Transportation

Germantown Academy is committed to supporting the transportation needs of its students. Outlined below are the transportation options. While some students are driven to and from school by car, there are many students who ride their school district bus to GA each day. The only school districts that transport students to and from GA are within 10 miles of Fort Washington.

School District Busing

The following school districts currently serve the transportation needs of Germantown Academy students.

Most school districts will mail bus pickup and drop-off information to your home in mid-August. Some will post the information on their district website (linked below), and some districts need a separate form filled out (linked below as "form needed"). You could also receive an email from GA should the district communicate only in that manner.

If no information is received by August 22, please contact your school district.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

FAQs

How can my child(ren) take the school bus to GA?

What if my child misses the bus home?

Germantown Academy has security on campus 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If the child is a Lower School student, the Lower School Office will place a call to the parents and put a plan in action. If the parent can't come to school right away, the child will probably be taken downstairs to the After School Program (SPARK) and remain there until a parent is able to arrive. Middle and Upper School students usually gather in the Korman Family Pavilion (located between the Middle and Upper Schools) after school where there is a security guard until 6pm each school day.

What if I am late dropping my child off at school?

Lower School parents should park in the Quad and walk their child(ren) to the Lower School Office. Once inside, parents will be asked to sign in and a member of the Lower School administrative team will take the child(ren) to their classroom. Middle and Upper School students need to sign in at their respective Division Offices before heading to their current class. Tardies are recorded and communicated via each marking period's report card.

What if my child wants to play a sport/instrument/go to SPARK after school?

More than 70 percent of the Middle and Upper School students play a sport in any given season, meaning that there are more than 400 students staying after dismissal to participate in interscholastic athletics. Middle School students have practice until 4:45pm, and are asked to be picked up outside of the Korman Family Pavilion. Upper School students have practice usually until 5:30pm, and are also asked to be picked up from outside the Korman Family Pavilion. There is a security guard on duty in The Pavilion until 6pm on school days. On away game days, students will usually call their parent on the way home from a game to let them know what time to be at GA. Students will be dropped off near their locker rooms and will need to be picked up from outside of The Pavilion.

If a student is playing an instrument or participating in the Belfry Club, GA's student theater group, they are usually dismissed from the Arts Center. Parents can pick up outside of the Arts Center, or make arrangements to meet outside of the Korman Family Pavilion.

Lower School students participating in SPARK or ASAP are to be picked up behind the Lower School Playground. Parents must sign their child(ren) out before leaving campus. After school programs for Lower School conclude by 5:45pm.

What if I can't get my child until 5pm or later?

How do I change my child's bus transportation or his/her stop? What if we move during the school year?

How does my child get a SEPTA pass or train passes (if we live in Philadelphia)?

What if my child(ren) live in two different school districts during the week/month?

PLEASE NOTE:

Most school districts do not transport PreKindergarten students, regardless of their age.
It is important to note that you MUST sign you child(ren) up with BOTH your home school district and GA in order to use school district transportation.
Most school districts transport qualifying students in Grades K thru 12. Philadelphia students in Grades 7 through 12 who are registered through GA are issued Transpasses by the GA Transportation Office, which may be used for SEPTA buses (see more below).
Students are not permitted to ride a different school district bus (no exceptions) than their own, ie. no playdate transportation is allowed.
Blue Notes must be used in the Lower School any time your child(ren) has a change in their normal transportation schedule.
All behavioral issues that may happen while a child is riding the school bus will be reported to their Division Office and will be dealt with by the Division Head.

SEPTA

Germantown Academy is located directly across Bethlehem Pike from the Fort Washington train station. Students who use SEPTA take the Lansdale/Doylestown (also known as the R5 line) from the suburbs and the city each day. There is a cross walk over Bethlehem Pike, and another cross walk over Morris Road for students to travel safely. Many students use this public transportation in groups.

Drop-Off/Pick-Up and Parking

There are several hundred cars on campus at all times. Drop-off each morning occurs between 7:30 and 8am, and can be a hectic time on campus. Several members of the GA faculty and GA security staff are on-hand to assist in providing a safe environment for community members. Cars must drop their passengers off curbside along the Quad or the Middle and/or Upper School buildings. Parents staying past drop-off time will need to park in a visitor space which can be found in the Main Lot near the entrance to the Korman Family Pavilion (between the Middle and Upper Schools), or on the Bus Lane.

While hundreds of students ride the bus to school, many more ride home in a car. There are specific entrances for pick-up in the afternoon, depending on the grade level of your child(ren), which begins at approximately 2:50pm. Again, several members of the GA faculty and GA security staff are on-hand to assist in the daily dismissal process. It is important to remember that cell phones are not to be used while driving on campus.

Philadelphia School District - PLEASE READ

The Philadelphia School District is recently unable to provide busing service during Germantown Academy’s hours of operation, 8:05am-3pm. The District, however, does provide a Student Fare Card for students in Grades 1st through 12th who are registered with GA as needing transportation. A Student Fare Card is used to board a SEPTA trolley, bus, subway and regional rail (with an upgrade from sales locations). http://www.philasd.org/transportation/septa-fare-card-regional-rail-upgrade-locations/

Please contact The School District of Philadelphia Transportation Department @ transoperations@philasd.org for more information.