[2] It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 as the Thomas Fitzsimons Junior High School.

Margaret Harrington, the chief operating officer of Victory, described FitzSimons as having a "transition problem."

Richard H. Jenkins Sr., the principal of FitzSimons, said in that Philadelphia Inquirer article that he began establishing order with the students as the 2005-2006 school year progressed.

The new school, led by Principal Jafar Baraka, focused on re-shaping academic programing, highlighting gender-based education, systems building to address school safety and climate, and instructional rigor and parental partnerships.

In the spring of 2012, Thomas FitzSimons High School earned AYP or " Adequate Yearly Progress" in two educational categories under the Safe Harbor designation for the first time since the adoption and implementation of the NCLB legislation of 2000.