The School District of Philadelphia opened the new Thomas Holme Elementary School on Tuesday, continuing a rare period of back-to-back school openings across the city. The Northeast Philadelphia school opened exactly one week after the district debuted AMY at James Martin Middle School in Port Richmond, making it the first time the district has opened two new school buildings in a single week.
Thomas Holme Elementary is an $88 million K–8 school located on Academy Road and is scheduled to begin serving students in January. The new building is designed to accommodate 800 students and spans 141,000 square feet. It replaces the former Thomas Holme building, which was constructed in 1950 and was demolished to allow for new construction. The school is named after Pennsylvania’s first surveyor general and represents the seventh new school building completed by the district over the past 10 years.
The opening ceremony included students, school district officials, and community members. The school was presented as a facility to support modern instruction and student engagement. The project responds to enrollment patterns unique to Northeast Philadelphia, where student population growth has continued while other areas of the city have experienced declines. District officials identified overcrowding in Northeast schools as a main reason for replacing the original Thomas Holme building.
The new facility was designed with natural light throughout classrooms and shared areas, along with flexible learning spaces and movable furniture. The building includes science classrooms, music rooms, an interactive media commons, a gymnasium with a stage, and a dedicated dance studio with a real hardwood dance floor. During a building tour, educational facilities planner April Tomarelli identified the dance studio as the most prominent feature of the school.
The cafeteria includes dragon-shaped tiles aligned with the school’s mascot. Tomarelli stated that the building’s design choices were intentional and focused on creating a welcoming environment.
Students contributed directly to the design process. Their input influenced the building’s facade, playground, and stormwater management system. Architect Troy Hill of Blackney Hayes explained that student feedback resulted in additional learning spaces, outdoor classrooms, and a designated area for designing murals.
The opening of Thomas Holme occurs as the district approaches the release of its facilities master plan. The plan, originally expected by the end of the calendar year, is now projected for release in the coming months. District officials have said the plan will include recommendations for school closings, co-locations, renovations, and new construction. Board of Education President Reginald L. Streeter stated that the average school building in Philadelphia is 73 years old and that many students attend schools older than their grandparents.
Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. spoke during the opening ceremony and stated that both Thomas Holme and AMY at James Martin were completed on time and within budget despite rising construction costs. He said the district has maintained strong stewardship of federal, state, and local tax dollars and currently holds its best investment-grade credit rating in 50 years. He also stated that the new school supports the district’s goal of becoming the fastest-improving large school district in the country.
The Thomas Holme opening followed the debut of AMY at James Martin Middle School, a $62 million, 88,000-square-foot facility in Port Richmond that replaced a former 19th-century building. AMY at James Martin includes science labs, a makerspace, a digital flex lab, music spaces, flexible classroom seating, and a combined gymnasium and auditorium. The school also includes a rooftop outdoor classroom with views of the Center City skyline. It currently serves 200 students and has the capacity to grow to 500.
Both school projects were delivered through the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development, managed by PIDC, in partnership with the School District of Philadelphia.
Community involvement played a role in the Thomas Holme project. Mike Greco, president of the Penn Academy Athletic Association, helped guide the project through the community. He stated that two of his grandchildren will attend the new school in January and that his own children graduated from the original Thomas Holme building.
The recent openings follow the earlier debut of Lewis C. Cassidy Academics Plus in West Philadelphia. The $62.1 million pre-K–8 school replaced a century-old building and includes modern classrooms, a maker space, an innovation lab, a library, an art studio, a playground, and a full-service kitchen.
