Philadelphia, PA — On August 21st, Esperanza proudly announced the opening of the brand-new Esperanza Academy Charter School elementary building at 201 Hunting Park Avenue. This new facility was the culmination of an expansion project spanning several years, situated just down the street from the main Esperanza campus, which also included the Esperanza Academy middle and high school buildings. Beginning in August with the start of the 2025-26 school year, it became the new home for Esperanza Academy’s K-5 students and staff.
Esperanza Academy had been providing a high-quality education in Philadelphia’s Hunting Park community since 2000, when it first opened as a four-year high school under Esperanza, as part of its mission to strengthen the Hispanic community and all who lived there. Esperanza’s leadership had seen a need for an academic institution that would deliver high-quality outcomes and began with the high school first to meet the urgent need for a path to hope for the community’s young people. 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, the move to the new location included the addition of 600 students, bringing the school’s total enrollment to over 2,200 students.
Dr. Evelyn Nuñez, CEO and Superintendent of Esperanza Academy, expressed the significance of this milestone:
“This was a historic moment for Esperanza Academy. As we celebrated 25 years of impact, we were 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 had established robust academic programming, including a curricular majors program that allowed 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 its founding organization and management company, Esperanza, Esperanza Academy connected 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 opened this rich, unique ecosystem of 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, shared what this new building meant for her family and the community:
“This expansion allowed Esperanza Academy to reach many more families and helped every student build themselves up to become great pillars of our society and community. As an Esperanza Academy mom myself, I was very excited for my daughter to take advantage of all the opportunities that became available with the expansion of the elementary school. I was so grateful to all the staff who showed up every day and provided not only my daughter but all of our students with an exceptional education. To finally have a space our students could call their own was something to be proud of, and I was glad we were there to witness all the great achievements our Esperanza family accomplished.”
The new, 70,000 square foot facility included 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 extracurricular activities like recreational sports, EACS also partnered 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 enjoyed classes in art, music, Spanish, technology, humanities, and physical education. They also had early exposure to fields like engineering, which helped prepare them for the curricular majors available to them in high school.
Esperanza’s Founder & CEO, Rev. Luis Cortes, noted:
“This was the achievement of a vision for an educational pipeline in North Philadelphia, dedicated to excellence. We were 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 did not come without years of intentional planning and investments. Rev. Danny Cortes, Esperanza’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, shared:
“This building reflected our core values of excellence – and that was 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.”