I never thought I would really get a chance to learn and go to college. When you’re in 8th grade at Young Scholars the only thing you have to worry about is getting into a good high school and college.

- Aja, College Class of 2018

Who We Are

Young Scholars Frederick Douglass Charter School prepares students, K-8, to attend and succeed academically in high school and college, and Young Scholars provides students with a foundation of life skills required to become productive members of their communities.

Young Scholars Frederick Douglass Charter School, located in North Philadelphia, is a part of the Scholar Academies network of high-performing schools that use a focused, progressive educational approach designed specifically to close the achievement gap for low-income students who come to us severely under-prepared.  As a part of the Renaissance Initiative, Scholar Academies was given the opportunity to turn Frederick Douglass Elementary into one of the highest achieving schools in Philadelphia.  Our model develops students into smart and dedicated scholars, determined to succeed on their PATH to academic achievement.

How We Do It

1) Extended day and extended year so that students spend more time in school. We will maximize student learning with at least 33% more time in class than students attending neighborhood public schools.

2) Standards-aligned, school-created curriculum combined with a uniform approach to lesson planning/delivery to consistently provide highly effective instruction.

3) Commitment to strong school-wide climate that is centered on a transparent and strict student incentive and accountability system implemented to drive positive student behavior and strong school culture. The school culture model encompasses a rewards and consequences system inextricably linked to our student core values (PATH) and behavioral expectations (STAR).[1]

4) Use of data to measure overall school performance and to frequently measure student performance so that intervention strategies can be created when needed.

5) Engagement of families and community stakeholders to ensure strong connection to school and support of high expectations both in and out of school.

6) Enriching after-school programs and after-school tutoring programs and world-class high school placement program.

[1] The acronym PATH stands for Prepared (grades PS-2)/Professional(grades 3-8), Attentive, Thoughtful, Hardworking. STAR stands for Sit Up Straight,Track the Speaker, Ask Questions, Raise Your Hand.