Our History
1861: Chestnut hill academy is founded
Founded in 1861, Chestnut Hill Academy was an all-male Pre-K-12 independent college preparatory school located in northwest Philadelphia. CHA was the oldest all-boys school in Greater Philadelphia.
1879: Springside School opens
Springside was founded in 1879 by Ms. Jane Bell and Ms. Walter Comegys as a French and English boarding school for young ladies and girls. The school was located on Norwood Avenue in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia. Springside was initially a boarding school and attracted students from across the northeast, particularly in New England, where most boarding schools were only for boys.
2011: two communities become one
Springside Chestnut Hill Academy was formed by the 2011 merger between all-girls Springside School and all-boys Chestnut Hill Academy (CHA), private Pre-K–12 schools on adjacent campuses. The school is situated on a 62-acre campus adjacent to the Wissahickon Creek watershed in Fairmount Park and includes the Wissahickon Inn, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
2012: Sands Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership is established
In 2012, SCH Academy established the Sands Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL) to complement its core curriculum and to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset. Philadelphia magazine named SCH one of 19 area schools rethinking education in big and small ways for its CEL program in 2018. The Center is unique in the nation in that the entrepreneurial curriculum is offered from Pre-Kindergarten through grade 12.
2014: Maguire Stadium
Completion of Phase I of the Campus Master Plan was celebrated with the opening of Maguire Stadium at Homecoming.
2016: First SCHout conference is hosted
Upper School students organized the first regional SCHout Conference focused on diversity and inclusion. In 2026, over 200 students from the Philadelphia area joined SCH students at the SCHout conference.
2019: McCausland Lower School & Commons Opens
In September of 2019, the McCausland Lower School and Commons opened to students, completing Phase II of the Campus Master Plan.
2020: Early childhood center opens
The SCH Early Childhood Center for children 18 months to 4 years opens to its first 17 students.
