Germantown High School was a secondary school located in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. Germantown High School graduated its final class on June 19, 2013 and closed its doors that week. GHS, located in

Germantown Germantown or German Town may refer to: Places Australia * Germantown, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region United States * Germantown, California, the former name of Artois, a census-designated place in Glenn County * Ge ...

, was a part of the

School District of Philadelphia The School District of Philadelphia (SDP) is the school district that includes all school district-operated public schools in Philadelphia. Established in 1818, it is the 8th largest school district in the nation, by enrollment, serving over 200 ...

. The school was built in 1914. Its students were mostly

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

, despite the previous German population of the region. Students came from the Logan, Germantown, Mt. Airy, Chestnut Hill, and Nicetown-Tioga sections of the city. The team name was the Bears.1993-94 and 95 Men's Varsity basketball was ranked top in the city of Philadelphia.

History

Germantown High became a grade 11-12 school after Martin Luther King High School, housing grades 9-10, opened on February 8, 1972. The school district used this arrangement since it intended to keep students in Northwest Philadelphia economically integrated. Some neighborhoods in proximity to King, such as East Mount Airy and

West Oak Lane West Oak Lane is a neighborhood in the Northwestern Philadelphia. The neighborhood was developed primarily between the early 1920s and late 1930s, with the areas near to Cedarbrook constructed after World War II. At the northeast corner of Limekiln ...

, wanted King to become a 9-12 school because Germantown High was located in proximity to poorer areas. Eventually Germantown and King became separate 9-12 schools. The campuses are about apart. Germantown High's peak student population was over 3,000. The enrollment declined due to the availability of

magnet schools In the U.S. education system, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities (usually school boards) as school ...

and charter schools. Prior to the school's 2013 closure, an entire wing had been blocked off and there were 676 students. In 2013 the students from Germantown were transferred to King. Print: August 4, 2013, page SP1 In April 2019, the Germantown United CDC and the Keeping Society of Philadelphia filed a nomination authored by Oscar Beisert, Architectural Historian and Historic Preservationist, to list the building in the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places. At its 691st Stated Meeting on March 13, 2020, the Philadelphia Historical Commission voted unanimously to designate the building and its grounds, a status which comes with protection from alteration and demolition, as well as regulatory authority during any future redevelopment of the property.

Demographics

In 2013 the school had 676 students, mostly low income and African-American. Students in foster care and homeless students made up at least 10% of that student body.

Academic performance

In 2013 the school's graduation rate was below 50%, 18% of students had proficiency in reading, and 15% had proficiency in mathematics.

Athletics

American football players had to ride a bus to sports practice because Germantown High did not have an on-campus athletic field. King and Germantown were previously athletic rivals, but after 2013 American football team players of Germantown High joined King's team.

Feeder patterns

Feeder middle schools into Germantown included Roosevelt Middle School.A Directory of High Schools for 2009 Admissions
." ''

''. Accessed November 6, 2008. K-8 feeder schools into Germantown included Charles W. Henry School, Henry H. Houston School, John S. Jenks School, and Anna L. Lingelbach School. Students zoned to Henry, Houston, Jenks, and Lingelbach are now zoned to

Roxborough High School The Academies at Roxborough High School (commonly referred to as Roxborough High School) is a public high school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, operated by the School District of Philadelphia and servicing the Roxborough, Manayunk, Chestnut Hill ...

. Students zoned to Roosevelt are now zoned to King High School.

Alumni

Frankie Beverly Frankie Beverly (born Howard Beverly, December 6, 1946) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, and producer, known primarily for his recordings with the soul and funk band Maze. Beverly formed Maze, originally called Raw Soul, in his ...

, singer * Steve Coleman, football player * William Thaddeus Coleman Jr., 4th US Secretary of Transportation, and 2nd African American to serve in the US Cabinet. *

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, CTO of HP, Dell *

Rick Lackman Richard H. Lackman (September 20, 1910 – March 12, 1990) was an American football halfback who played three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League. He attended Germantown High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ...

, football player * Randy Owens (1959-2015), basketball player * Will Parks, NFL player, Miami Dolphins *

Victor Potamkin Victor Potamkin (July 2, 1911 – June 5, 1995) was an American businessman and car dealership owner known for deep discounting and aggressive advertising.Frank K. Richardson Frank Kellogg Richardson (February 13, 1914 – October 5, 1999) was an American attorney and Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of California, California Supreme Court. Early life and education Born in St. Helena, California, Richardson grad ...

, judge *

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Archie Shepp Archie Shepp (born May 24, 1937) is an American jazz saxophonist, educator and playwright who since the 1960s has played a central part in the development of avant-garde jazz. Biography Early life Shepp was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but ...

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Mike Sojourner Michael Sojourner (born October 16, 1953) is a retired American professional basketball player born in Germantown, Pennsylvania. A 6'9" (2.05 m) power forward / center from the University of Utah, Sojourner played three seasons (1974–1977) in ...

, basketball player, 10th overall pick of 1974 NBA draft *

Tammi Terrell Tammi Terrell (born Thomasina Winifred Montgomery; April 29, 1945 – March 16, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter, widely known as a star singer for Motown Records during the 1960s, notably for a series of duets with singer Marvin Gaye. ...

, singer *

Herman Frazier Herman Ronald "Herm" Frazier (born October 29, 1954) is a retired American sprinter. He won gold medals in the relay at the 1976 Olympics and 1975 and 1979 Pan American Games. Individually he earned a bronze medal in the 400 m event at the 1976 ...

, Olympic Gold and Silver Medalist 1976 * Linda Addison, maiden name Webster, multi-award winning author/poet 1970

References

External links

* - 2007-2016 * - 2001-2007 {{authority control School District of Philadelphia High schools in Philadelphia Public high schools in Pennsylvania Educational institutions established in 1914 1914 establishments in Pennsylvania Educational institutions disestablished in 2013 Germantown, Philadelphia 2013 disestablishments in Pennsylvania