John Bartram High School


John Bartram High School is a public secondary school serving the neighborhoods of the Southwest Philadelphia area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school, which serves grades 9 through 12, is part of the School District of Philadelphia.
On December 4, 1986, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
WWW Official Site

History

On February 5, 1939, John Bartram High School, located at the intersection of 67th Street and Elmwood Avenue in Southwest Philadelphia, opened to 1,700 students for the first time. The school was named after the Philadelphian botanist John Bartram. It was built to relieve overcrowding at West [Philadelphia High School] due to population growth in the southwest part of the city. According to a history of the school published on its 50th anniversary, the school was originally planned to be built at 74th Street and Dicks Avenue, but the site was changed before construction started.
It was one of the first Philadelphia high schools named for a prominent individual rather than a geographic region of the city.
The school is home to the PA-20032 Unit of the Air Force JROTC.

School and site structure

Structure

The building is one city block long, and the school's capacity is about 3000 students. The school's blueprint shows approximately 103 classrooms and 12 staircases. The school has a boys' and a girls' gymnasium for different sporting events. The auditorium can hold about 1077 people. The Art Deco building was designed for 2,750 students but frequently held 3,200 or more.

Curriculum

John Bartram students must take four English classes to graduate. English classes are designed to help students improve their reading, grammar, writing, and vocabulary. Optional English classes include SAT English, AP English, Theater, Public Speaking, and AP English Literature.

Feeder Schools

Notable alumni