The Russell Byers Charter School is a public elementary school with 700 students in grades 4K through 8th. Russell Byers Charter School offers a full-day kindergarten for four and five-year-old students, one of the few kindergarten programs of this kind in Pennsylvania. Our students are from 37 neighborhoods across Philadelphia.

Located in the heart of Center City, in our spacious building at 1911 Arch Street, the school is within walking distance of many of the city's cultural treasures, including the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Franklin Institute, and the Free Library. We make regular use of these facilities, as well as the entire city, in our studies.

The school reflects Russell's values of academic excellence, civic responsibility, and community service. Our approach to teaching, school culture, and teacher training is centered upon Expeditionary Learning Schools (ELS) school design — an innovative model founded on the guiding principles of the famed outdoor educational program, Outward Bound. ELS emphasizes high achievement through hands-on learning, inquiry, character growth, and teamwork.

The Russell Byers Charter School provides students roots, a safe, stimulating environment with a rigorous academic education grounded in EL Education. Our students take responsibility for their learning to become powerful communicators, creative problem solvers, and compassionate, engaged citizens. Russell Byers students develop wings to succeed in selective schools and embrace a love for learning.

The National Common Core State Standards serve as the framework for our curriculum in English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. We use High Quality Instructional materials for both ELA and Math(EL Education and Eureka Math). 

We offer a robust Cultural Arts program that includes Music, PE/Health, Art, Spanish, and Tech.

Our Russell Byers School Community is guided by the 4Rs. These commitments offer a framework for both students and staff to flourish. 

Respect

Responsibility

Resilience

Reflection

• Early Learning: At RBCS we believe the journey of learning begins at a young age. That's why we are only one of two schools in Philadelphia to offer a two year, full-day kindergarten program that begins with four-year-old students (4k). Getting a jumpstart on education allows our children to plant roots a full year earlier than their peers. As a result, our 4k students are socially, emotionally, and intellectually ready to move on to five-year-old kindergarten (5k) and make the most of their RBCS education.
• EL Education: EL Education is an innovative teaching approach based on the guiding principles of the famed outdoor educational program, Outward Bound. EL emphasizes high achievement through hands-on learning, character growth, team work and community service. Learn more...
• The Whole Child: At RBCS, we don't just educate our students. We focus on creating great citizens by teaching resilience and responsibility for learning. It takes a holistic continuum of supports to build character and confidence from an early age. Our carefully chosen course work supports student growth through a full range of activities, enriching the whole child. Thanks to our innovate model, RBCS students have the opportunity to study art, music, physical education, debate, and digital humanities.
• Partnerships: RBCS takes full advantage of Philadelphia's urban resources, using the city as an extension of the classroom. Through these rich partnerships, RBCS offers exciting programs that support our students' learning experience both in the classroom and in the community. In addition to supporting our EL curriculum, these partnerships provide essential mentoring. Partnerships include Big Brothers Big Sisters, WHYY Media Lab, Walnut Street Theatre, Arden for All, and many more.
• Ours for Life: We measure the true value of a RBCS education by where students go when they leave our doors. Ours for Life is a full-service college and/or career-track program that supports our students throughout their education and especially in critical transition points in their academic careers. Learn more...

“Roots to Grow, Wings to Fly”

Listen to Music and Lyrics by Krista Yutzy-Burkey:

Lyrics:

We’re always on a journey
Discovering the world
Learning how to love ourselves
And other boys and girls
We’ll learn to work together
For our community
Accepting one another
And our diversity

Chorus:
But we can’t do it alone
We need help to reach our goals
Give us strength to carry on…
Help us learn how to grow (roots to grow)
Help us learn how to fly (wings to fly)
‘Cause together, we can make the brightest sky
Help us learn how to grow (roots to grow)
Help us learn how to fly (wings to fly)
We can make the world so much better, if we try

Through all success and failure
Through happiness and tears
We’ll always keep on learning
Growing stronger through the years
And when we grow up older
We’ll share along the way
The endless love for learning
That we gained from day to day

[Repeat Chorus]