Philadelphia has a rich history of high school student activism, stretching back to 1967, when 3,500 Philadelphia students walked out of their schools, marched to the Board of Education, and demanded the addition of black history courses taught by black teachers, the removal of police from high schools, and an increase in the hiring of black principals. Philadelphia's students have long been a major force in the battle for public education, and for the past decade and a half they have fought valiantly against the encroachment of neoliberalism. The article examines how students in Philadelphia have responded to attempts to dismantle public education by focusing on two youth organizing groups, the Philadelphia Student Union (PSU) and Youth United for Change, that lead the initiative.