Friends Academy

Founded in 1876 "the children of Friends and those similarly sentimented," Friends Academy is a Quaker, coeducational, independent, college-preparatory school for students ages three through twelfth grade. Our philosophy is based on the principles of integrity, simplicity, patience, moderation, peaceful resolution of conflict, and a belief that the silence and simple ministry of the "gathered meeting" bring the presence of God into the midst of our busy lives. Friends is committed to developing a diverse community whose members value excellence in learning and growth in knowledge and skills. We are also committed to service and ethical action, and to an understanding that every life is to be explored, celebrated and enjoyed in the spirit of the Religious Society of Friends.

A Quaker school, Friends Academy is firmly committed to the testimonies of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, service, and stewardship. These testimonies, which have guided the school for 140 years, are evident in every corner of the campus: in classrooms and offices, on fields and stages, in gymnasiums and art studios, and in the Meeting House, where each week we gather for Meeting for Worship — silent, reflective, communal time.

A talented and dedicated faculty and staff provide students with a dynamic, flexible, and robust educational and co-curricular program. Through a range of academic pathways, students are challenged to push beyond the limits of their intellect, to broaden their perspectives, to build skills and habits of mind that will serve them beyond the schoolhouse walls.

We live in a time when empathy has never been more critical for the future of our global community. Friends Academy is committed to building and maintaining a diverse community, one that encourages respectful discourse and the sharing of each individual’s unique experiences and perspectives. A Friends Academy education prepares students to enter today’s world more fully recognizing the light within themselves so that they may seek and recognize the same in others.

We believe each student is a valued individual with unique intellectual, physical, social and emotional needs. The Friends Academy community values the Quaker principles of equality, integrity, responsibility and mutual respect and is committed to developing well-educated and engaged students in a respectful, positive and supportive environment.

First and foremost, it means there are certain principles that go to the heart of everything we do -- integrity, simplicity, justice, patience, moderation, respect for others, and the peaceful resolution of conflict. It means we are committed to doing work in service of others, on our campus, in the larger community, and beyond.

These things are as fundamental to every student's Friends education as anything they learn about history or literature or science. We come together as a caring community of learners that values the inherent worth of every person. We are a community that doesn't merely talk about the things that are important to us; we live them, in how we treat each other, and how we engage the world around us.

At Friends, we ignite our students’ love of learning. Small classes and individualized connections with teachers, advisors, coaches, counselors and principals help build the confidence, depth and ambition that all FA students share. We seek students from differing socio-economic, ethnic, religious and racial backgrounds in the belief that students learn from each other as well as from their teachers.

A Quaker testimony is a statement of belief; it is a goal for one’s behavior. Testimonies are the way Quakers work for a connection between inner and outer lives. They are the way Quakers take their relationship with the divine spirit and turn it into actions. At many Quaker schools and Meetings the acronym SPICES is used to remember six important testimonies, simplicity, peace, integrity, community and equality and service/stewardship. Each of these testimonies speaks to ways we can become better stewards of the planet.

Global citizenship at Friends Academy is rooted in the understanding that "the peoples of the world are one people, enriched by individual differences and united by a common bond of humanity. Diversity in this world community is its greatest strength; understanding and respect are its greatest gifts."