With $2.8B Plan, Philly School District Calls to Close or Repurpose 20 Schools

Philly could close 20 schools, co-locate 6, and modernize 159: Superintendent Watlington shares his facilities plan

The 10-year blueprint comes with a $2.8 billion price tag, $1 billion of which would be covered by district capital funds. The rest would depend on philanthropy or state funds.

With $2.8B plan, Philly school district calls to close or repurpose 20 schools

After conducting studies, collecting surveys and gathering input from stakeholders, the School District of Philadelphia, on Thursday, released a master plan that calls for 20 district owned properties to be closed. The plan also calls for 12 of these properties to be repurposed for the district’s use while the remaining eight properties will be conveyed to the city to be used for workforce housing or job creation. Some properties impacted by clo…

PFT President Steinberg Statement on District Facilities Proposal

PFT President Steinberg Statement on District Facilities Proposal PHILADELPHIA (January 22, 2026) – Following is a statement from Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Arthur G. Steinberg on the School District of Philadelphia’s proposal to close 20 schools and merge six schools:“After months of false starts and poorly advertised and attended ‘community meetings,’ the School District of Philadelphia has released its long-delayed school …