Abington Friends School

At Abington Friends School we cultivate fearless, curious learning in a culture of intellectual and creative ambition. Engaged and purposeful in every moment, students leave AFS with clear, strong and thoughtful voices, prepared for lives of meaning and accomplishment.

In this Friends school environment, children develop deep roots of inner strength and the ability to thrive in dynamic settings and make the most of their future college and professional communities. AFS is a school that joyfully embodies its mission. Our students are fully immersed in the classroom experience, in the arts, on playing fields and in the precious times they enjoy just being together on the playgrounds or in the Student Commons.

Full engagement, in the vital intellectual world of the classroom, in the arts and athletics, in community decision-making and in the larger community that surrounds us, is a hallmark of AFS. It stems from our commitment to appreciating children fully for who they are and with a vision for who they may become.

Community and classroom life is rooted in profound respect for individuals, Quaker attunement to finding spiritual meaning in day-to-day life and an intellectually powerful capacity for the collaborative search for truth and deeper understanding.

Our preschool classes are centered on the principle that students should be at the heart of the learning experience. At AFS, young people thrive through teaching methods that balance a thoughtful nurturing of students’ interests with a passion for joyful learning that develops new academic skills.

Through extensive outdoor play and exploration, preschool students learn how to navigate shared spaces and enhance their ability to connect and communicate with each other. Opportunities to interact while playing and working throughout the day help students develop empathy and understanding. Students work collaboratively on small group and whole-class projects in addition to working one-on-one with a teacher to practice early learning skills that are important for future academic growth. Early literacy and mathematical learning experiences are skillfully woven throughout the fabric of the day in our preschool classrooms.

Our students thrive in an atmosphere that is nurturing and challenging, where they are supported as they tackle increasingly complex academic tasks. Our learning space expands beyond the walls of Lower School and out into the wider world.

The curriculum is dynamic and while each grade has set themes of study, there is room for students to follow their interests. The opportunity to pursue avenues of interest is evident as you walk our halls. Intricate drawings make way for poetic stories. Intriguing puzzles demonstrate students’ mathematical thinking. Woodworking and sewing projects line the shelves. The work is varied and represents each student’s unique talents and interests.

As students move through Middle School at Abington Friends they assume more responsibility, learn to take risks, tackle academic challenges, engage with the world and are guided toward more independence in learning. Immersed in a variety of learning environments from classroom to stage to athletic fields to recess play, our students seize the rich opportunities every day presents during this exciting time of growing intellects and identities.

The journey from the start of ninth grade to being ready to head out to college campuses all over the country is one of tremendous growth in intellect, self-knowledge, leadership, and clear values at AFS. Ninth graders start Upper School with a sense that they are now in an expanded world of ideas, opportunities, and social landscape. We take seriously the idea that younger students should be skillfully guided by adults and older classmates in their first year to find places of meaningful connection, orientation to the high expectations of an ambitious academic program, and a chance to be stretched in pursuing new and deepening interests in the classroom, the arts, athletics, and countless student activities.