Springside School, founded in 1879, is the oldest school for girls in Philadelphia. Today, Springside is an independent college preparatory day school, enrolling 640 students in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12. The school's campus includes 30 acres of fields and woods adjacent to the Wissahickon watershed and Fairmount Park in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia. One large modern building, with wireless technology throughout, houses the school's three divisions: Lower School (Pre-Kindergarten–Grade 4), Middle School (Grades 5–8), and Upper School (Grades 9–12). In all three divisions and all subject areas, teachers seek to engage students in an active program with a rigorous academic curriculum. Beginning in Lower School, students experience an integrated and interdisciplinary program designed to teach skills and concepts common among all the disciplines. As early as Pre-K, students are engaged in the process of learning through trial and error. Learning in and outside of the classroom in both structured and unstructured time, students develop independence, initiative, a sense of responsibility, and self-confidence.

Students learn to question what they discover and own what they know. A traditional curriculum, influenced by the research and knowledge of what works best for girls, provides a strong foundation, with a spiraling curriculum that presents skills and concepts in increasingly sophisticated and developmentally appropriate ways. In providing a broad and diverse range of course offerings, expanded still further by the coeducational Coordinate Program with Chestnut Hill Academy in Upper School, Springside offers each student numerous opportunities to discover her passion and develop her own voice.