Furness High School

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Horace Howard Furness High School
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Furness High School in May 2010
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Location in Philadelphia
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Location in Pennsylvania
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Location in United States
Location1900 S. Third St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19148
Coordinates 39°55′26″N75°09′03″W / 39.9238°N 75.1508°W / 39.9238; -75.1508
Area2 acres (0.81 ha)
Built1914
Built byCramp & Co.
ArchitectHenry deCourcy Richards
Architectural styleLate Gothic Revival, Academic Gothic
MPS Philadelphia Public Schools TR
NRHP reference No. 86003286 [1]
Added to NRHPDecember 1, 1986
Horace Furness High School 1900 S 3rd St Philadelphia PA (DSC 3039).jpg
Horace Furness High School 1900 S 3rd St Philadelphia PA (DSC 3037).jpg

Horace Howard Furness High School is a secondary (9th-12th) school in South Philadelphia. It is part of the School District of Philadelphia. [2]

Contents

Portions of South Philadelphia (including Bella Vista, Passyunk Square, Pennsport, Queen Village, and Whitman) are zoned to Furness. [3] A section of Center City, including Society Hill and Old City, was formerly zoned to Furness for high school. [4]

History

It was originally built as an elementary school, with construction starting in 1913 and ending in 1914; it later became Horace Furness Junior High School. It was named for Shakespearean scholar Horace Howard Furness (1833–1912). [5]

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Horace Furness Junior High School in 1986. [1] It was later converted into a senior high school, and its first high school graduation was held in 1991. [5]

In 2012 Daniel Peou, a Cambodian American man who was once a refugee and had lived in Philadelphia, became the principal of Furness. [6]

Architecture

The school building was designed by Henry deCourcy Richards and built by Cramp & Co. It is a four-story, rectangular, reinforced concrete building clad in brick and terra cotta in the Late Gothic Revival-style. It features an oversized arched entryway, blind panels, terra cotta quoining, and a brick parapet. [7]

Student body

As of 2015 the school had 694 students. These students used over 25 different languages. [8]

In 2000 the school had about 1,200 students. In the 2009-2010 school year the school had 673 students, with 40% being African-American and 38% being Asian. [9]

Benjamin Herold of the Philadelphia Public School Notebook stated that Furness was largely free of racial tensions. [9]

Academic performance

In regards to Pennsylvania's state achievement tests, of 11th graders at Furness, the percentages of students meeting the standard or higher were 43% in reading and 58% in mathematics. In terms of Philadelphia's comprehensive schools these percentages were higher than the average. [9]

Transportation

SEPTA routes 29, 57 and 79 serve Furness. [10]

School uniforms

Furness requires its students to wear school uniforms. Students may wear a gray shirt that must have a collar on it with black pants. [11]

Feeder patterns

K-8 schools feeding into Furness include: [12]

Previously George A. McCall School in Society Hill fed Furness High. [3] [10] [13]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ↑ "SCHOOL'S FINALLY OUT FOR SUMMER STUDENTS." Philadelphia Inquirer . August 8, 1986. B01.
  3. 1 2 Horace Furness High School Geographic Boundaries (Archive). School District of Philadelphia. Retrieved on October 4, 2011.
  4. ↑ Where the Graduates Go Archived 2009-06-21 at the Wayback Machine ." McCall School. Retrieved on November 9, 2008.
  5. 1 2 "Furness fosters a diverse story". South Philly Review. June 9, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  6. ↑ Myers, Joseph. "Peou returns to head Furness" (Archive). September 13, 2012. Retrieved on December 1, 2015.
  7. ↑ unknown (n.d.). National Register of Historic Places Registration: Pennsylvania MPS Furness, Horace, Junior High School. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved January 7, 2026. (Downloading may be slow.)
  8. ↑ Hill, Chanel (January 20, 2015). "Furness prepares students to be ambassadors of community". Philadelphia Tribune . p. A4.
  9. 1 2 3 Herold, Benjamin (October 14, 2011). "At Furness High, a tough choice looms". The Philadelphia Public School Notebook . Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  10. 1 2 "A Directory of High Schools for 2009 Admissions" (Archive). School District of Philadelphia . p. 15 (PDF p/ 17/40). Accessed November 6, 2008.
  11. ↑ "School Uniform Requirements Archived 2009-04-05 at the Wayback Machine ." School District of Philadelphia .
  12. ↑ "High School Directory Fall 2017 Admissions" (Archive). School District of Philadelphia. p. 32/70. Retrieved on November 16, 2016.
  13. ↑ "School Finder." School District of Philadelphia. Retrieved on November 30, 2015.
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