees and above. When the mercury hits 90, conversations happen around whether closure or early dismissal is warranted.

Though final grades are due Monday, Philadelphia students’ last day of school is June 13. Teachers finish the school year on June 14.

The 91 schools that need electrical upgrades or air-conditioning and will close early Friday are:

AMY at James Martin, AMY Northwest, Chester Arthur, Bache-Martin, Clara Barton, Blaine, Blankenburg, Bregy, H.A. Brown, Bryant, Building 21, Casarez, Castor Gardens, Catharine, Central, Comegys, Comly, Cooke, Crossan, A.B. Day, Hamilton Disston, Dunbar, Emlen, Fell, Finletter, Fitler, Fitzpatrick, Fox Chase, Ben Franklin High School, Furness, Gideon, GAMP, Girard, Girls High, Greenberg, Harding, Harrington, Henry, Hill-Freedman, Holme, Hopkinson, Houston, Howe, A.S. Jenks, J.S. Jenks, Kenderton, Kirkbride, Lamberton, Lingelbach, Loesche, Logan, Lowell, Ludlow, John Marshall, McCloskey, McClure, McMichael, Meredith, Mifflin, Mitchell, J.H. Moore, Robert Morris, Morrison, Nebinger, Olney Elementary, Overbrook Educational Center Annex, Overbrook Elementary, Parkway West, John Patterson, Penn Treaty, Pennypacker, Rhawnhurst, Theodore Roosevelt, Rowen, Roxborough High School, Sayre, Science Leadership Academy, Sharswood, Sheppard, South Philadelphia High, Spring Garden, Spruance, Sullivan, Taggart, Tilden, The U School, Wagner, Waring, George Washington High School, Martha Washington, Ziegler.