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ELEVATE IN ACTION | March 2026: New Rank & Match System Connects Thousands to Their Preferred School

Across Philadelphia, we are seeing what’s possible when strategy and partnership come together. Families are securing seats at schools they chose, schools are accelerating achievement, and a citywide coalition is advancing long-term solutions to educator shortages.

In This Issue

Thousands of Students Matched to Schools They Chose
Apply Philly Charter’s new Rank & Match system delivers strong first-year results.

Accelerating Math Achievement at Juniata Park Academy
Targeted investment strengthens instructional leadership and student outcomes.

Strengthening Philadelphia’s Educator Workforce
The Talent Coalition adopts 2026 priorities to improve recruitment, development, and retention.

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New Rank and Match System Expands Student Access to Their Top-Choice Schools
This year marked a major milestone for Apply Philly Charter.

Under the new Rank and Match system, families were able to rank their school choices in order of preference — increasing the likelihood that students would receive offers from their top-choice lottery schools.

The results exceeded expectations:

  • 26,696 student applicants
  • 119,391 total applications submitted
  • Increased seat offers from lottery schools
  • Higher seat-offer acceptance rates than the previous year

In its first year, Rank and Match connected more students to schools they chose — strengthening family choice and enrollment stability for schools.

Families who missed the priority deadline or want to apply to additional schools can still visit applyphillycharter.org to submit applications and join school waitlists. Charter schools will continue to offer seats to students as spots become available on the waitlist.

This progress moves Philadelphia closer to a more transparent and unified enrollment system.

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District School Accelerates Student Achievement in Math
Juniata Park Academy is demonstrating what’s possible when strong instructional leadership meets intentional investment.

Since 2022, Elevate 215 has invested $750,000 in Juniata Park to strengthen math and ELA achievement, build leadership teams, and embed culturally responsive instruction into daily practice.

The school’s strategy includes:

  • Expanding teacher leadership roles
  • Strengthening instructional support
  • Building grade-level teams to better serve diverse learners
(Photo: Building momentum in math: a Juniata  Park Academy student during instruction strengthened through Elevate 215’s investment.)

The result? Measurable progress in student math achievement — and a school model that prioritizes both academic rigor and belonging.

This is the kind of systems-level improvement that drives sustainable gains for students.

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Talent Coalition Charts a Path to Strengthen Philadelphia’s Educator Workforce

Philadelphia’s educator shortage requires long-term solutions, not short-term fixes.

To accelerate progress toward its goals to improve teacher diversity, retention, and certification across the city, the Philadelphia Citywide Talent Coalition recently adopted its 2026 priorities across three key areas:

Recruitment
A January TeachPHL recruitment campaign generated 14 media placements, reaching an estimated audience of 500,000+ viewers.

Development
Expanding paraprofessional-to-teacher pathways, Registered Apprenticeships, and supports for non-certified teachers across both charter and district sectors.

Retention
Continuing support for the Philadelphia Affinity Group Network and piloting team-based staffing models to modernize roles, expand teacher leadership, and improve compensation opportunities.
Learn more about the Talent Coalition’s 2026 priorities across these focus areas, as well as Infrastructure and Data, and Policy and Advocacy.
 

The Philadelphia Citywide Talent Coalition includes representatives from 50 cross-sector organizations — spanning education, nonprofit, civic, research, and philanthropy. Elevate 215 serves as the backbone organization and convener, ensuring alignment, accountability, and measurable progress.
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