Welcome to Mastery’s back-to-school hub! This page serves as a comprehensive resource to help you prepare for the 2025-2026 school year and support your child’s success from the first day to the last.

We will continue to add information to this page as we approach the first day of school. To stay informed with the latest news and updates, please ensure you have the ParentSquare app downloaded and notifications enabled. We also recommend that you regularly check the Home Access Center and follow Mastery Schools on social media. Learn more about how to stay up-to-date on critical back-to-school news in this section.

As you prepare for the upcoming school year, please be mindful of the following dates:

• August 18 and 19, 2025: Required student and family orientations 
• August 20, 2025: First day of school for ALL Mastery students in grades K-12
• September 17, 2025: Back-to-school night for all elementary schools
• September 18, 2025: Back-to-school night for all secondary schools

To learn more about these events and download the complete academic calendar for the upcoming year, visit https://masterycharter.org/calendar. 

Your student should have received a summer reading assignment before the last day of school in June. Please ensure the assignment is completed and your student is prepared to submit their work on the first day of school. The summer reading assignment will be their first grade for the 2025-2026 school year. If you have questions about summer reading and/or reading assignments, please contact the main office at your student’s school.

• Uniforms: As you prepare to purchase uniforms for the coming school year, please be sure you are following our uniform policy: Mastery logo collared shirt, solid-colored pants, Mastery logo sweaters/sweatshirts, closed-toe, flat-soled shoes, and head coverings for religious purposes only. Hoodies and t-shirts (regardless of logo) are not permitted as uniform attire. Please visit your school’s webpage for more details and instructions for purchasing uniforms. 
• School supplies: You can find the required school supply list for your student on their school’s webpage. If you have any questions about school supplies, please contact your school’s main office for assistance. 

Quicklinks to school webpages: Clymer | Cleveland | Douglass | Hardy Elementary | Hardy High | Harrity | Lenfest | Mann | Pastorius | Pickett | Prep Elementary | Prep Middle | Shoemaker | Simon Gratz | Smedley | Thomas Elementary | Thomas Campus | Wister | Cramer Hill | Douglass | East Camden Middle |Mastery High School of Camden | McGraw | Molina

Due to funding shortfalls, SEPTA is making widespread changes that will result in significant service cuts and fare increases across the City of Philadelphia. These changes may impact your student’s daily commute to and from their Mastery campus. To prepare for the changes, all Mastery families are encouraged to review the SEPTA Service Reduction Map and plan their new route to school accordingly. 

Route 1, which serves Gratz Prep Middle and Simon Gratz High School, is set to be discontinued. Students can use Route 82 (R) to reach the campus or use the SEPTA Service Reduction Map to identify alternate routes. 

For more information about SEPTA’s upcoming service cuts, please visit the SEPTA website.

• Students in grades K-2: Technology will be used exclusively in school, with carts available in every classroom. We’re excited to integrate technology into every lesson and learning experience for our youngest students.
• Students in grades 3-5: All students in grades 3-5 will be required to complete homework that involves the use of technology. Students who do not have access to a device at home will be loaned a Chromebook for at-home use. If your 3rd-5th grader needs a Chromebook for homework, please complete this survey by August 20, 2025. Teachers will provide the device to students the week of Aug 25, 2025.
• Students in grades 6-12: All Mastery high school campuses will issue Chromebooks to students to use at school and at home for school year 2025-2026. You will receive additional information about the Chromebook pick-up schedule and process for your campus directly from the school your child attends. Chromebooks should be picked up before the first day of school. Students will be expected to bring their Chromebooks to school daily, as they will be their primary way to access assignments. 

In line with our organization’s commitment to continuous improvement, we are excited to announce several updates to Mastery’s academic offerings for the upcoming year. Below, you will find details about these enhancements and how they support our mission to empower all Mastery students to pursue their dreams and succeed after graduation. 

• New English Language Arts (ELA) curricula: We are introducing new programs in school year 2025-2026 to support ELA instruction in our elementary and middle schools. The programs, Amplify CKLA and Amplify ELA, are designed to help students develop essential skills and knowledge while providing engaging learning experiences.
• New graduation requirements: Mastery will implement new graduation requirements for students entering 9th grade in August 2025. These updated requirements are designed to enhance student readiness for success after graduation. They will provide ample opportunities for career-connected learning and support the development of essential skills, such as academic tenacity, self-management, digital literacy, communication, collaboration, critical consciousness, and more. In Pennsylvania, students must earn a total of 24.5 credits to graduate, while in New Jersey, students are required to earn 122.5 credits. Please refer to this document for more details about the specific course credits needed for graduation in your state. 
• Enhancements to career-connected learning: Mastery will launch new programs and partnerships this year to enhance career-connected learning opportunities for our high school students. 
  • Health Institute at Hardy (HIH): Supported by a generous grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies and operated in partnership with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, this initiative will provide students with the knowledge, experience, confidence, skills, credentials, and connections necessary for success in healthcare. This will make well-paying, in-demand careers in the healthcare field more accessible to students after graduation. The program will officially launch for Hardy High School students in grades 7-9 in August 2025 and will expand by one grade level each year until 2028, eventually serving approximately 620 students in grades 7-12 at scale. Click here to learn more.
  • Future Educators Academy: Launching this fall at Lenfest Campus in partnership with the Center for Black Educator Development, this program is designed to prepare 11th and 12th-grade students for careers in education as K-12 instructors. Participating students will gain access to mentorship, apprenticeship with a Mastery teacher, paid summer internships, education career awareness and exposure activities, and have the opportunity to earn certifications before graduation. 

Strong attendance builds strong futures. Every day in school matters, and consistent attendance helps students stay on track, build good habits, and achieve their goals. As we head into a new school year, we encourage families to make attendance a priority.

To support you, we’ve created an attendance worksheet you can use as a quick reference to Mastery’s attendance policy, find tips for helping your student build strong attendance habits, and track their attendance throughout the year. Click one of the links below to download the worksheet.

• English attendance worksheet
• Spanish attendance worksheet

At Mastery, families are our partners in ensuring positive outcomes for our students, and we encourage them to actively participate in their child’s education both at school and at home. 

The Mastery Parent Action Team (MPAT) is made up of parents and guardians from our schools in Philadelphia and Camden. MPAT members work collaboratively to advocate for our students, strengthen our schools, and contribute to making our communities safe and vibrant. If you are a parent or guardian interested in getting involved, developing your leadership skills, and making a positive impact in your school and community, please complete this form to express your interest in joining MPAT.

We also encourage all families to visit Mastery’s website calendar to view the meeting dates for MPAT in the upcoming school year and mark their calendars to attend!

The health and safety of our school communities is our top priority. As you prepare for the first day of school, please ensure that you have completed the necessary immunizations and health exams required by city and state health departments and submitted proof of completion to your student’s school. Taking these steps will ensure that your student is medically cleared to participate in activities, including athletics, and will inform school leadership of any medical conditions that may need attention during school hours. You can visit Mastery’s newly launched Student Health page to learn about the requirements for your student based on their age and grade, and access forms. Please review the page and take action as soon as possible. If you have questions about next steps or where to submit documentation, please get in touch with the main office at your student’s school to speak with the nurse or a school leader.

Athletics play a critical part in student development and school culture. Families can learn more about athletic offerings on their school’s website or by contacting the school’s athletic director. To be eligible to participate in fall sports at Mastery Schools, students must: 

• Have successfully matriculated to the next grade level
• Not carry below a score of 65% in two (2) or more classes (including half-credit courses)
• Complete the required pre-participation forms listed on our Athletics page to indicate medical clearance, permission to stay after school, and approval to travel for events

We ask that families of student-athletes visit the Athletics page as soon as possible to access and complete the required tasks. If you have questions, please contact the athletic director at your student’s school or Day Prescott-Moore, Assistant Director of Athletic Programming, at [email protected]. 

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