Our Mission

COMMUNITY ACADEMY OF PHILADELPHIA

Community Academy of Philadelphia (CAP), a Pennsylvania public charter school, stands as a pioneering force in urban education as Philadelphia’s first independent public charter institution. Accredited PK–12 by the Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools, CAP exemplifies academic rigor, institutional integrity, and an enduring commitment to excellence across the full continuum of learning.

Our mission is to serve urban youth who seek not only academic achievement, but a transformative educational experience rooted in care, structure, and opportunity. CAP is devoted to educating the whole child, recognizing that true learning extends beyond the acquisition of knowledge and skills to include the emotional resilience, ethical grounding, and social awareness necessary to apply learning meaningfully in the real world. We proudly couple high academic standards with comprehensive support systems that address the non-academic factors influencing student success, well-being, and long-term growth.

CAP embraces a dynamic, multi-dimensional learning environment that fosters intellectual curiosity, creativity, and cultural literacy. The arts and cultural engagement are not peripheral, but integral to our educational philosophy, enriching students’ perspectives and strengthening their capacity for critical thought and self-expression. We challenge each learner to realize their full personal and academic potential as engaged citizens in a vibrant, evolving democracy and an increasingly interconnected global society. As Epictetus so powerfully observed, “Only the educated are free.”

At CAP, the needs of our students are paramount. We hold our faculty and staff to the highest standards of professionalism, innovation, and compassionate leadership. We affirm the importance of personal responsibility and cultivate a school culture grounded in trust, mutual respect, and authentic partnership between adults and young people. Within this framework, we are steadfast in our commitment to maintaining a safe, inclusive, and affirming environment, one free from violence and intimidation, where every student is empowered to learn, thrive, and lead.

In accordance with the Philadelphia Fair Practices Ordinance,

every aspect of CAP is dedicated to providing a quality education while keeping in mind the special needs of our students. CAP is a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, and multi-religious, and inclusive family that holds camaraderie and cooperation as essential values. CAP does not discriminate based on race, color, sex, gender, sexual preference, religion, disability, or ethnic or national origin, but rather seeks to empower the diverse young people of Philadelphia through a productive and satisfying school program.

In accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,

CAP protects students from race, color, and national origin discrimination, as well as, students who are or are perceived to be Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, Buddhist, or of another religious group.

Goals and Objectives

To engender a sense of accountability in which students assume responsibility and consequences for their own actions.

To promote a safe, calm, and disciplined environment in which students can come to discover and develop their talents.

To recognize that education is a process that allows the students to integrate knowledge with life experiences.

To instill an appreciation that the search for knowledge is a life-long journey based on the skills learned at the Community Academy of Philadelphia.

To empower students to recognize their needs and use resources to solve problems effectively.

To foster a spirit of unity in which individuals recognize their own self-worth while respecting others.

To foster mastery of basic skills as the foundations for achievement in any endeavor.

To instill an ethic that hard work and self-discipline are the cornerstones of success.

To provide students with strong and positive adult role models.

To provide counseling and social services to aid students in their adjustment and/or re-adjustment to school life, address individual needs, and ultimately prepare for post-secondary life.

To produce opportunities through various activities that allow the student to become responsibly independent and effectively independent.

To encourage students to explore outside themselves and their immediate circumstances and to explore things not found in their day-to-day encounters.

To assist and depend upon the active positive cooperation of the parents (families) of the students to teach essential values required for academic and personal success.