Academy at Palumbo

What Academy at Palumbo does

Academy at Palumbo is a public high school operated by the School District of Philadelphia, serving students in grades 9-12 at a single campus located at 1100 Catharine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147. The school delivers a standard public secondary education program including Keystone Exam preparation, Advanced Placement coursework, and dual enrollment with Arcadia University, supplemented by more than 30 student clubs, performing arts programs (choir, band, theater productions such as The Little Mermaid and In The Heights), competitive Public League athletics, and the student-run Griffin Gazette newspaper. The school is led by Principal Ms. Kiana L. Thompson and operates under the School District of Philadelphia's centralized governance, curriculum guidelines, and enrollment system.

The school has built a recognized record of program-level achievement, including an International Virtual Robotics World Championship (2021), first place in the Philadelphia Robotics Coalition's RoboJawn competition (2022), a State Programming Contest win at the PA Media and Design Competition (2022), the Governor's Civic Engagement Award (Gold, 2023), and multiple Philadelphia Public League athletic championships across volleyball, lacrosse, track, cross country, and golf. Community and institutional partnerships — with Arcadia University, Temple University, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Franklin Institute, CHOP's Youth Heart Watch, NAMI, Generation Citizen, Coded by Kids, and the Philadelphia Robotics Coalition — extend programming in civic engagement, health, arts, sciences, and technology.

As a government-operated educational institution, Academy at Palumbo does not generate commercial revenue; it is funded through the School District of Philadelphia's budget and Pennsylvania state education allocations, with no tuition or pricing applied to enrolled students. Its technology stack consists of standard educational platforms (Chromebooks, the palumbo.philasd.org website, parent portal, and a Learning Management System), and it maintains a Palumbo Griffins athletics website, Home and School Association site, and merchandise storefront as ancillary digital properties. The school is not a commercially investable entity under typical PE/VC/M&A criteria.

Name

Academy at Palumbo

Legal name

Academy at Palumbo

Website

https://palumbo.philasd.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Academy at Palumbo is a public high school in Philadelphia serving grades 9-12 within the School District of Philadelphia, offering college preparatory academics, over 30 extracurricular clubs, competitive athletics, and performing arts programs under Principal Ms. Kiana L. Thompson.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Secondary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public High Schools (EDAJAAAD)

Keywords

• Public secondary education
• College preparatory programs
• High school athletics
• Student extracurricular clubs
• Performing arts 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

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Academy at Palumbo is a public high school within the School District of Philadelphia serving grades 9-12, offering comprehensive academic instruction including Keystone Exam preparation, AP courses, and dual enrollment opportunities with Arcadia University. The school supplements academics with competitive athletics (volleyball, lacrosse, track, etc.), over 30 student clubs (robotics, chess, coding, debate, etc.), performing arts productions, and a student-run newspaper. It is funded through public education allocations from the School District of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania state education funding.

Product overview

Academy at Palumbo is a public high school within the School District of Philadelphia serving grades 9-12. The school offers a comprehensive educational program combining standard academic curriculum with Keystone Exam preparation, AP courses, and dual enrollment opportunities. Beyond academics, the school provides extensive extracurricular offerings including competitive athletics teams, over 30 student clubs (such as the award-winning Robogriffins robotics team and chess team), theater productions, music programs, and the student-run Griffin Gazette newspaper. The school community, led by Principal Ms. Kiana L. Thompson, serves students at 1100 Catharine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Academy at Palumbo High School

Quantifiable outcome

• Students have won International Virtual Robotics World Championship (2021)
• +3 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Generation CitizenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Mr. Charlie McGeehan's class where students worked with Generation Citizen on a blog post about student advocacy and civic engagement, highlighting community issues.
• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) - Youth Heart Watch ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHOP's Youth Heart Watch Program offered free heart screenings for students ages 5-22 years to screen for heart abnormalities.
• National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe STEP Team recruits participants for NAMI's annual mental health awareness walk, promoting mental health education and community support.
• Temple UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPalumbo Concert Choir performed at Temple University, showcasing student musical talents in a prestigious university setting.
• Philadelphia Museum of ArtminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAP Art and Art 3 students took field trips to the Philadelphia Museum of Art for educational enrichment.
• Franklin InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development Partner9th and 10th grade students visited the Franklin Institute science museum for hands-on educational experiences.
• Coded by KidsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPalumbo students participated in and won the Coded by Kids Ctrl+Shift coding competition, supporting technology education and youth coding initiatives.
• Arcadia University - Dual Enrollment ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudents have opportunity for dual enrollment at Arcadia University, earning college credits while in high school.
• School District of PhiladelphiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademy at Palumbo is part of the School District of Philadelphia, operating under district policies, curriculum guidelines, and the centralized school selection/enrollment system.
• Philadelphia Robotics CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoboGriffins robotics team participates in Philadelphia Robotics Coalition competitions including RoboJawn where they won first place.
• PECO - ASAP Checkmate Violence Chess MarathonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudents participated in the annual PECO-ASAP Checkmate Violence chess tournament promoting chess skills and violence prevention through chess.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• School District of Philadelphia: The governing entity that operates Palumbo and sets its budget, curriculum, and enrollment policy. Relevant as the controlling parent organization rather than a competing institution.
• Philadelphia Robotics Coalition: Nonprofit ecosystem partner that runs RoboJawn and other competitions in which Palumbo's RoboGriffins compete. Related as a STEM-enabling organization rather than a competing school.

Direct peers

• Julia R. Masterman Secondary School: Selective Philadelphia public magnet serving grades 5-12, repeatedly ranked among the top high schools in Pennsylvania. Comparable to Palumbo on selective-admission, academic rigor, and college-prep focus.
• Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA): Philadelphia public magnet high school specializing in the arts. Comparable to Palumbo as a citywide-admission School District of Philadelphia magnet competing for the same applicant pool.
• Science Leadership Academy (SLA): Philadelphia public magnet high school with STEM/inquiry-based learning focus; already co-branded with Palumbo for athletics (girls lacrosse). Directly comparable as a STEM-emphasis public magnet within the same district.
• Central High School (Philadelphia): Philadelphia's other selective public magnet high school, grades 9-12, part of the School District of Philadelphia. Directly comparable as a top-ranked citywide-admission public high school competing with Palumbo for high-achieving applicants.

Broad incumbents

• Downingtown STEM Academy: Pennsylvania public STEM-magnet high school within the Downingtown Area School District. Comparable to Palumbo specifically on STEM focus, robotics/coding competition success, and college-prep track.
• Lower Merion High School: Consistently top-ranked Pennsylvania public high school in the Lower Merion School District near Philadelphia. Comparable on reputation, college-prep orientation, and athletic strength, though with a different demographic profile.
• Parkland High School: Large, high-performing Pennsylvania public high school with broad academic and athletic programs. Comparable to Palumbo on scale of extracurricular offerings and competition success, though in a suburban Lehigh Valley district.
• Conestoga High School: Top-ranked Pennsylvania public high school in the Tredyffrin/Easttown district. Comparable to Palumbo on academic reputation and strong athletics, though it serves a suburban (rather than urban) catchment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/academy-at-palumbo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Academy at Palumbo