Kohelet Yeshiva High School
Kohelet Yeshiva High School is a Torah-based, college preparatory school that offers equal opportunities to young men and women for both a Judaic and general studies education. Our primary goal is to provide an environment that fosters scholarship, intellectual curiosity, love of learning, and a commitment to Halakhic Judaism. We instill a belief in the centrality of the State of Israel to the national and spiritual identity of the Jewish people and are committed to training our students to be passionate, articulate advocates for Israel. As a Centrist Orthodox Jewish day school, we strive to create a community of knowledgeable and observant students who are able to think, act, question and express themselves independently while respecting Jewish authority and tradition. As a college preparatory high school, we provide our students with a secular education that will enable them to succeed at the best institutions of higher learning. We offer individualized instruction in a curriculum that encourages an inquiring attitude and emphasizes critical thinking skills in the humanities, arts, and sciences. Our expectations are that Kohelet Yeshiva High School graduates will become self assured and involved future Jewish leaders. As intellectually and spiritually integrated individuals, our graduates will be fully committed Jews and Americans.
Kohelet Yeshiva High School opened in September 2000 in the basement of the JCC Klein Branch in Northeast Philadelphia with a freshman class of 15 students. In 2003, with four full grades, the school purchased a retired synagogue campus in the Rhawnhurst section of Northeast Philadelphia. As of June 2009, the school has graduated six classes and increased enrollment to 92 students. The current facility has served the school well, but its size and location is now constraining further growth and limiting other program enhancements. Among the many challenges in day school education, Kohelet Yeshiva High School has been committed to offering academic excellence in a rigorous dual curriculum while enabling students and their families to afford the high cost of day school education regardless of financial hardship. While the school has had tremendous growth, there are still some students who choose public high school quite often for financial considerations. In addition, some students continue to attend out-of-town Jewish high schools that have higher enrollment, larger facilities, and greater financial support. The school's business plan is focused on attracting these students in a superior facility and location, transforming the business model with increased financial support.
As a cornerstone of its vision to increase enrollment, improve quality and elevate the educational experience for Jewish day schools, The Kohelet Foundation has presented Kohelet Yeshiva High School with the unique opportunity to relocate its facilities from its current location in Northeast Philadelphia to the former Akiba Hebrew Academy property in Merion. Plans are underway for The Kohelet Foundation to renovate the four-acre campus, granting Kohelet Yeshiva High School use of 20 modern classrooms including three fully equipped science labs, expanded office space, a new Beit Midrash for davening and learning, and a full-size gymnasium – all in a code-compliant, energy-efficient and aesthetically pleasing facility. The site is scheduled to be ready for occupancy in September 2010. It is anticipated that the relocation will accelerate Kohelet Yeshiva High School's growth and development, enhancing its reputation for academic excellence, while serving more high school students throughout the greater Philadelphia region.