The Masterman School

Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School is the most highly ranked school in the School District of Philadelphia and scores at the highest level on the Pennsylvania System of Statewide Assessment. In both 2008 and 2009 Masterman was ranked in the top 60 schools in the United States. Masterman was named a 2010 National Blue Ribbon School. Because of its unusual organizational structure as part of Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School for grades five through twelve, Masterman High School combines the best aspects of a small, selective high school with the more diverse curriculum and activities of a larger school. It is a small, college preparatory high school that offers students the opportunity to become part of a challenging community of learners while offering a variety of extracurricular activities. Masterman High School is composed of students of unusual ability who are almost entirely selected from the students who have attended Masterman prior to ninth grade. Each grade consists of approximately one hundred students.

 

Curriculum

Students follow a college preparatory curriculum. Students attain advanced levels of study in enriched and accelerated courses, including Advanced Placement in U.S. History, Government, French, Spanish, French, Biology, Environmental Science, Computer Science, English, Calculus, Statistics and Music Theory. Some students follow an even more accelerated program in Mathematics and study AP Calculus AB/BC in their junior year and take a math course at a local college in their senior year.  All students have one additional period in the high school day in which one or two period electives are offered mostly through the gifted support program. The great majority of the students are identified as mentally gifted. Various seminars are offered such as: poetry, journalism, SAT Preparation, Russian, African American studies, literary magazine, writers’ workshop, art, music, and photography. Community service projects are also an integral part of the high school elective program and a senior project is required.

In addition to English, the major subjects are:

College Admissions

The senior class has been actively recruited and accepted by the most prestigious universities and colleges in the country.  Generally 100% of the senior class attends four year colleges. Our graduates have recently matriculated at such universities as Brown, Columbia, Harvard, M.I.T., Morehouse, Oberlin, Princeton, Spelman, Swarthmore, Stanford, UChicago, UPenn, and Yale.

Average SAT Scores 2010

Critical Reading 638

Math 652

Writing   639

Total     1929

Scholarships

The members of the senior class earn numerous scholarships. More than one third of the students are generally recognized in the National Merit/Achievement Competition. Semifinalists usually become Finalists and many are offered scholarships through the program. Some members of the senior class are named Presidential Scholars, a rare honor bestowed by the President to only 142 seniors in the United States each year.  To learn more about the scholarship opportunities available to students, visit the Scholarships webpage.

Extracurricular Activities

Masterman offers a range of co-educational, interscholastic sports on both the varsity and junior varsity level including basketball, cross-country, soccer, tennis, track and volleyball and participates on unified teams with other schools in gymnastics and swimming. Masterman offers many co-curricular activities including orchestra and jazz band, choir and other vocal and instrumental ensembles, student government, webteam, dramatics, yearbook, newspaper, an award winning literary magazine, a nationally-ranked chess team, a championship mock trial team, competition in academic contests, science fairs, and many clubs.

 

To learn more about the extracurricular activities Masterman offers, visit the Extracurricular Activities webpage. 

Title IX

The School District of Philadelphia, an equal opportunity employer, will not discriminate in employment or education programs or activities, based on race, color, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, physical handicap, sex, sexual orientation, union membership, or limited English proficiency. This policy of non-discrimination extends to all other legally protected classifications. Publication of this policy in this document is in accordance with state and federal laws including Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Inquiries should be directed to Sterlin C. Daniel, Equal Compliance Officer, 734 Schuylkill Avenue, 1st Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19146, (215) 875-3815.