the district proposed cutting the route in 1994, parents complained. In a two-year period until 1998, the number of Chinese students at McCall doubled. In 1998 Chinese students were 25% of McCall's 650 person student body. By September 1998 the school, which had 650 students, established a bilingual English-Chinese program to serve Chinese immigrant students, and that month it began hiring teachers fluent in both languages to teach core subjects. As of 1998 there were no public schools within Chinatown itself. In 2005 the Philadelphia School Reform Commission approved the creation of the charter school FACTS in Chinatown. At the time the Chinatown Community Development Corporation opposed the creation of the charter school, saying that it was not necessary and that it would hurt enrollment figures at McCall and Holy Redeemer. Private schools The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia operates Catholic schools. The Holy Redeemer Chinese Catholic Church and School () was constructed in 1941. David J. Wallace of The New York Times said that it was "a leading Chinatown institution." Historically many Chinatown residents enrolled their children in the school, and the community used the church and school complex as a meeting place and a community center. In the 1990s the school lost much of its schoolyard due to expansion of the Vine Street Expressway. In 2005 it was the only school in Chinatown. Colleges and libraries The nearest branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia is the Independence Branch () in Society Hill, about four blocks from Chinatown."Independence Branch." Free Library of Philadelphia. Retrieved on November 8, 2011. The Philadelphia Community College system serves Chinatown. See also Chinese American Koreatown, Philadelphia Little Saigon, Philadelphia El Centro de Oro References External links Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation "Chinatown Housing Site Upgrade Hing Wah Yuen Housing Development A sense of place inspired by the heritage of the residents." Synterra Ltd. "Building the Gold Mountain: Philadelphia's Chinatown", Historical Society of Pennsylvania Weyrich, Noel. "Northern Blights." Philadelphia City Paper. July 6–13, 2000. Holy Redeemer Catholic Church and School / Historic Photographs of Chinatown, Philly''History.org Chinese-American culture in Pennsylvania Neighborhoods in Philadelphia Philadelphia Tourist attractions in Philadelphia