Home
String Theory Schools
GROWING THE NEXT GENERATION OF CREATIVE LEADERS
As a nonprofit education design and management organization, we are committed to bringing the arts to the children of Philadelphia.
Our first school opened in the Fall of 2000 with the goal of offering students an arts immersive curriculum that would allow them to thrive academically and artistically. After a successful twelve years of growth, String Theory Schools was created to bring the mission of our original charter to more students and their families in Philadelphia. Today, String Theory Schools operates two charter schools that offer students a comprehensive educational program that emphasizes equally academic and artistic excellence. We are passionate about honoring each student as an individual and educating all students so that they reach their highest potentials.
To Inspire. To Be Inspired.
Philadelphia Performing Arts has the largest charter in Philadelphia and is one of the only K-12 schools in the city. We are also the only school with an arts-integrated curriculum designed for elementary school children.
Philadelphia Performing Arts, Vine Street Campus, is recognized by Apple as an Apple Distinguished School.
We believe in the profound positive impact that exposure to the arts has on a child's creativity, confidence, self-discipline, and greater understanding of the world. Starting in Kindergarten, our students have seven additional arts classes woven into their daily schedules each week. Once a student enters fifth grade they begin their own artistic and academic journey in our unique Majors Program.
Our high school is located at our Vine Street Campus, a state-of-the-art 265,000-square-foot facility. This building promotes project-based learning and interdisciplinary instruction with a motion capture studio, a 200-seat theater, two ballet studios, four science labs, four music studios, two fine arts studios, an engineering and robotics lab, a culinary test kitchen, a recording studio, and a student-run cafe. Our middle school is also housed at Vine Street Campus.
From performing at professional venues to working at our student-run coffee shop, Café Vine, to internships with our Incubator Fellows, our students have access to a variety of exciting real world experiences.
Learn more: Incubator Fellowship
We view each child as an individual learner with their own unique talents and strengths. As per the philosophy of String Theory Schools, we believe in providing all students with equal opportunities for learning, discovery, and development of their potentials. This philosophy creates a supportive environment where students can shine.
Student Stories
In the News
This year the Philadelphia Performing Arts Ballet Department returned to the Miller Theatre for their annual performance of The Nutcracker. Watch thus clip from our feature on 6abc to see what made this year's performance extra special.
Our East Campus was awarded an incredibly generous grant from the state of Pennsylvania to design and build a special outdoor sensory garden for students in grades K-5 with autism and other sensory needs. State Representative Elizabeth Fiedler was in attendance to share the great news with some of our youngest students!
This year, our students learned about the meaning and history of Veterans Day during a special story time with US Veterans. FOX29's Bob Kelley was also in attendance to interview our students and special guests! Thank you to the service men and women who spent a meaningful morning with our students, and thank you to all who serve and have served our country!
This Fall, our NEW sensory room opened! This specially designed room for our students with autism and other sensory needs was funded by a generous grant from the Eagles Autism Foundation and built by our dedicated facilities staff.
Despite being forced to flee Ukraine, Performing Arts Senior David Kozyrkov never gave up on his passion for music. David's unwavering dedication to music and hard work have now earned him a spot at the Berklee College of Music, the school of his dreams. His story is truly an inspiration to anyone facing obstacles on their path to achieving their goals.
Student Life
On College Decision Day, our PPA high school seniors proudly displayed their future alma maters by wearing college swag from the schools they have chosen to attend in the fall. The hallways and classrooms were filled with a vibrant array of colors and logos, as students wore shirts, hoodies, and hats representing their selected universities. The atmosphere was electric with excitement, as the soon-to-be graduates celebrated the culmination of their hard work and the beginning of a new chapter in their lives.
The day serves as a powerful symbol of our students' dedication, perseverance, and readiness to embark on the next phase of their educational journey as they look forward to the opportunities that await them in their chosen colleges.
The Arts and Sciences middle school robotics club won big at the SeaPerch competition this year! The students in this after-school club are passionate about engineering, and for the competition, they designed and built a robot that could move underwater. The robotics club did an exceptional job, taking home 1st Place in the Vehicle Performance category and 2nd Place overall in the competition!
Click to view photos of the Classical Ballet and Contemporary Dance Spring 2022 Performances at Performing Arts.