William Penn Charter School

Founded in 1689, Penn Charter is the oldest Quaker school in the world. Penn Charter is the fifth-oldest school in America and the oldest Quaker school in the world. Our core principles—mutual respect, equality, community—are endlessly renewable and fearlessly modern.

Penn Charter is a pre-K to 12 coed Friends school. Originally located in Old City, the school moved to Philadelphia's East Falls neighborhood in the 1920s and now enjoys all the benefits of a green, 47-acre campus. We are close to nearly everything, but not in the middle of it. We have lawns and playing fields; separate buildings for Lower, Middle and Upper Schools; and state-of-the-art facilities for academics, arts and athletics.

We value scholarship and inquiry. With excellence as our standard, we challenge students in a vigorous program of academics, arts and athletics. Through global connections, civic engagement and a focus on environmental sustainability, we inspire students to be thinkers, collaborators, innovators and leaders. We educate students to live lives that make a difference.

A school community that honors difference, Penn Charter seeks to be a place where diversity is understood, represented and valued. Our curriculum embraces a plurality of cultures and celebrates an array of voices, instilling in us a deeper understanding and empathy for individuals in this community and the world.

We value that of God in each student and foster excellence in academics, arts and athletics. Our educational program exposes students to a breadth of content and ideas as well as opportunities for deep exploration in the pursuit of personal passion.

Guided by research and best practices, faculty collaborate across divisions and disciplines to design and deliver engaging and relevant learning experiences. We provide students with the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in a complex and changing world.

We believe that people have the capacity for growth, and we are committed to the patient pursuit and continuous revelation of truth. Accordingly, we make decisions in a searching manner and are strengthened as a school, as a community, and as individuals when we engage in discussion and share in the decision-making process.

Weekly Meeting for Worship is central to the life of the school and roots us in the Quaker belief that there is that of God in everyone. This shared belief in the unique worth of each person commits us to treating one another with love and respect.

We embrace the deeply held concerns of Friends for justice, compassion, simplicity, integrity, and the peaceful resolution of conflict. As students progress through Penn Charter, we instill in them social responsibility to others and to the world by providing opportunities for service. We educate students to live lives that make a difference.

A classic education has always been about gaining the keys of knowledge to unlock any door. In short, access to the world. The difference at Penn Charter is that along with classic academic keys, we give students a Quaker moral compass to guide them and friends of all backgrounds with whom to travel and explore the world. We integrate the power of arts and athletics into a vigorous academic experience. We give students a culture of service and leadership in which to grow.

Too often academics, arts, and athletics are pitted against one another. Penn Charter recognizes the worthiness of each. We’re a school with nationally recognized teachers and students in the sciences, visual arts, history, literature, music, writing, mathematics, languages and theater. We have a proud history of championship athletics with graduates who go on to be professional sports stars, Olympians, and NCAA recruits. Students here have mentors, programs, and state-of-the-art spaces in all three of our hallmark three A’s. Some achieve great heights in one area or another but every student has an extraordinary education in the process.

Our Quaker values are about who our students are as developing adults. Our students are people who will run companies, shape economic policy, design new technologies, make scientific breakthroughs, and mentor future generations. When they are in these positions of power one day, we want them to be people who can use the Quaker values they learned at this school to inform their decisions. Simplicity and excellence. Tolerance and accountability. Reflection and rigor. These are the directions our Quaker compass takes students. It is an education that is more valuable in today’s world than perhaps ever before.