When Maria Santos heard that her daughter's elementary school in North Philadelphia was among 17 Philadelphia public schools slated to close, she felt sick. "We didn't choose this," Santos said. "Our school was our community."
But Santos, like thousands of other Philadelphia families facing upheaval, now has a new option: a scholarship that would send her daughter to a private school — tuition-free, through high school graduation.
Philadelphia billionaires Jeff and Janine Yass are offering 500 full scholarships to students from the schools facing closure, funding places at 16 private schools across the city, mostly Catholic institutions that have received support from the Yass Prize organization. Each scholarship provides $8,000 annually and is renewable through 12th grade as long as the student remains enrolled. If a school's tuition exceeds that amount, the school has committed to covering the difference.
"There will be zero costs incurred for the families, full stop," said Caroline Allen, director of the Yass Prize.
The closures, which will begin in the 2027-28 school year, affect 4,429 students across elementary, middle, and high schools. District officials have said they hope to retain all of those students in the traditional public system, but families like Santos are weighing their options.
Janine Yass, a founder of Boys' Latin of Philadelphia Charter School, said she and her husband followed the district's closure process and felt compelled to act.
"No child should be trapped in a school that is unsafe, underperforming, or unable to meet basic academic standards simply because his or her family lacks financial means," Yass said in a statement.
Applications opened last week and will remain available until all 500 scholarships are awarded. Families who accept will gain access to schools vetted by the Yass Prize organization.
"Whatever school that they decide to send their students to, that it is an excellent, nationally vetted school, and it will not close," Allen said. "That's a lot of access to this quality education year after year until high school graduation."
The district has said it will establish a transition office to work directly with affected families, offering support for those choosing other public schools. But for parents facing an uncertain future, the scholarships represent something concrete: a path forward, funded entirely by private philanthropy, that requires nothing from families but a choice.
Applications for the 500 scholarships are now open.