Philadelphia High School

What Philadelphia High School does

Philadelphia High School (PHS) is a public secondary educational institution located at 248 Byrd Avenue in Philadelphia, Mississippi, operated as part of the Philadelphia Public School District under Superintendent Dr. Lisa Hull. Per the firm's own disclosures, it serves students across Grades 1st through 12th within the district, contradicting the "High School" name and "6 employees" firmographic, both of which appear to be data artifacts. Instructional offerings include college-preparatory curriculum, AP courses, dual enrollment, athletics, Beta Club leadership, an AP Computer Science Principles course, and partnership-driven STEM enrichment (Global Teaching Project, AAYME camp). The school is led by Principal Dr. Sherell Griffin-Drake, who started the 2024-2025 academic year and is leading a Career Academy implementation initiative tied to local industry workforce needs.

The technology stack is built entirely on third-party K-12 SaaS rather than proprietary systems: the school's public website runs on the Edlio CMS (administered via the Edlio login portal), identity and single-sign-on is handled by Clever, activity management and parent communication by SAM Spectra and School Status, adaptive assessment and instructional personalization by I-Ready (also serving as the parent portal), and staff communications via Google Workspace on the phillytornadoes.com domain. reCAPTCHA provides login-page anti-bot protection. The Tornado TV YouTube channel, Facebook (facebook.com/philatornadoes), and Twitter (@Phila_Tornadoes) are used for community communications. No API, SDK, or proprietary platform exists.

Commercially, PHS is a government/state entity with no revenue line, no pricing model, and no commercial customer acquisition motion. Funding flows from state and local taxes, federal education grants, and district appropriations; services are provided tuition-free to district residents. Marketing and enrollment run through the Edlio website, online registration portal, social media, and community events. Strategic posture for the 2024-2025 cycle is defined by leadership turnover (new principal), Career Academy structural buildout, NCAC conference participation, the August 2024 gymnasium renovation, and receipt of 2025 PREPS Achievement Awards for academic excellence.

Name

Philadelphia High School

Legal name

Philadelphia High School

Website

https://hs.phillytornadoes.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Philadelphia High School is a public secondary school in Philadelphia, Mississippi, operated by the Philadelphia Public School District, serving district-resident students in Grades 1-12 with college-preparatory, AP, dual enrollment, Career Academy, and STEM enrichment programs led by Principal Dr. Sherell Griffin-Drake.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public K-12 Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public High Schools (EDAJAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Elementary Schools (EDAJAAAB), Public Middle Schools (EDAJAAAC), Public Career & Technical Education (CTE) Centers & Programs (EDAJAAAJ)

Keywords

• Public K-12 education
• Secondary education services
• College preparatory programs
• Career academy training
• STEM enrichment programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Education Funding: Philadelphia High School operates as a public educational institution funded through state and local tax revenues, federal education grants, and appropriations from the Philadelphia Public School District.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Philadelphia High School is a public school serving students in Grades 1 through 12 within the Philadelphia Public School District in Mississippi. It delivers college preparatory coursework including AP classes and dual enrollment, career-focused Career Academies aligned with local industry needs, and STEM enrichment programs such as the AAYME camp. Athletic programs, the Beta Club, and standardized test preparation round out the offering, supported by an Edlio-powered website and Google Workspace collaboration tools.

Product overview

Philadelphia High School operates as an educational institution providing secondary education services to students in Philadelphia, Mississippi. The school utilizes the Edlio platform for its public-facing website and administrative functions. Core educational offerings include the Career Academies Program (planned implementation focused on local industry needs with internships and dual enrollment), AP Computer Science Principles coursework emphasizing app development, and participation in the AAYME STEM enrichment program. The school also participates in the National Career Academy Coalition conference to advance career-focused educational initiatives. These programs collectively support the school's mission to prepare students for success as citizens in an ever-changing world.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Career Academies Program Career-focused educational program being implemented at Philadelphia High School aligned with local industry needs, offering on-the-job training, job shadowing, internships, dual enrollment credits, industry-endorsed certificates, and technical endorsements for college and skilled employment.
• AP Computer Science Principles Class Advanced Placement computer science course covering app development and coding, preparing students for AP exams and potential college credit.
• AAYME STEM Camp STEM enrichment and personal development program for grades 7-9 offering courses in coding, digital photography, ACT prep, forensic science, and engineering, focused on personal, social, professional, and leadership development alongside career exploration.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2025 PREPS Achievement Awards: 8th Grade ELA Achievement Award and English II Achievement Award
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science (MSMS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2024MSMS hosts the African American Youth of Mississippi Excelling (AAYME) camp on the campus of Mississippi University for Women in Columbus. The STEM enrichment program for 7th-9th graders focuses on personal, social, professional, and leadership development alongside career exploration in STEM fields.
• Global Teaching ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Global Teaching Project partners with Philadelphia High School to deliver the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Advanced STEM Winter Program. The program connects civil rights education with STEM enrichment and provides college-student STEM tutors from prestigious universities including Yale, University of Virginia, Jackson State University, Delta State University, Mississippi State University, and The University of Mississippi.
• Mississippi Department of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Mississippi Department of Education provides support and resources for implementing Career Academies at Philadelphia High School. The academies offer opportunities for on-the-job training, job shadowing, internships, dual enrollment credits, industry-endorsed certificates, and technical endorsements aligned with state education standards.
• Boys & Girls Club of the Golden TriangleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization partnering with the district for youth development programs. Principal Drake has raised over $100,000 for projects supporting youth organizations including the Boys & Girls Club.
• National Career Academy Coalition (NCAC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCAC is a national organization that provides frameworks and support for Career Academy development. Philadelphia High School administration and staff attended the annual NCAC Conference in Orlando, Florida to learn about Career Academy implementation best practices.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Brandon High School: Rankin County public high school with similar college-prep, athletic, and CTE-style programming, providing a directly comparable benchmark for Mississippi public high school operations and student outcomes.
• Oxford High School: Mississippi public high school in Lafayette County serving comparable grade spans with similar AP, dual enrollment, and athletic pipelines; directly comparable on funding model, regulatory environment, and student outcomes reporting.
• Starkville High School: Public high school in another Mississippi school district (Starkville) serving similar 9–12 grade populations with comparable athletics, AP, and career-readiness offerings, making it a directly comparable peer within the same state policy environment.
• Philadelphia Elementary School: Sibling institution within the same Philadelphia Public School District; shares leadership, facilities, and feeder pipeline with PHS, making it the most directly comparable peer on cohort composition and community context.
• Aberdeen High School: Mississippi public high school where PHS principal Dr. Griffin-Drake previously led a documented F-to-B academic turnaround; directly comparable on governance, state policy environment, and improvement trajectory.
• Louisville High School: Public high school in Winston County, Mississippi, comparable in size and rural setting to Philadelphia High School, with similar athletics, AP, and dual enrollment offerings; useful as a rural Mississippi peer benchmark.
• Petal High School: Mississippi public high school of similar size serving grades 9–12 with comparable athletics and college placement profiles, offering a direct peer benchmark within the same state funding and accountability framework.
• Kosciusko High School: Public high school serving grades 9–12 in nearby Attala County, Mississippi, with comparable rural district scale, athletics, and college readiness programs; directly comparable on catchment size and state funding dynamics.

Regional players

• Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science (MSMS): State-funded residential STEM secondary program in Mississippi with which PHS partners for AAYME enrichment; serves a similar STEM-focused high school–level student population regionally and provides a benchmark for advanced STEM outcomes within Mississippi.

Broad incumbents

• KIPP Public Schools: National K–12 charter network operating career-prep and college-readiness programs at scale; comparable as a broader incumbent that demonstrates how Career Academies–style programming can be systematized across multiple campuses.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Phila_Tornadoes
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC2esIjQiAxz25MmkXEm2pgw/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/philatornadoes
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/philadelphia-high-school

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Philadelphia High School