Andrew Jackson School (Philadelphia)

Fanny Jackson Coppin School, previously Federal Street School and then Andrew Jackson School,[2] is a public K-8 school located in the Passyunk Square neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is a part of the School District of Philadelphia. The school was previously named for United States President Andrew Jackson before changing the name in 2021 to honor former Philadelphia teacher Fanny Jackson Coppin.[3]

Fanny Jackson Coppin School
Fanny Jackson Coppin School, May 2010 (then Andrew Jackson School)
Andrew Jackson School (Philadelphia) is located in Philadelphia
Andrew Jackson School (Philadelphia)
Andrew Jackson School (Philadelphia) is located in Pennsylvania
Andrew Jackson School (Philadelphia)
Andrew Jackson School (Philadelphia) is located in the United States
Andrew Jackson School (Philadelphia)
Location1213 S. 12th St.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Coordinates39°56′05″N 75°09′48″W
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1924–1925
Built byB. Fennimore
ArchitectIrwin T. Catharine
Architectural styleLate Gothic Revival, Academic Gothic
MPSPhiladelphia Public Schools TR
NRHP reference No.86003294[1]
Added to NRHPDecember 1, 1986

The historic school building was designed by Irwin T. Catharine and built in 1924–1925. It is a three-story, brick and limestone in the Late Gothic Revival-style. It features a projecting center two-story bay, projecting building ends with decorative brick panels, compound arched entrance, and a brick parapet.[4] The roof of the school includes a garden that is used by the local community.

History

The original Federal Street School was renamed the Jackson School in 1848. It had two property deeds, February 28, 1838 and January 1, 1842.[5]

The current school building, designed by B. Fennimore and Irwin T. Catharine, opened in 1924. It uses a Late Gothic Revival style. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986,[6] in the register as the "Federal Street School".[7]

Kristen Graham of The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote that circa 2009 the school had a "tough reputation", a previously smaller student body, and constant interaction with the police; it improved after Lisa Ciaranca Kaplan became the principal.[8]

In 2013 Albert Stumm of the Passyunk Post stated that by that year the school had "made great progress" due to actions from the principal, who was highly regarded by the parents; in addition, improvement came from the efforts of the Passyunk Square Civic education committee and other neighborhood activists.[9]

In 2013 the school district passed a severe budget cut which would eliminate the nurse, security monitors, counselors, aides, and secretaries; as well as eliminating funding for the school's rock band and school supplies.[10] Stumm stated that there was still the possibility that "an 11th-hour solution" could prohibit the layoffs.[9]

Kaplan won the 2015 Escalante-Gradillas Prize for Best in Education. That year, real estate agents promoted residences within the Jackson attendance zone, using the school as a selling point.[8]

Student body

Circa 2009 Jackson had 230 students.[8] As of 2013 the school had 410 students, with almost all of them qualifying for free or reduced lunch, an indicator of poverty. As of that year, the students spoke 14 languages.[10]

By 2015 the student body had increased to 530, 30% of whom spoke English as a second language, and 94% of whom lived below the poverty line.[8] As of that year 33% of the students were Hispanic; many Mexicans had immigrated to the area where the school resides.[11] As of 2016 there are 17 languages and 24 countries of origin represented in the student body. That year 85% of the students were other than non-Hispanic white.[12]

Programs

The school's music program has a rock band, "Home," consisting of pupils.[13] As of 2013, it was known in the local area. The 2013 funding crisis caused the district to eliminate the budget for the band.[10] In 2015 the Wawa Foundation, the charity of Wawa Inc., donated $2,500 to the music program.[13]

As of 2011 the school has a summer school program that admits children from the surrounding area. Graham stated that it had "robust" attendance.[14]

Feeder patterns

Neighborhoods assigned to Jackson are also assigned to Furness High School.[15][16]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "Andrew Jackson School" (Archive). Pennsylvania Department of Transportation p. 2. Retrieved on November 28, 2015.
  3. "About Our New Name – Fanny Jackson Coppin School".
  4. "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania". CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Archived from the original (Searchable database) on 2007-07-21. Retrieved 2012-07-07. Note: This includes B. Mintz (July 1986). "Pennsylvania Historic Resource Survey Form: Federal Street School" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-11-28. Retrieved 2012-07-03.
  5. Edmunds, Franklin Davenport. The public school buildings of the city of Philadelphia from 1845 to 1852. 1915. p. 72. "The Federal Street School Known from 1848 as the Jackson School South side of Federal Street east of Twelfth Street" - Available for free from Google Books
  6. "Federal Street School."National Register of Historic Places. Retrieved on November 16, 2016.
  7. "PHILADELPHIA HISTORICAL COMMISSION HISTORIC PRESERVATION RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE SOUTH PLANNING DISTRICT" (Archive). City of Philadelphia. Retrieved on November 16, 2016. p. 3/56. "The following public school buildings within the South Planning District are listed on the National Register as elements of the Philadelphia Public Schools Thematic Historic District.[...]1213 S 12th Street, Federal Street School; Andrew Jackson School"
  8. Graham, Kristen A. "National principal of the year from Phila." (Archive). The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 28, 2015. Retrieved on November 28, 2015.
  9. Stumm, Albert. "South Philly School ends up in the N.Y. Times for all the wrong reasons" (Archive). Passyunk Post. June 18, 2013. Retrieved on November 28, 2015.
  10. Trip, Gabriel. "Budget Cuts Reach Bone for Philadelphia Schools" (Archive). The New York Times. June 17, 2013. Print: p. A9. Retrieved on November 28, 2015.
  11. Nazir, Milady (2015-05-15). "Philadelphia's iconic Italian Market transformed by influx of Mexican migrants". Fox News Latino. Retrieved 2016-11-16.
  12. "Student Diversity Archived 2016-11-16 at the Wayback Machine." Andrew Jackson School. Retrieved on November 16, 2016.
  13. Gigliotti, Gianna and Joe Tressa. "Jackson school receives welcoming donation" (Archive). South Philly Review. June 26, 2014. Retrieved on November 29, 2015.
  14. Graham, Kristen A. "Attendance uneven at district's $18 million summer school programs" (Archive). The Philadelphia Inquirer. July 11, 2011. Retrieved on November 29, 2015.
  15. "A Directory of High Schools for 2009 Admissions" (Archive). School District of Philadelphia. p. 15 (PDF p/ 17/40). Accessed November 6, 2008.
  16. "Horace Furness High School Geographic Boundaries" (Archive). School District of Philadelphia. Retrieved on October 4, 2011.
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