Overbrook High School (Philadelphia)
Overbrook High School is a public, four-year high school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Overbrook High School | |
![]() Overbrook High School in Philadelphia | |
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Location | 5898 Lancaster Ave., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
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Coordinates | 39.9812°N 75.2386°W |
Built | 1926 |
Architect | Irwin T. Catharine |
Architectural style | Late Gothic Revival |
MPS | School District of Philadelphia |
NRHP reference No. | 86003313[1] |
Added to NRHP | December 4, 1986 |
School
Overbrook High School is designated by the School District of Philadelphia as Location #402, in the West Region. The building was built in 1926 and designed by Irwin T. Catharine. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.[1]
Enrollment for 2020-2021 was 411 students in grades 9 through 12. African Americans make up 94% of the student population.[2] As of 2015, the school principal of Overbrook is Dr. Kahlila Johnson; Dr. Johnson graduated from Overbrook in 1989.[3]
Notable alumni

Overbrook is perhaps best known for its famous alumni, who include Wilt Chamberlain[4] and Will Smith.[5][6] At least 11 Overbrook alumni have played in the NBA, and the school is ranked sixth in that respect.[6]
- Len Barry, lead singer/songwriter, The Dovells[7]
- Steve Baskerville, TV personality, former on-air weatherman for CBS station WBBM-TV in Chicago
- John Blake Jr., jazz violinist; minister [8]
- Bill Bloom, songwriter/musician; Interfaith Minister
- Guion Bluford, space-shuttle astronaut; first African-American in space[9]
- Solomon Burke, soul singer [Attended briefly, but graduated from John Bartram High School]
- Bill Cash, Negro league stars, Baseball Hall of Famer
- Wilt Chamberlain, former NBA player, ranked No. 5 All-Time by ESPN[10]
- Tony Costner, former NBA player, European career
- The Delfonics, R&B group[11]
- Colman Domingo, Emmy and Tony award-winning stage, screen and TV actor[12]
- Jon Drummond, Olympic track gold-medalist[13]
- Ted Eisenberg, world record-holding breast surgeon[14]
- Chaka Fattah, former U.S. Congressman (D-PA) and convicted felon[15]
- Mike Gale, NBA/ABA player[16]
- Bobb Goldsteinn, songwriter/producer; coined term "multimedia"[17]
- Bryshere Y. Gray, actor on TV series Empire
- The Last Emperor (Jamal Gray), rapper
- Walt Hazzard (Mahdi Abdul-Rahmad), NBA All-Star; UCLA All-American player and coach[18]
- Rosetta Hightower, lead singer, The Orlons[7]
- Wayne Hightower, NBA player; ABA All-star[19]
- Jacob Landau, nationally recognized artist, teacher[20]
- James Lassiter, film producer; partner in Overbrook Entertainment[21]
- Rich Laurel, NBA player, European career
- Hal Lear, NBA player[22]
- Jeffrey Leonard, Major League Baseball player [23]
- Lewis Lloyd, NBA player[24]
- Andre McCarter, UCLA All -American basketball and 3-time NCAA champion; NBA player[25]
- John H. Murphy III, publisher; head of the Afro-American newspaper
- Deworski Odom, sprinter
- Frank Piasecki, helicopter inventor; National Medal of Technology winner[26]
- Catherine Pugh, former Mayor of Baltimore, forced to resign under pressure due to scandal [27][28]
- Marion Ramsey, film actress
- Malik Rose, NBA player[6]
- Merrill Reese, voice of NFL's Philadelphia Eagles
- Johnny Sample, football player[29]
- Dee Dee Sharp, singer[7]
- Will Smith, Oscar-winning actor;[30] Grammy-winning rapper[5]
- Willie L. Williams, former police commissioner, Philadelphia and Los Angeles[31]
- Waverly B. Woodson Jr. (1922–2005), United States Army soldier[32]
References
- "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 23 January 2007.
- "School District of Philadelphia Dashboard".
- "Principal's message". Philasd.org. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
- Encyclo of World. "Wilt Chamberlain Biography". Encyclo of World Biography -Advameg, Inc. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
- Fontana, Tony. "Will Smith (I) – Biography". IMDb.com, Inc. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
- Mazique, Brian. "6. Overbrook High School (Philadelphia, PA)". Bleacher Report, Inc. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
- "Cameo Parkway 1957–1957". AlbumLinerNotes.com. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
- "Performer, Educator and All That Jazz" (PDF). Retrieved 15 February 2013.
- Greene, Nick. "Gioun "Guy" Bluford Biography – NASA". About.com – NYTimes Co. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
- "All-Time #NBArank: Wilt No. 5". ESPN.com. ESPN. 10 February 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
- Gross, Dan (10 April 2009). "Delfonics singer Randy Cain dies at 63". Philadelphia Media Network Inc. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
- Roberts, Kimberly C. (14 October 2011). "'A Boy and His Soul' defies stereotypes". Retrieved 20 September 2017.
- Reid, Ron. "Jon Drummond Is a Fixture at the Penn Relays". Philadelphia Media Network Inc. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
- "Most breast augmentation surgeries performed: Ted Eisenberg sets world record". World Records Academy LLC. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
- "Brady: Wilt Needs a Stamp". Philadelphia Media Network. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
- "Mike Gale NBA & ABA Statistics". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
- White, Josh. "Did You Know The Fillmore East's Joshua Light Show Really Started Here?". WestView News. Retrieved 16 February 2013.
- "Mahdi Abdul-Rahman NBA & ABA Statistics". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
- "Wayne Hightower NBA & ABA Statistics". Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
- Pray, Rusty. "Jacon Landau. 83, artist shown in major museums". Philadelphia Media Network Inc. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
- "James Lassiter". Imdb.com Inc. Retrieved 16 February 2013.
- "Hal Lear NBA & ABA Statistics". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
- "Jeffrey Leonard Stats". baseball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
- Jackson, Roger. "Pope, Pols, Black Magic Lewis Lloyd, No. 2 in rebounds and scoring, is Des Moines' latest rage Roger Jackson". SI Vault.com Time Inc. Retrieved 16 February 2013.
- Jensen, Mike. "Philly's Andre McCarter recalls John Wooden". Phila. Inquirer. Retrieved 16 February 2013.
- "Piasecki Aircraft Corporation >> About >> PiAC". Piasecki Aircraft Corporation. Archived from the original on 28 November 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
- Writer, Daryl Bell Tribune Staff (15 November 2016). "From Overbrook High to Baltimore's next mayor". The Philadelphia Tribune.
- Stockman, Farah (2 May 2019). "Baltimore's Mayor, Catherine Pugh, Resigns Amid Children's Book Scandal". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
- "Johnny Sample". pro-football-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
- "Oscar Winners 2022".
- Kram, Mark. "Williams, Willie L. 1943-". HighBeam Research, Inc. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
- "Waverly Woodson". The Frederick News-Post (via Legacy.com). August 30, 2005. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
External links

- Official website
- Overbrook High School at the Wayback Machine (archive index) at American School Directory
- Demographic & Climate Profile