Smedley Elementary - Mastery Schools

About Our School

Smedley Elementary serves students from kindergarten through 6th grade in the Frankford neighborhood of North Philadelphia. Students at our school have the opportunity to advance to Lenfest Campus after completing 6th grade, offering them a comprehensive K-12 experience within Mastery Schools. Explore the information below to discover how we ignite students’ enthusiasm for learning while supporting their holistic development in a safe and secure school environment.

721

Students

K-6

Grades

We offer a rigorous academic curriculum that includes subjects such as math, science, reading, music, art, and more. Our dedicated and highly qualified teachers and staff ensure that all students receive a well-rounded education in a fun and joyful environment. To learn more about Mastery’s academic approach and the range of student supports available, please visit our Academic Program page.

Every Mastery school has a dedicated school culture team that is responsible for ensuring a positive and safe school community. Our schools observe common rituals, such as morning circles, community meetings, and school events that celebrate the school community and the joy of learning. We also ensure that school rules and values are consistently supported and enforced. Our teachers adopt standard school-wide classroom behavior systems, ensuring that students are held to consistently high expectations. We intentionally create a community that strikes a balance between structure and student independence, allowing schools to feel both orderly and joyful. To learn more about school culture, visit our Student Life page

We offer a before care and aftercare program through Mastermindz. Beforecare runs from 7:00 – 8:00 AM and aftercare runs from dismissal to 6:00 PM, Monday through Friday. The programs require enrollment and a monthly fee, and qualify for the ELRC Subsidy. For more information, contact the main office at 215-537-2523.

We offer enriching extracurricular and athletic programs to support student growth outside of the classroom. Offerings include: 

  • Academic Enrichment
  • Art Club
  • Ballet
  • Ballroom
  • Dancing
  • Boys Basketball
  • Boy Scouts
  • Nationally recognized Cheer Team
  • Chess Club
  • Choir
  • Creative Writing Club
  • Dance
  • Drum Line
  • Fit Club
  • Girl Scouts
  • Scouts
  • Hip Hop Dance
  • History Club
  • Snider Youth Hockey
  • Student Council
  • Theater Club
  • Tutoring
  • Yearbook
  • Young Ladies of Mastery
  • Young Men of Mastery

Mastery’s student uniform consists of a Mastery logo collared shirt, solid-colored pants, Mastery logo sweaters/sweatshirts, closed-toe, flat-soled shoes, and head coverings for religious purposes. Hoodies and t-shirts, regardless of logo, are not permitted. 

Uniform shirts can be purchased at the main office between 9:00 AM and 2:00 PM, Monday through Friday. Shirts are available for $10 each, or a discounted rate of five shirts for $40. For more information, please contact the main office at 215-537-2523.

Being prepared for school each day is vital to student success. To ensure your student is ready from day one, please review the list of required school supplies.

How to Apply

Now accepting applications for school year 2026-2027

Smedley Elementary serves students in the Frankford area who reside within the school’s attendance zone, which is located in the 19124 zip code. Preference is given to students with siblings currently attending the school. Students living outside of the attendance zone are not eligible to enroll, even if they reside within the 19124 zip code. Please review the attendance zone map below to determine your student’s eligibility for enrollment, or use our school finder to identify the Mastery schools to which your child is eligible to attend.

  • Apply today: Interested families can apply online through the Apply Philly Charter website. Simply sign in or create an account and submit your application by January 20, 2026.
  • Have questions about our school or need help navigating the process? Please complete and submit this form, and a Mastery enrollment specialist will contact you to answer your questions and assist with your application.
  • Looking for a seat for the current school year (2025-2026)? You can still apply online today using Apply Philly Charter. Just click on the “Apply for Current Year” button to start your application once you’ve logged in.

Smedley Elementary in the news

Smedley Elementary rallies around student severely burned after jet crashed near car: “Strongest person I know”

Smedley Elementary rallies around student severely burned after jet crashed near car: “Strongest person I know”

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Teach for America’s Schools to Learn From tour visits Smedley Elementary

Teach for America’s Schools to Learn From tour visits Smedley Elementary

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Our Principal

Caitlin Murphy

Caitlin Murphy is the proud principal of Smedley Elementary, serving in the role since 2015. She strives to ensure that Smedley students receive a world-class education in a joyful and loving environment. Before taking on the role of principal, she served as an assistant principal at Smedley for five years and was a part of Smedley’s founding leadership team in…
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Additional School Leadership

Danielle Ciallella, Assistant Principal of Instruction

Danielle Nicoletti, Assistant Principal of Operations

Hannah Krause, Teacher Leader Kindergarten

Isaac Hebron, Assistant Principal of Instruction

Kelsey Gavigan, Assistant Principal of Specialized Services

Megan Baker, Assistant Principal of School Culture

Rashanna Ward, Assistant Principal of Instruction

Who to Contact

Attendance Zone