Celebrating 25 Years of Educational Excellence
Philadelphia, PA — Esperanza Academy Charter School is thrilled to announce the opening of its brand new elementary building at 201 Hunting Park Avenue. This new facility is the culmination of an expansion project spanning several years and is situated just down the street from the main Esperanza multi-services campus and the EACS middle and high school buildings. Starting this month with the beginning of the 2025-26 school year, it will be the home for Esperanza Academy’s K-5 students and staff.
Esperanza Academy has been providing a high-quality education in Philadelphia’s Hunting Park community since 2000, when it first opened as a four-year high school by Esperanza, a multi-service non-profit dedicated to strengthening the Hispanic community and all who live within the community and the school’s management organization. The middle school followed in 2012, and the elementary school in 2017. After operating in a rented space for eight years with approximately 150 students, Esperanza Academy’s move to the new location will allow for the addition of 600 more students, bringing the school’s total enrollment to over 2,200.
Dr. Evelyn Nuñez, the school’s CEO and Superintendent, expresses the significance of this milestone: “This is a historic moment for Esperanza Academy. As we celebrate 25 years of impact, we’re thrilled to open our new elementary school—bringing a high-quality, well-rounded K–5 education to 750 students and completing our vision of a full K–12 experience rooted in excellence and opportunity.”
Over the years, Esperanza Academy has established robust academic programming, including a curricular majors program that allows high school students to select a focused area of study, AP offerings, and Early College and Dual Enrollment programs offered in partnership with Esperanza College of Eastern University. In partnership with Esperanza, Esperanza Academy connects students with unique opportunities to explore their interests and expand their perspectives, such as attending workshops with artists at Teatro Esperanza or interacting with noteworthy guest speakers visiting the Esperanza campus. The expansion of the student body will open these opportunities to even more students in the Philadelphia area.
Megan Lopez, a member of the school board and parent of a rising third grader at Esperanza Academy, shares what this new building means for her family and the community: “This expansion will allow Esperanza Academy to reach many more families and help every student build themselves up to become great pillars of our society and community. As an Esperanza Academy mom myself, I am very excited for my daughter to take advantage of all the opportunities that will now be available with the expansion of the elementary school. I am so grateful to all the staff here who show up every day and provide not only my daughter but all of our students with an exceptional education. To finally have a space our students can call their own is something to be proud of, and I’m glad we’re here to witness all the great achievements our Esperanza family has accomplished.”
The new, 73,000 square-foot facility includes a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) room, a music room, a gymnasium, a state-of-the-art kitchen, and a life skills classroom. In addition to extra-curricular activities like recreational sports, Esperanza Academy is also partnering with Mayor Parker’s Extended Day/Extended Year (EDEY) initiative to offer additional out-of-school-time programming options for a limited number of students. Beyond core subjects, students will enjoy classes in art, music, Spanish, technology, humanities, and physical education. They will also have early exposure to fields like engineering, which will help prepare them for the curricular majors available to them in high school.
Esperanza’s Founder & CEO, Rev. Luis Cortes, notes, “This is the achievement of a vision for an educational pipeline in North Philadelphia, dedicated to excellence. We are very proud of our students. They are the future leaders who will transform our communities and challenge the odds to accomplish great things, starting at the earliest ages. We now have to focus on what the opportunity provides for us —continued and greater educational excellence.”
This accomplishment does not come without years of intentional planning and investments. Rev. Danny Cortes, Esperanza’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, shares, “This building reflects our core values of excellence – and that is intentional. You cannot tell a young person that they can be anything and not provide them with the best resources and educators who will help them believe it is really possible. Over two decades of Esperanza Academy graduates are evidence of what happens when you inspire a young person and remove the obstacles.”
This building was made possible by BSI Construction, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Office of Budget (RACP), Hamlin Capital Management LLC, Philadelphia Authority of Industrial Development, Professional Services Group, PZS Architects, React Environmental Professional Services Group, Ruggiero Plante Land Design, Stone-Sherick Project Management, and Truist Bank.
About Esperanza Academy Charter School:
Esperanza Academy Charter School is a K-12 charter school in the Hunting Park neighborhood of Philadelphia. Esperanza Academy Charter School is dedicated to providing a quality education that prepares critically thinking, socially capable, spiritually sensitive, and culturally aware young adults who can use English, Spanish, and technology as tools for success in the 21st century. For more information, visit www.esperanzaacademycs.org.
About Esperanza:
Esperanza was founded in 1986 to serve “the least of these” (the underserved and marginalized) and to strengthen Hispanic communities and all who live within them. Over nearly four decades, Esperanza has grown into a $114 million organization with 750+ employees serving approximately 35,000 people annually through K-14 education, community and economic development, the arts, and social change programs. Esperanza is building an “opportunity community” in Hunting Park – a place marked by decent and affordable housing, increasing prosperity, growing businesses, great schools, safe streets, creative spaces, and robust community life, where anyone at any income level can thrive. For more information, visit www.esperanza.us.
Name: Christine Nieves, Senior Vice President of Development
Email: marketing@esperanza.us
Phone: 267-467-7286
Website: www.esperanzaacademycs.org