Fattah grew up in Philadelphia, attending Overbrook High School and the Community College of Philadelphia. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. In 1984, Fattah completed the Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in business and economics from the University of Pennsylvania. In May 1986, he received his master's degree in Governmental Administration from the University of Pennsylvania's Fels Institute of Government.