About Us

About Thurgood Marshall School

History
Thurgood Marshall was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1908 a great-grandson of a slave. He was the first African-American Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1967 until 1991. He was known for his liberal and pro-Civil Rights’ positions.  Thurgood graduated as valedictorian from Howard University Law School in 1933 and soon began to represent civil rights activists. In 1938, he became a counsel for the NAACP and over the next 23 years he won 29 of the 32 major cases he undertook for that organization. In 1940, he became chief counsel for the NAACP. His most famous case, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 1954, in which racial segregation of American public schools was declared unconstitutional. He retired in 1991.

School History

Thurgood Marshall School is located in the Olney neighborhood in North Philadelphia, Thurgood Marshall was built in 1997. The four-story, 114,000-square-foot school serves more than 600 students in grades Pre-K through 8 with more than 100 teachers and staff members. In 2008, USGBC accepted the School District of Philadelphia as a participant of its LEED in Existing Schools Pilot Program, and the district selected Thurgood Marshall to pursue certification under the LEED 2009 for Existing Buildings: O&M rating system. Of the 12 school districts that participated in the pilot program, the School District of Philadelphia was the first to successfully achieve LEED for Existing Buildings certification. In 2024, our school has been authorized as an IB World School for our Middle Years Program (grades 6-8).

Colors
Red, Black & White

Mascot
Eagle & Judge’s Gavel

Vision
Provide a world class education that gives scholars the confidence and skill to pursue the path they choose to change the world.

Mission
To develop highly intellectual, charitable, globally responsible scholars who aid in creating a world that is innovative, peaceful, and respectful of all humankind.

Values
Be Respectful. Be Responsible. Be Ready To Learn.

Motto
Innovate. Educate. Elevate.