This June, the School District of Philadelphia will shut down 23 of its 240 schools, eliminating almost 10% of its schools and displacing 7,600 of its students. The map below charts out the locations of shuttering schools, and provides pictures and performance ratings.

Citing extreme financial hardship, the district insists that closures are the only way to improve its ailing economic health and the downward trend of student enrollment over the past several years. Charter school enrollment has nearly tripled over the past ten years, leaving many public schools crumbling and under-enrolled. However, the district does not plan to eliminate any teacher positions since student population is expected to remain near its current total of 150,000.

A note about the school ratings included in the map: the SPI Rank (School Performance Index) rates schools from 1-10, where 1 is the best rating, and 10 is the worst. The profusion of 10/10s is not a positive indicator in this case.

[All photos courtesy of Great Philly Schools]

· The School District of Philadelphia [Official Site]
— Zach Patten