Philadelphia district plans to merge Saul and Lankenau high schools next year

The School District of Philadelphia is proceeding with a plan to merge Lankenau High School into Saul High School for the 2026-2027 academic year, despite ongoing resistance from staff and students at both campuses.

District spokesperson Monique Braxton confirmed the merger is moving forward. She stated that transition committees for all affected schools will be announced soon. Braxton noted that district leaders visited both campuses six times recently and maintain weekly contact with the principals.

The Facilities Master Plan approved in April dictates the change. The district classifies Lankenau’s facilities as severely underutilized. The plan aims to close aging buildings and consolidate low-performing programs. Lankenau, an environmental sciences magnet, will merge as a Career and Technical Education honors program. Saul, which currently enrolls just over 400 students, will absorb the roughly 200 students from Lankenau.

Teachers at Saul say the district has not addressed their operational concerns. Spanish teacher Christina Puntel, a district employee since 1998, said the merger threatens the school’s identity. She noted that no work has begun to expand the small bathrooms, which she described as being like closets.

While the district plans to install a new fire alarm system at Saul, extensive modernization projects such as window replacements and flooring updates are dependent on funding. Those projects would not begin until the 2033 school year. Puntel said she has not seen actions that lead to a smooth transition.

Student journalists from Saul’s newspaper, The Cultivator, have collected questions from the school community. They are unsure if the current block schedule, which allows seniors three hours per day for hands-on work, will survive the merger. Students also question whether current major choices in animal science, food processing science, and horticulture will remain unchanged.

Colin Chrestay, an English teacher and advisor for The Cultivator, said the student body has basic questions about timing and numbers. He observed that district messaging is not reaching everyone. Students are anxious because they do not have information that addresses their specific concerns.

Ava Badstubner, an 11th-grade horticulture student and editor for The Cultivator, said she feels left out of the conversation. She noted that resources at Saul are tight, with some rooms serving three different purposes in a single day. She expressed cautious optimism, believing the merger could increase funding if planned correctly.

Puntel, who serves as the union representative, worries about teacher seniority and retaining newer staff. She said the two schools are distinct communities with different cultures. She compared the situation to the fictional character Frankenstein, noting that the staff have adopted the term Lanken-Saul to describe the potential outcome.

Puntel said she and her team do not see evidence of a successful merger in the immediate future. She described the current state as pushing a round peg into a square hole. She added that the merger reflects larger issues regarding declining enrollment and underfunding in public schools.