Newly built school opens in North Philadelphia

• The district has a dire need to modernize or replace aging schools throughout the city and has constructed three other schools since 2021.

State of play: The $44 million elementary school can serve 500 students in kindergarten through sixth grade.

• The new three-story school spans 77,000 square feet and is LEED-certified, per the district's website.
• It includes more than 20 classrooms, a gymnatorium, a cafeteria, a maker space and a media center.

Flashback: The century-old building was shuttered in 2019 following the discovery of damaged asbestos and lead paint.

• Students were relocated to a nearby facility during the construction.

The big picture: The district faces approximately $5 billion in needed capital repairs among its more than 300 facilities, which are more than 70 years old on average.

• Major renovations are needed at dozens of district schools, per a 2018 district report.
• Environmental dangers like damaged asbestos have closed several district schools for remediation in recent years.

Plus, the district is considered underfunded and faces a looming fiscal crisis as federal pandemic money expires.