The City School: Growing Our Family

by Brandon Van Deinse February 22, 2015

The City School’s mission is to train students’ minds, disciple their hearts, and bring light to the city—one child at a time. It has been a joy for us to partner in this mission with Tenth Presbyterian Church. Through generous and sacrificial gifts, by lending great talent to our Board of Directors, through fervent prayer, and by entrusting your children to our school, Tenth Church staff and congregation have been a gift from God as we strive to honor our mission in the city. 

Recently our mission was validated by the Philadelphia School Partnership, a non-profit organization that invests in the creation and expansion of great schools in the city. PSP is raising $100 million to move students out of failing schools into places where students can thrive. This spring, PSP granted The City School $90,000 to complete a strategic plan which will help us continue to grow as the Lord blesses us. The City School is the first private, independent Christian school to receive this prestigious award, and we consider this a powerful testament to the rigor of our academic program. Our strategic plan will allow us to continue to refine our college-preparatory program while we pursue opportunities to open our doors to more students in need of excellent, accessible education.

As we continue to grow and think strategically about next steps, our plan is to open multiple neighborhood-based elementary and middle school campuses which will feed into one centralized high school. 

We are already seeing God’s blessing on our desire to serve more students. Next fall we are opening a new elementary campus in Fairmount. We will open with grades pre-k through first and will add a new class every year through fifth grade. The Fairmount campus will be a place where Jesus’ love and grace are taught and lived out every day and students are challenged to think critically and creatively in their formative years. We are excited about this opportunity to welcome more families to The City School community, and we would love to serve more faithful families from Tenth Church. 

To meet our principals, head of school, and current families and to tour our campuses, please join us at an upcoming open house:

Fairmount Campus
Pre-K through 1st grade
860 N. 24th Street
Wednesday, February 25, 9:30 AM

Spruce Hill Campus
K through 5th grade
4115 Baltimore Avenue
Thursday, February 26, 9:30 AM

Walnut Street Campus
6th through 8th grade
4501 Walnut Street
Wednesday, March 4, 9:30 AM

Rittenhouse Campus
9th through 12th grade
315 S. 17th Street
Thursday, March 5, 5:00-7:00 PM

Of all the ways the Tenth congregation blesses our school, the deepest partnership we have is with families who entrust their children to us. Our students are taught to find joy in learning and to see God’s glory in every discipline. City School students learn to live as children of God, exercising love, forgiveness, and unity; they take courses in hermeneutics, apologetics, and biblical living; and students learn to see all of life in light of Jesus’ ministry, death, and triumphant resurrection. For the past ten years, this has culminated in a 100% college acceptance rate among our graduating seniors. If you are looking for an excellent Christian education for your children, we would love to welcome you to The City School family. 

For more information or to inquire about our generous financial aid policy, please contact us

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Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: By Brandon Van Deinse. © 2024 Tenth Presbyterian Church. Website: tenth.org