Esperanza Academy Charter School (EACS) has been serving students in the Hunting Park community for more than two decades, and currently serves over 1,600 students in grades K-2 and 5-12. EACS is excited to announce that they have broken ground on a new elementary building for grades K-5, which is projected to open in August 2025 for the 2025-2026 school year. This new building will represent the culmination of Esperanza’s K-14 educational system and will allow EACS to continue providing a high-quality education to even more students in the years to come.
EACS was founded in 2000, starting with only High School grades housed on the first floor of the current High School building at 301 W. Hunting Park Ave. High school grades have now grown to fill both floors of that space. Middle School grades were added in 2012 and moved into the current Middle School building at 4261 N. 5th St. in 2014. The Elementary School started in 2017 with a first-grade class of 144 students, which moved up each year until they became the first EACS 5th grade class to transition to the Middle School in 2022. The Elementary School currently offers grades K-2 and 5, and utilizes rented space in the Salvation Army building at 3150 N. Mascher St.
The new Elementary building will be located at 201 W. Hunting Park Ave., much closer to the main Esperanza campus than the current facility being used. The 73,000 square foot facility will house up to 800 students and will offer 30 student classrooms with attached grade-level support and intervention spaces, a state-of-the-art cafeteria and gymnasium, a music room, and a playground. The cafeteria and gymnasium will be divided by a movable wall, which will allow for a large multi-purpose space that can be used for school assemblies, family events, and more. To ensure smooth traffic flow, there will also be a secure space for arrival and dismissal which will include bus lanes.
Jeana Davis, the Director of Instruction at the Elementary School shares, “We started with small but excellent beginnings, and are excited to continue seeing our students learn and thrive in a beautiful, new building. We believe the elementary grades are a time for exploration, cultivating curiosity, and creating foundational learning that will carry our students to success far into the future. This expansion will provide our students with a cohesive K-12 learning experience, and we can’t wait to see the new opportunities it will hold.”
After completing this expansion project, EACS will become the second-largest single charter school in Philadelphia, serving over 2,200 students in grades K-12.
If you are interested in applying for the 2023-2024 or 2024-2025 school year, you can apply online (https://www.esperanzaacademycs.org/apply/) or visit any EACS building to complete a paper application.
