Our Vision

The Fox Chase Academics Plus School provides a safe and secure environment where each child and adult is encouraged and provided the opportunities to attain his/her highest academic, social, and physical level of achievement.

Our Mission

Our mission is to provide meaningful instruction in a secure environment.  Our high expectations will encourage lifelong, critical thinkers who are responsible and respectful of our community and the world.

The following is what you will see and hear as you visit the Fox Chase School this year:

•    High Expectations
•    Smaller classes
•    Computers for all students and staff
•    Students actively engaged in their own learning
•    School-wide themes and connections
•    Sufficient funding to meet all needs
•    Classroom assistants in rooms to support instruction
•    An environment where there is respect for self and others
•    Parent involvement and responsibility
•    Improvement in the basics – reading, mathematics, science, social  studies, and writing
•    Funding for professional development, conference attendance, and expert speakers
•    Peer coaching for staff members
•    Time to meet, learn, and plan
•    Students exhibiting higher-order, critical thinking skills
•    Parent workshops to support instruction
•    Teachers modeling expected behaviors/skills
•    Differentiated instruction across content areas
•    Collegial sharing of “best practices”
•    Celebrations for student/staff successes and best efforts
•    Enthusiastic/Supportive Teachers and Staff
•    Peer Mediation
•    Celebrations for parents

History of Our School

Fox Chase Elementary School is located in the Northeast section of Philadelphia. The area is full of history and was established around the 1600's. Before 1946, the area was little more than farming country. After the depression the residential communities grew. Thousands of homes were built and sold.

By 1950, the area in the Northeast became a small city. The expansion grew even more in the 1960's, 1970's and the 1980's. The Northeast section today is the largest residential area in the city.

The Fox Chase community was named for the fox hunts and fox chases that went on in the area in those early years.

Fox Chase Elementary School was built four different times in history. The first school was called The Octagonal School; named for the shape of the building. It was built in 1805 and demolished in 1892. The Octagonal School was located on the same site where St. Cecilia's church parking lot is today. This school was built before public school education was mandatory.

The second school was called Montgomery School. It was built in 1850 on a plot adjoining and east on the Octagonal School. This school was renamed The Fox Chase School in 1894. It was later demolished in 1931.

The third school was built in 1894. It originally had four classrooms and later six additional classrooms were added to meet the growing population. As time went on, the community continued to grow. With construction of another building, this school eventually became the original Fox Chase Library. This too was torn down and replaced with today's existing library.

The fourth and present building was built in 1949. The cornerstone laying ceremonies were held June 21, 1949. Fox Chase Elementary School opened December 5, 1949. In October of 1999, Fox Chase held a 50th year celebration and over 400 people attended.

This information was complied and written by Lisa Strosser, a student teacher at Fox Chase Academics Plus School.