School District gets first major website update in 10 years

The School District of Philadelphia just released the first major update to its website in a decade.

The soft launch of the District’s homepage is being billed as the first public-facing result of a longer push to update its digital presence.

“The site, while informative, hadn’t been changed for too long,” said Kevin Geary, the District’s chief of external relations. “It’s not so much an update but a complete makeover.”

The process started by having some 600 parents, teachers and students give usability feedback on the site. The overhaul axed some websites and made it more user-friendly. Mobile readibility was also improved.

“The new design will also allow us to have the site translated in about 100 languages through Google Translate,” said Geary. “For a diverse district like ours, this is very important.”

Each school in the district, Geary said, will get its own rehashed website by the end of the school year.

For the makeover, the District worked with Kensington-based design and branding shop Blinebury Design.