Today we announced a new $1.4 million investment to support the transformation of St. Thomas Aquinas, a Catholic elementary school serving a diverse student body made up mostly of students from immigrant families in South Philadelphia. You can read about this timely news in today’s Inquirer, as Philadelphia readies for the Pope’s visit this weekend.
 
The grant will support the school’s efforts to increase academic rigor and grow enrollment while addressing the specific needs of the student population. This investment builds on two previous incubation grants awarded from the Great Schools Fund: one to Independence Mission Schools to support its work with 14 urban Catholic schools – including St. Thomas Aquinas – and one to the school to support planning for this transformation.
 
With this latest grant, the Great Schools Fund has now invested more than $40 million in schools of all types to help at least 17,000 students gain access to a high-quality education. Please contact us with questions or to get involved in this work.