Our History

Built in 1889, the Francis Scott Key School is celebrating over one hundred twenty-five years of educational service to South Philadelphia families. You can read about our history here. We welcome, support, and educate the children of the many ethnic groups who have recently entered the United States through the gateway of our neighborhood, while we continue to serve the third and fourth generations of earlier immigrations. We are a Schoolwide Project School with 83% of our students coming from economically disadvantaged families. We are currently serving over five hundred children, grades kindergarten through six. As of 2020, the ethnic groups who are members of our school family include: 43% Asian, 33% Latinx, 12% Caucasian, and 9% African American.

old photo taken in 1889 of the building of Francis Scott Key school.  old photo taken in 1889 of the building of Francis Scott Key school.  old photo taken in 1889 of the completed building of Francis Scott Key school.  current photo of the front of the Francis Scott Key building