Community Academy of Philadelphia CS

Terrible school period. I've attended this school for 7 years and I absolutely loathed it. The test score are so low cause majority of the time students are well "zoned out" or just frankly don't care. The favoritism is so bluntly obvious it hurts the motivation of the ones striving to achieve their goals to the point of not even caring anymore. You're treated like a child and talk down to and certain staffs has a napoleon complex that is just too stressful to deal with. If your missing a small piece of your uniform (And they're not cheap either, so lower incomers be wary) They'll keep you in disciplined, {A room with chairs, no windows and awkward silence} for the rest of the school day. So frankly, you'd be wasting a day because you literally get nothing to do, you do not learn anything and you can not talk. Wow, and then people wonder why the scores are so low. Maybe because students spend most of their time In this morbid room than the actual classroom. But hey, this is a great place to dump your kids for 7 hours or so to be babysat cause there is no way of cutting class.

I myself graduated from CAP, and like the majority of reviewers here, I find the administrative of the school care more about tiny details like appearance and such more than the academic quality that the students receive. However, almost all of the teachers here are excellent and I find myself referring to their lessons now still when I am in my second year of college. CAP students, however, suffer heavily from favoritism and inequality; such as sport-active students get more attention and students with slow learning ability get pushed off aside. Why not let the students that make a lot of effort and change dramatically over a period of time go on that oversea trip? Why 90% of top 20 students of the class get to go on that trip? Favoritism ruined this school.

I am still happy with Community Academy of Philadelphia Charter school, my son is getting ready to graduate and he has been here at this school since fourth grade, when he needs extra help , he can always get tutored or he can email his teachers, my young daughter is also enjoying this school, she is in the third grade and she has been here since Kindergarten. When she came there she was ready for the challenge and they keep her learning and striving for more education. They have computers for the kids and after school activities which are great. The staff is wonderful and helpful and the security, keep up the good work team. And that is what makes a great school.
—Submitted by a parent

I agreee with this statement completely. I agree because your right, I myself attended Cap and graduated from Cap. It is a very good school and I am completely shocked at the one out of ten ranking it has been given. You are very right in saying that they focus on a lot of the idiotic things such a missing piece of the uniform. They should be focusing completely on the education being provided so that the school would not be ranked a one out of ten. I agree with you wholeheartidly about the fact that the fault in all of this is not the teachers, it is the administration in charge who are at fault, if they were to focus more on the needs and the quality and substance of the education the students are being given then I do believe that the school would receive a higher ranking. The school must make some neccesary changes in order to prosper.

It is disheartening that Greatschools posts nameless rants full of misinformation and unfair accusations about a group of wonderful young people who attend Community Academy. They are not racist toward their teachers; they are open-minded, respectful and good people. Of course they are teenagers, and they act at times like teenagers. But CAP provides conflict resolution, clinical counselors, and strong discipline to help them make their way through those difficult years. CAP is not the school you want to go to if you want to be rowdy! CAP is calm and dedicated to learning and has a wide range of students from AP classes to special ed. for the severely autistic and honors students to returned drop-outs. That's why our PSSA scores are often below average; CAP accepts every challenge. However, no one who knows CAP believes it rowdy or violent. In fact, it has been called one the safest public schools in America. There is a danger in websites like this, because anyone, without having to backup what they say, can just rant away. CAP's strict rules are not for everyone. It is a school of choice.
—Submitted by a teacher

Community Academy of Philadelphia(CAP) is an amazing school, full of caring adults and much needed structure for todays young people. It saddens me to see the negative comments about a school that does so much more than educate our children. My daughter attended the school for three years and graduated in 2011. She left the school with fond memories and a strong foundation of education. She is currently attending a four year university, lives on campus and will one day be a Pediatric Nurse. CAP prepared her for higher education and continues to support her whenever she needs it. She visits CAP frequently and most recently spoke with current CAP students about her first semester experience in college. I wholeheartedly agree with todays post from a CAP teacher and wish CAP continued success!
—Submitted by a parent

i was in this school since kindergarten and there has been a lot of improvement. But they are worried more about the appearance of the students and what the school looks like on the outside. also they have a bootcamp like mentality for discipline which doesn't even work because the students were even more misbehaved because the most teachers,principles,and security guards were so meticulous about everything for example if you were missing a flag pin or a year pin you got a detention for not having a complete uniform. also if we didn't have clear book bags we had to carry our books every where our run back and forth in 3 min. in the extremely overcrowded hallways just to get to our lockers. and another thing they made us pay 10 dollars for a lock to put on your lockers plus if you didn't get a locker you got a detention. they were so busy with the useless security that was easily outsmarted by the students that the academic standards were horrible. the majority of teachers just taught you the material and gave you the work and expected you to do it and if you were failing some told you to go to tutoring.It is more the administrators fault than the teachers.

Hello everyone, First I'll start with - I have no reasons behind my rating. I have never been to this school, but they required me to choose a rating in order to post, so hopefully you guys will read this. My name is Danelle and I am a Temple University student doing a project about the 24th police district. I am focussing on the opportunities the schools have for children and students (or don't, depending on what information I get) Would any of you who have made comments about this school be interested in talking to me about your experiences at this school? It will have to be videotaped because it is a video project, but if preferred, I can keep names anonymous and I can blur faces so you are unrecognizable. Let me know what you guys think, any help would be greatly appreciated.

This School is horrible because they hardly have sports..The Lunch is distgusting and the teachers dont listen to you or help you....not mentioning any names

The reviews of this school show a microcosm of the problems of our educational system. Some Parents don't like the dress code and the discipline, while others love it. I'm going to go out on a limb here and bet the kids and parents that follow the rules have much better grades than the kids and parents that do not. Structure is important! Without structure there is no learning.

All I have to say is why? Why such low scores on state testings? This school is more worried about student appearance and discipline then ever! Yes student discipline is good, and the security is fantastic! But the teachers should be inforcing knowledge and preparing these students for the real worls, not the meaningless stuff they are teaching that is getting most of the students at "cap" NO WHERE. Public schools seem to be more determined to setting their students to a bright future even though there discipline is very poor, but just look at CAPS scores!! Does that say anything to you?
—Submitted by a parent

student appearance and security is very vital, is the beginning in providing students with self awareness in a save enviroment. education is paramount, the school provide educational value a high school level based on a college model and career wise. This school prepare our student to be responsible and prepare them for the challenges that they need to face in Colle and in the work force.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is horrible if I could change my children I would their more worried about their appereance and security than the education of students.....
—Submitted by a parent

It's no surprise that this school has removed their PSST results considering that they do not meet state standards....and have not for at least the past few years. Yes, discipline is not too much of a problem, however the fact that they are no where near the state's standard's speaks volume's. Our children deserve better.
—Submitted by a parent

i go to community and i love it their you feel as if someone is all ways givin u a helpin hand
—Submitted by a student

I love the fact that every year students are selected to go out of the country as part of the languages program. It's a trip for them to learn and have fun at the same time. I think that's a great opportunity for the students. I hope that they are able to continue doing this great initiative for the years to come.
—Submitted by a parent

well I am a cap high school student, cap is an excellent school. Its a second home to me. When I say its a 'second home' I mean that in my own home, I go threw many problems and sometimes feel unsafe. But as soon as I go to school, all those fears are gone, and i could let my feelings show.
—Submitted by a student

I love this school, I have my son enrolled already and I am hoping my daughter will be able to get in there as well, the staff is very caring and teacher parent nights are very organized.
—Submitted by a parent

Not only do I have all 3 of my kids in this school since K, I personally graduated from this school in 95. I would not change my children from this school. The staff in CAP has help me along the way with diffrent problems my kids had. They have been very supportive...like family to me. My kids feel safe and comfortable here and I feel good/happy that they do.
—Submitted by a parent

I have had my daughter attending this school since K and she has only progressed academically through the years. She is now in the 7th grade and has a great pride for her scholl. Also my son was able to attend, after being in the public school sytem for two years and has shown a drastic change not only academically but also socially.
—Submitted by a parent