Simon Gratz High School - Mastery Schools

Alert

Simon Gratz High School will be hosting weekly events for Frederick Douglass, Pastorius-Richardson, Grover Cleveland and Gratz Prep Middle students and families. Sign up for an upcoming student shadow day here and register for a tour and information session here. See ParentSquare for additional details.

APPLY NOW FOR THE 2025-2026 SCHOOL YEAR

Simon Gratz High School is accepting applications for the 2025-2026 school year. Please follow the steps below to apply online.

  • Visit Apply Philly Charter
  • Log in or create an account
  • Fill out your family profile and add your child as a student
  • Click on the Apply for September 2025 button
  • Select Mastery Charter School: Simon Gratz High School as the school to which you would like to apply
  • Submit your application

Please note: If you are looking for a seat for your child for the current school year (2024-2025), 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.

Have questions about our school or need help navigating the process? Complete and submit this form, and a Mastery enrollment specialist will reach out to answer your questions and help you apply.

APPLY ONLINE
GET HELP FROM AN ENROLLMENT SPECIALIST

Your Neighborhood School in Nicetown/Tioga

Welcome to Simon Gratz High School, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades in Nicetown/Tioga. At Simon Gratz High School, you graduate with more than a diploma. Students have the opportunity to earn college credits and industry certifications – preparing them to enter college or start their career after high school. Their choice.

Gratz is known around Philadelphia for our championship sports teams, but THE REAL GRATZ is about so much more.

Our sophomore students participate in an internship program to explore various career pathways, and our upperclassmen can take AP classes and participate in a dual enrollment program to earn college credits while they are still in high school. We also offer Career and Technical Education (CTE) classes in communications technology, health care technology, and hospitality management & culinary arts.

Students can participate in extracurricular activities and athletic programs to enhance their school experience.

Our school spirit and sense of community are palpable. Everyone – students and staff alike – genuinely care about each other and want to see all Bulldogs thrive.

Enrollment Questions
Attendance Support
Records Requests

800

Students

9-12

Grades

Our School

Our academically rigorous program prepares all students for success after graduation.

Simon Gratz High School offers:

  • Varied Courses
    • Courses range from introductory to college-level
    • AP classes allow students to earn college credits
    • STEM Honors Program
  • College and Career Prep
    • Sophomores complete an 18-week internship
    • Seniors go on college visits, take a senior seminar course, get assistance applying for scholarships & loans and support with the college application process
    • Students graduate with a plan to enter college, the workforce or a pathway of their choice

Special Education Programming

    • We provide comprehensive special education programming to meet the individualized needs of each child, including:
      • Individualized Education Plans
      • Academic Interventions
      • Low Incidence Programs  (Autistic Support, Multiple Disabilities, Life Skills)
      • Emotional Support
      • English as a Second Language (ESL)
      • Psychological and Social Services

Simon Gratz students can participate in various extracurricular activities and athletic programs, including:

  • Art Club
  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Cheerleading
  • Comic Book Club
  • Cross Country
  • Dance
  • Debate Team
  • Drama Club
  • Drum Line
  • Fashion Club
  • Gay-Straight Alliance
  • Hip Hop & Rap Production
  • Journalism
  • Livewire Dance Crew
  • National Honor Society
  • Open Mic
  • Pick-up Basketball
  • Photography  and Film Club
  • Poetry Slam Team
  • Robotics
  • Rugby
  • Student Government
  • Track and Field
  • Video Game Club
  • Volleyball
  • Weightlifting
  • Yearbook Club
  • Yoga Club

Simon Gratz High is part of the PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) within the District XII Public League.

Athletic Records

  • The Bulldogs football team won the district divisional (5A) championship game for four years in a row! (2018,2017, 2016 and 2015).
  • The Bulldogs boys basketball won the (6A) district championship (2020).

At Simon Gratz High School, our Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs empower students to turn their passions into thriving careers. With hands-on training, industry certifications, and real-world experience in fields like Healthcare, Communications, and Culinary Arts, students graduate ready to succeed.

Click here to explore our CTE pathways and discover your future.

There is guaranteed enrollment at Simon Gratz High for students living in Gratz attendance zone (click here to see the attendance zone map) and students attending:  

  • Cleveland 
  • Clymer  
  • Kenderton 
  • Bethune 
  • Duckrey
  • Steel  

Students from schools not listed above and outside the Gratz attendance zone may also apply for the lottery, however they can only enroll if seats are available.

You must be enrolled first at Gratz to apply for the STEM Honors Program and CTE.  To apply to Gratz click here.

In The News

Serving up success one meal at a time at Simon Gratz High School

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Philly kids score big thanks to ‘Black Women in Sport Foundation’

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Talent, determination, and teamwork on display during fall athletics season

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Life at Gratz

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School Leadership Team

Our Principal

Erik Zipay

Principal, Simon Gratz High School
Erik Zipay serves as the proud principal of Simon Gratz High School.
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Donyel Griffin, Assistant Principal of Instruction

Bryan Hennessy, Assistant Principal of Instruction 

Tianna Kilgore, Assistant Principal of School Culture

Veronica Koff, Specialized Services Program Director

Erica Nelson, Director of Low Incidence Programming

Jelissa Prince, Assistant Principal of Specialized Services

Carrie Stoltzfus, Assistant Principal of Instruction 

Katie Wcislo, Assistant Principal of Operations 

Who to Contact

Staff Directory

"There's a charter school called Mastery in Philadelphia. And in just two years, three of the schools that Mastery has taken over have seen reading and math levels nearly double - in some cases, triple...Now, if a school like Mastery can do it, every troubled school can do it."

-President Barack Obama

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