("Strategic Business Plan," 2004, p. 40). HPE will also take students from a broader area that includes 18,000 residents in the six surrounding census tracts, of which 31% is comprised of school-aged children from 0 to 14 ("Strategic Business Plan," 2004, p. 41). Of these, 4,031, or 22%, are aged 6 to 14 ("Strategic Business Plan," 2004, p. 41). Presently, all of the area's elementary and middle schools are either reconstituted or privatized; none are private or parochial schools, making HPE-as a private school with a religious character-unique in its niche ("Strategic Business Plan," 2004, p. 42). Only two middle schools are in the immediate area, John Wanamker Middle School with 611 students and Julia DeBurgos Bilingual Middle School with 800 students ("Strategic Business Plan," 2004, p. 42; "Welcome to the Julia DeBurgos School," 2006). The area's population is expected to decrease by approximately 4% in the next ten years, and it is estimated that approximately 5,300 children will require elementary and middle school education in the area during that time span ("Strategic Business Plan," 2004, p. 41).
The school's competitors, in addition to the two middle schools already named, include three elementary schools serving ages K through 5-John F. Hartranft with 546 students, Joseph C. Ferguson with 581 students, and William McKinley with 323 students ("Strategic Business Plan," 2004, pp. 4-432). There is also a Magnet school-Russell A. Conwell Middle Magnet School with 892 students-which serves students in grades 5 through 8 ("Strategic Business Plan," 2004, p. 42; "Russell Conwell Middle School," 2008). These schools serve varying proportions of African American and Hispanic students, as well as a tiny minority of white students ("Strategic Business Plan," 2004, p. 43).
Compared with its competitors, HPE offers a unique educational experience. It is the only faith-based school in the area, and the only o...