Mastery High School in Camden has just received a  $1.6 million grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to establish a “waterfront schoolyard.”  The grant is part of a package of $17 million in grants for Delaware River watershed-related projects; one partner is the Trust for Public Land, dedicated to providing outdoor spaces for urban communities. Erin Lewis, Delaware River program director for the Fish and Wildlife Foundation, said, “It’s really not a green space that students are able to access.” A fence, pavers, and pedestrian walkways will be installed “so that students have areas to sit in this new clean urban space.”

Mastery Schools has 23 public charter schools in Philadelphia and Camden that serve 14,000 students. Five Mastery Schools in Camden are “renaissance schools,” authorized by a law that let Camden Advisory School Board approve partnerships with high-performing, nonprofit charter school networks willing to take on the lowest-performing schools. Currently 36% of Camden public school students attend renaissance schools, 35% attend traditional district schools, and 29% attend traditional charter schools. 

Andrew Anderson, Principal of Mastery High School of Camden, told NJ Education Report,

“Mastery Schools congratulates the Trust for Public Land on this great win for Camden County. As a neighbor to the waterfront project, we are eager to see TPL’s vision fulfilled. We look forward to the ways this project can stretch our STEM curriculum, expanding students’ exposure to the natural world around them and opening the door to their own role in conservancy efforts.”

Mastery High School of Camden recently completed an $18 million renovation that includes state-of-the-art science labs that will augment what is already a robust STEM program, with three STEM labs. There is also a competitive STEM Honors program; admission is based on GPA, math and science achievement, letters of recommendation, good behavior, and good attendance. All students have access to environmental studies electives and environmental science courses.

According to the most recent data, Mastery Schools in Camden serve 2,800 students: 95% qualify for free or reduced lunch, 25% have disabilities, and 25% are English Language Learners. In Camden City district schools, 54% qualify for free or reduced lunch, 14% are English Language Learners, and 19.6% have disabilities. Student achievement, based on state standardized tests, is higher at Mastery than at district schools.