Project Learn School

6525 Germantown Avenue

Philadelphia, PA 19119

27 Reviews

School District
Grade

K
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on September 16, 2019

Our experience at PLS was disappointing. Especially, after recognizing that m child was not taught since Kindergarten. The school is in high debt (200 K) and relied heavily on parents to fundraise. The administration isn't honest and focuses on her son succeeding academically in the school. Many students have left because there kids were behind grade level. Instead of working to bring the student to grade level their being pushed to the next grade and set up to failed. Students are often left to roam the building, some students were violated on the school grounds. While staff memebers took their eyes off of them. The idea of co-op/community is great but PLS if you're not paying your tuition etc. you will be outkast and unable to sit at the table to make decisions without being shutdown by adisntration. The school is filthy, theres a rodent problem and handwashing isn't practiced. The school doesnt not have technology or other tools that will allow the children to succeed academically.
Submitted by parent on September 16, 2019

In my several years of sending my child to this school the first 4-5 years were fine. The last 3 years things started switching drastically and fast. My child did not get into the high school I wanted and after the last 3 years at this school, my child's first year of high school was overwhelmingly difficult. Be prepared to spend lots of money on tutoring if you decide to stay for the 8-9 years, that is unless administration changes and they hire a full staff. What this school used to be and stood for is nothing that it is now. The only thing your child will gain at this point is a kind of nurtured environment and that is very questionable as children are not being watched properly, as there were incidents I won't mention, so you should basically ask for a new staff if you want your child to attend. The element of excellence has left long ago. I'm not even sure that the remaining founders are still involved. My child loved what the school was but doesn't love that a better foundation wasn't provided and now it is showing as we struggle to pull the grade point average all the way up!!!
Submitted by other on August 23, 2018

I volunteered at this school for many years. It was a good school in the earlier years. It no longer has the same values with which it was started sadly.
Submitted by parent on May 23, 2018

I would never recommend anyone to this school they make you pay all this money you have to clean the school you have a week to bring in snacks and if your child stays for after care you have to provide snacks for everyone as well you pay all this money and still have to pay and work and the have you come in on a wed night for like a parent teacher night and you have to bring snacks as well and have you there all night . This school is not ran by any licensed teachers more like parents your just paying a lot of money for home school that does nothing
Submitted by parent on November 12, 2017

It has been terrible. I can't wait to get my child into a better environment where she can learn and feel safe.
Submitted by parent on November 01, 2017

Please do your research before sending your child to school here. Ask around. This school should be shut down
Submitted by parent on August 20, 2017

I could write for hours how disorganized, dysfunctional, and chaotic the school is. The school is a teachers utopia, where they do what they want and answer to no one. Do your research, and ask around. The teachers have asked parents to do positive reviews on school review websites to offset all the negative reviews. This is truly the strangest school on earth, where the abnormal is normal, where Alice in Wonderland meets the Wizard of OZ.
Submitted by parent on July 27, 2017

Very poorly run, poor education delivered, low enrollment, financially unstable, poor retention. Chaotic environment .. Teachers have no accountability.
Submitted by other on September 16, 2016

Very poorly administered. Basic communication about student health and safety is lacking. I recommend against sending your kid here.
Submitted by other on August 18, 2016

Several teachers are brand new teachers with no background in education (i.e., no degree), and the ones with ed degrees don't seem to keep their skills fresh. Several students have left with the teachers having never identified any challenges with reading, and at their new schools they were evaluated and given reading strategies that helped them read without struggling through it (one of my child's friends very clearly had a reading disability and PL teachers said the child was reading at grade level). These are the kinds of things that well-meaning people who like kids can't provide; they need actual teachers with some background in how to teach kid to read.
Submitted by parent on October 27, 2015

We left this school. Over half of the children in first grade were not promoted to second grade because they were not prepared. Also left because the school is not run cooperatively by the entire community - it is run by a clique. Committees can't make decisions – everything goes in circles. For example, they have been working on redoing the website for a few years. It still looks the same because someone objects to something. There is no obvious method for improving the school – high quality seems not to be a goal. People with authority play favorites. Lots of parents want a principal at the school, but the group in charge won't even let the issue be discussed. This is not a ‘mess’ that results from community process, it is chaos. This place is stuck in the 1960s. Time for us to move on.
Submitted by parent on February 11, 2015

Project Learn School is a place where my children can be themselves fully. We have been part of the PLS community for 3 years, and our 7-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son can tell that the staff care about them as individuals, not just as students. My son loved his multimedia research project so much that we never had to cajole him into working on the assignment. He made a stop-motion Lego movie about Greek mythology, in addition to writing a 10-page research paper about the subject. The small school, with its interdisciplinary programming and frequent multi-age groupings, encourages accountability among all community members. It's wonderful to see older children from the junior high hanging out with the youngest children--not only does it help the younger students feel included in a supportive environment, it gives the older students important mentoring experiences that grow their confidence and sense of responsibility. PLS welcomes the contributions of its parents, which was not the case in our daughter's kindergarten school. Our children are learning the crucial skills of how to work cooperatively, make decisions democratically, and solve problems creatively.
Submitted by parent on January 29, 2015

Project Learn School is the best fit for our family. When we began our school search two years ago, we visited our catchment school, a neighboring elementary school, a local charter school, and Project Learn School. PLS was a bit of a stretch - we are a single income family and never imagined paying for Kindergarten. Ultimately we chose to send our daughter to PLS because it is a diverse school where parents, teachers, and students work together to make school a safe and exciting place for children to learn and develop into another generation of informed, proactive citizens. My family, along with other cleaning co-opers, take pride in doing our cleaning co-op four Saturdays in the school year. Finding the time to complete cooping responsibilities (be it 10 hrs a year or 40 hrs a year) is no easy feat in the 21st Century. Knowing that all of us are collectively working to make our school function for the good of the school is a great motivator. If you're considering Project Learn School, I invite you to call for a tour. Seeing PLS in action for yourself is the best way to determine if it's the best fit for your family!
Submitted by parent on January 26, 2015

I've been a parent at Project Learn School for seven years and I'm grateful to have been a part of its evolution. PLS is a learning environment ideally suited the 21st century, encouraging children to think critically while working together in project-based groups. Social Emotional Learning (or SEL) -- which has lately become a major buzzword in educational theory -- has been a part of the PLS core curriculum since its founding in 1970. What some other reviewers have pointed to as negatives (the non-hierarchical, cooperative leadership structure) I view as an added bonus: because of the school's "crowd sourced" leadership, I have been intimately involved not only in my child's education, but have been schooled myself in concepts surrounding the educational process -- and community development -- in ways I could not have imagined. Learning, in my mind, is never finished, and PLS is the perfect place for children to set off on the journey of life-long learning and for parents to continue it.
Submitted by parent on October 01, 2014

We did not choose this school for it governance style, Town Meetings or Co-oping. We picked this school because it was the Best Choice for our daughter. It has small class sizes about 10 students a "grade." If I wanted to come into the classroom for the day, I can. It is a community that works together to educate its children. No, it is not perfect, but no community is. Within this community, teachers know all the students personalities and interests. They work as a team to bring out the potential of each student and helps students reach additional goals. Our daughter has opened up, made friends across the grades, is growing to positively interact with a diverse community. Project Learn actively incorporates best practices; but, more importantly they live it.
Submitted by parent on September 18, 2014

I am sad to say that after a year at PLS, I would not recommend this school, unless you are enjoy monthly endless meetings, having the same discussions over and over again, and spending four Sundays a year cleaning the bathrooms (yes, in addition to the fun of paying $15,000 a year you also get to do 4 cleaning shifts!). As with many institutions that feel that "everyone is in charge," the reality is that no one is in charge. The communication at this school is appalling. And although they seem to believe that decisions are made by the "PLS community," the truth is that a handful of people are the ones who really make decisions. They also seem surprised that more people aren't interested in the school, but they will not change their 40 hour a year co-op requirement. That's just not realistic for families with parents who work full time. I will say that the teachers are generally great, though. But trust me, it isn't worth the aggravation.
Submitted by parent on March 03, 2012

Prepare to be disillusioned. Project Learn School does not have a principal. It has an administrative committee that makes decisions about what issues to bring before the parent community for them to vote on. If this sounds cumbersome, time consuming and stressful, that is because it is! I chose PLS because I hoped for involvement in my children's school. However, this place just spins in circles with no leadership and no ability to make important decisions. Read your contract carefully. It is important to note that if the school makes a mistake on its budget (prepared by a parent) and runs out of money mid-year, they have the right to bill an extra tuition payment to each family to make up for the shortfall. They have done this in many recent years so be prepared to pay more than you think. The school environment is warm and friendly but many families have left in recent years due to concerns about academic quality. I agree with the child centered philosophy of the school, however, children still need academic preparation (i.e. cover the appropriate coursework) in order to be prepared to participate with their peers from other schools in high school.
Submitted by parent on March 31, 2011

This is a wonderful school, with dedicated, creative teachers and a strong curriculum. There are so many wonderful "extras" that compliment the educational program. Kids are encouraged to work independently, and learn for the sake of learning. I can't imagine sending my kids to any other school.
Submitted by parent on March 05, 2011

The art program at Project Learn is excellent. However, sadly, this is where the excellence ends. Although they advertise that the teachers are certified, the majority are not. Also, they brand themselves as a "humanistic" school. At one point, I believe they may have been, however this does not seem to be the case currently. Because of their Humanistic message however, they attract many children who are different learners. They involve the families, take their money, but fail to provide the proper education for these children. They are doing a great disservice to many children and their families, but without their revenue, the whole school would financially fail. As far as the cooperative aspect of this school, there is nothing cooperative about it. A few families dominate, resulting in the minority choosing the school's direction. This school lacks follow through, needed leadership, or resources to teach the majority of it's students. If you are to visit, please note, the physical appearance of this school greatly reflects the school itself, i.e. disorganized. I feel very sorry for the few decent teachers and families that remain. Buyer beware!
Submitted by parent on December 15, 2010

PL is the best out there! My daughter attended PL and it was a wonderful part of her educational journal. We loved this school so much that we still support the work that they do almost ten years later. BRAVO PL!!!