Springside Chestnut Hill Academy

[3] 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.

There are more than 100 electives available to Upper School students, including forensics, architectural design, global economics, and multivariable calculus.

Philadelphia magazine named SCH one of 19 area schools rethinking education in big and small ways for its CEL program in 2018.

In addition to its Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, SCH has robotics, arts & new media, outdoor education, and sustainability initiatives.

[5][circular reference] SCH was also one of the first Philadelphia independent schools to offer video production, design, and fabrication classes.

SCH prioritizes sustainability efforts, including its native arboreta, rain gardens, LEED Gold science, technology center, and rooftop solar panels.

Aligning with SCH's mission to inspire unbounded curiosity and independent thought, the center follows the Reggio Emilia approach—an internationally recognized and respected teaching method.

All SCH students make regular trips down to the Wissahickon creek, along its trails, and through its woods, as they develop their sense of environmental stewardship, learn about sustainability, enjoy its natural beauty, and study the challenges facing this native habitat.
One of the school's buildings is the Wissahickon Inn, a structure that was built in 1884 and is now on the National Historic Registry.
SCH's athletic teams play in the Inter-Academic League (Inter-ac), which, since its inception in 1887, remains the nation's oldest interscholastic athletic conference.