In September 1854, the school transferred to a new building, located at the southeast corner of Broad and Green Streets. In 1858, President Hart resigned and was succeeded by Nicholar Maquire. In September 1900, the school moved to its third location in a newer and larger building located at Broad, Green, Fifteenth, and Brandywine Streets. During the formal dedication on November 22, 1902, Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States, addressed the students.

In 1939, Central moved from its location on Broad and Green to its fourth, current, location on Ogontz and Olney Avenues. The building left behind became the Benjamin Franklin High School.

After 139 years of existence as an all-male public high school, Central’s all-male policy was challenged by Susan Vorchheimer, who wished to be admitted to Central. On August 7, 1975, U.S. District Court Judge Clarence C. Newcomer ruled that Central must admit academically qualified girls starting in the fall term of 1975. The decision was appealed, and the Third Circuit Court ruled that Central had the right to retain its present status.[1] The case eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Courtwhich, on April 19 1977, upheld the Third Circuit Court’s verdict by a 4 to 4 vote with one abstention.

In August 1983, Judge William M. Marutani, of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia, ruled that the single-sex admission policy was unconstitutional. The Board of Education voted not to appeal the legal decision, thereby admitting girls to Central High School. In September 1983, the first six girls, all seniors, were admitted.

In October of 1987, Central High School was officially named a Secondary school of National Excellence by the United States Department of Education and named a Blue Ribbon School. In March of 1992, Redbook Magazine named Central as one of the best schools in Pennsylvania. Central was named “Best Secondary School in Pennsylvania” by the magazine each year since they began rating the nation’s best schools.

In 1993, construction of the new multi-million dollar art, science, and physical education addition was completed and it was officially dedicated on February 17, 1994. During the 2004-2005 school year, a $12 million renovation of the Barnwell Library began, which finished near the end of that school year. The library is now one of the most advanced public school libraries in the United States.

Philadelphia School of Pedagogy

The Philadelphia School of Pedagogy was a program for Central graduates who wanted to become elementary school teachers. It was the male counterpart to the Philadelphia’s normal school, originally the upper division of Philadelphia High School for Girls. Once a Bachelor’s degree became the standard qualification for teachers, the normal schools that were run by the State System of Higher Education became colleges (e.g. West Chester, Cheyney, Indiana, etc.). However the Philadelphia schools were run by the School District of Philadelphia, which had less money, and were located only a few blocks from Temple University. The program were merged with Temple which was already offering education courses.

The School Song

The following is the school song of Central High School- Words by Horace M. Shell, 1907 and Francis A. Wade, 1907, Music by John L. Waldman, 1907, Arranged by Francis Murphy (note: Second to the last line of the chorus was revised during the 1995 – 1996 school year to substitute the words “we all” for “thy sons”). Students and alumni are known to stomp their feet twice after the first and fifth lines of the chorus, though in a large group accidental, incorrectly timed stomps can usually be heard as well. Alumni and Alumnae all over the world are known to sing the school song with pride, to complete strangers who have all once attended CHS.

Athletics and Extracurriculars

Central offers its students over 75 extracurricular programs including an internationally acclaimed Orchestra.

It also has an accomplished coeducational sports program offering every Public League interscholastic sport. The Central Lancers have won 92 Public League Championships in the last decade, making it the city athletic powerhouse. Those championships include marquee sports such as soccer, basketball, baseball, bowling, softball, tennis, golf and track and field. Central is known throughout the east coast for its dominant track and field program. Central’s cross country, indoor, and outdoor track athletes have set numerous city and state records and have gone onto collegiate and Olympic careers. The 2005 Central 4×800 team of Chris Bowser, Mitchell Stroh, Thurman Sanders, and Patrick Carr claimed the first state medal in PIAA competition for the Philadelphia Public League. From 2001-2005, the Central co-ed tennis team dominated the Public League winning four consecutive titles while losing only two regular season matches and earned one of the Public League’s first PIAA playoff berths. Also in 2005, Central won the Philadelphia Public League Boys Basketball Championship for the first time since 1932. In 2006, the Central baseball team won the Public League Championship and advanced to the semi-finals of the PIAA state tournament. The co-ed golf team has won the last two consecutive Public League Championships under the coaching of Schuyler Patton; this recent golf success includes the 2007 Public League Individual Champion, Greg Smith. As of January, 2008, the girls basketball team has won a record 101 straight games in Public League competition, and six consecutive Public League Championships under the coaching of Frank Greco. As of May 2008, the girls soccer team has won the championship for the 5th year in a row and now holds the record for the longest winning streak and champion holder for women’s soccer in public league history.

Notably, Central’s football team plays a yearly game against longtime rival Northeast High School. The traditional Thanksgiving football game began in 1892 and is one of the oldest public high school football rivalries in the United States.

Central puts a great emphasis on producing not only college graduates and future professionals, but also strong members of the community. It is one of the few public high schools that has a yearly community service requirement that needs to be fulfilled before graduation. 50 hours of community service, recently increased from 30 hours, needs to be completed and verified by academic personnel before the end of each school year. This program was implemented as an alternative to extending the school day in the early 1990s. The music department, comprising an orchestra and choir, is world-renowned, having travelled to such locales as Israel, London, Quebec, and Austria. During the summer of 2007, they performed in the city of Budapest, Hungary, at the invitation of its mayor. Central is one of the few schools that give academic credit for participation in the orchestra. It was scheduled to be the first American High School group to travel to China, when the SARS outbreak occurred and caused the trip to be postponed. The department was awarded “Grammy Signature School” status in 2000.

The Football Classic Central High School has held a longtime rivalry with Northeast High School with the high point being the annual Thanksgiving day football game. In 1947,The Wooden Horse carved from mahogany by Spurgeon Smith, (Northeast, Class of 1948), became the trophy held annually by the winner. The series began in 1892 and as of 2007, the record of wins and loses for Central High School was: W-49, L-45,T-9.

Presidents of Central High School

* Alexander Dallas Bache, LL.D. – 1839-1842

* John Seely Hart, LL.D. – 1842-1858

* Nicholas Harper Maquire, A.M. – 1858-1866

* George Inman Riché, A.M. – 1866-1886

* Franklin Taylor, M.D. – 1886-1888

* Henry Clark Johnson, A.M., LL.B. – 1888-1893

* Robert Ellis Thompson, A.M., Ph.D., D.D., LL.D., – 1894-1920

* John Louis Haney, A.M., Ph.D., LL.D. – 1920-1943

* William H. Cornog, A.M., L.H.D., Ph.D., – 1943-1955

* Elmer Field, B.S., M.S., Ed.D. – 1955-1962

* William H. Gregory, B.S., Ed.M. – 1962-1969

* Howard Carlisle, B.S., A.M., Ed.D. – 1969-1983

* Sheldon S. Pavel, A.B., Ed.M, Ed.D. – 1984-2008

Media Coverage Central has been covered extensively in the media, both news and entertainment wise. As of March 28th, 2007, MTV is in the process of filming an episode of Made (TV series) set at the high school. Central’s girls basketball team has also appeared on ESPN’s Sportscenter Top 10 plays for their 100 games public league win streak.

Central High School of Philadelphia, PA was started in 1838 and was then only the second public high school in the nation. When Central first opened its doors, it admitted four teachers and sixty-three students. From that fledgling beginning, Central has now grown to over 2300 students and 110 teachers.

Since that start in 1838, Central has outgrown its facilities three times, in 1854, in 1900, and in 1939. While Central’s first building was located at the corner of Juniper and Market Sts., facing City Hall (currently the location of the Wanamaker Building), today Central stands on a grassy hill at the corner of Ogontz and Olney Avenues, overlooking Philadelphia.

In recognition of Central’s high academic standards, Central was granted the authority to confer academic degrees to its graduates by an Act of Assembly in 1849.

“The Controllers of the Public Schools of the First District of Pennsylvania shall have and possess the power to confer academic degrees in the arts upon graduates of the Central High School, in the City of Philadelphia, and the same and like power to confer degrees, honorary and otherwise, which is now possessed by the University of Pennsylvania.”

Today, that act is still in effect, making Central the only high school in the nation authorized to grant its graduates Bachelor of Arts college degrees instead of ordinary high school diplomas (if the graduates have fulfilled the requirements for a degree- see parent handbook for more details).

When Central moved to its second building in 1900, construction had not yet finshed on part of the building. It wasn’t until 1902 that a full dedication could be presented. The sheer size and cost of the construction of the school had aroused national attention, and President of the United States Theodore “Teddy”Roosevelt came to address the assembled students. The students were still excited over their football win over Central Manual Training School (28-0), and when President Roosevelt learned of this, he started his speech by saying “Boys, it is perfectly easy to see from my reception that you feel happy over the football game yesterday.”

Central originally started as an all-boys school. That tradition continued for a number of years, until August 1983, when federal Judge William M. Marutani ruled that Central’s single-sex admissions policy was unconstitutional. After that ruling, Central’s first six female students, all seniors, enrolled the following September. Today, slightly more than 50% of the school’s students are young women.

The first class graduated Central in June, 1842. Commencements were held semi-anually from 1838-1965, with a few exceptions. Today, commencements are held annually, making this year’s class the 266th graduating class of Central High School.

In the Philadelphia public school district, Central is considered a magnet school, with admissions requirements for all incoming students. This practice is used to insure that all of the incoming class will continue Central’s long-standing tradition of academic excellence. Incoming freshman are required to have all A’s and B’s (with the exception of one C), for their 7th grade year. They must also score in at least the 85th percentile in both English and Math in the Philadelphia city-wide standardized tests. For more information on this aspect of Central, please see the various documents available from the CHS Information page.

Today Central is under the administration of its 13th President, Dr. Sheldon Pavel, who continues the long tradition of excellence in education that Central has always maintained. This was recognized in May of 1987 when the US and Pennsylvania Departments of Education named Central as a secondary school of national excellence.

Today, there are so many parts of Central that have unique histories that it is impossible to describe them all. The history of Central has been preserved, partly through the efforts of our archivists. Our current archivist is Dr. Robert Sanders.

~ Edited from an original written by Charles Anthe (254)