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{{Short description|Quaker school in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2018}}
{{Infobox school {{Infobox school
| name = Friends' Central School | name = Friends' Central School
| seal_image = ] | native_name =
| latin_name =
| location = ], ], ]
| affiliation = ] | logo =
| headmaster = Craig Normile Sellers | logo_size =
| ratio = 9:1 | logo_alt =
| SAT = 649 Math<br>669 Verbal<br>666 Writing | seal_image = FCS seal.jpg
| SAT_year = 2010 | seal_size =
| gender = Co-educational | seal_alt =
| schooltype = ] | image =
| conference = Friends' Schools League | image_size =
| mascot = Phoenix | alt =
| established = 1845 | caption =
| enrollment = 955 | motto =
| motto_translation =
| grades = ]–]
| address = 1101 City Ave
| homepage =
| location =
| region =
| town = ]
| county =
| state = ]
| zipcode = 19096-3490
| country = United States
| country1 =
| coordinates = {{Coord|39.98502|-75.26261|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes =
| other_name = <!-- or | other_names = -->
| former_name = <!-- or | former_names = -->
| schooltype =
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| type = ], ], ]
| religious_affiliation = ]
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| established = {{Start date and age|1845}}
| founder = <!-- or | founders = -->
| status = Open<ref name="nces_psch" />
| closed = <!-- {{End date|YYYY|MM|DD|df=yes}} -->
| locale =
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| us_nces_district_id =
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| category = <!-- use | category_label = to override the default label -->
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| us_nces_school_id = {{NCES Private School ID|01195711|school_name=Friends Central School|access_date=10 October 2022}}
| president =
| chair = <!-- use | chair_label = to override the default label -->
| chairman = <!-- use | chairman_label = to override the default label -->
| chairperson = <!-- use | chairperson_label = to override the default label -->
| dean =
| administrator =
| rector =
| director =
| principal = <!-- use | principal_label = to override the default label -->
| campus_director =
| headmistress =
| headmaster =
| head_of_school = Beth D. Johnson
| head_teacher = <!-- or | headteacher = -->
| executive_headteacher =
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| head = <!-- use | head_label = to override the default label -->
| r_head = <!-- use | r_head_label = to override the default label -->
| officer_in_charge =
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| faculty = 116 {{FTE}}<ref name="nces_psch" />
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| age_range = <!-- or | lower_age = and | upper_age = -->
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| enrollment = 769<ref name="nces_psch" />
| enrollment_as_of = 2019-2020
| capacity =
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| grade_preK = 36<ref name="nces_psch" />
| gradeK = 31<ref name="nces_psch" />
| grade1 = 35<ref name="nces_psch" />
| grade2 = 23<ref name="nces_psch" />
| grade3 = 32<ref name="nces_psch" />
| grade4 = 33<ref name="nces_psch" />
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| grade8 = 62<ref name="nces_psch" />
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| grade11 = 103<ref name="nces_psch" />
| grade12 = 101<ref name="nces_psch" />
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| ratio = 6.3:1<ref name="nces_psch" />
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| slogan =
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| athletics =
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| sports =
| colors = {{Color box|navy}} Navy<br>{{Color box|white}} White<br>{{Color box|gray}} Gray
| mascot =
| nickname = Phoenix
| teams = <!-- use | teams_label = to override the default label -->
| team_name =
| rival = <!-- or | rivals = -->
| accreditation = <!-- or | accreditations = -->
| USNWR_ranking =
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| test_name = SAT
| test_average = 649 Math<br />669 Verbal<br />666 Writing
| bar_pass_rate =
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| yearbook =
| products =
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| budget =
| fees =
| tuition =
| annual_tuition = $41,990<ref name="tuition">{{cite web |title=Affording FCS |url=https://www.friendscentral.org/admission/affording-fcs |website=Admissions |publisher=Friends' Central School |access-date=10 October 2022 |date=2022–2023}}</ref>
| revenue =
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| information = <!-- do not enter phone numbers or email addresses -->
| website = {{URL|friendscentral.org}}
| footnotes =
| picture = Friends Central.jpg
| picture_caption =
| picture2 =
| picture_caption2 =
}} }}


'''Friends' Central School''' ('''FCS''') is a college-preparatory, ], coeducational day school for nursery through grade 12 located in ], a community in ], ] in ].<ref>http://onedayatfcs.org/about</ref><ref>"." ]. Retrieved on April 30, 2014. (contains maps of Lower Merion).</ref> '''Friends' Central School''' ('''FCS''') is a ], independent, coeducational, college-preparatory day school for students in Nursery though grade 12. It is located on 41 acres across two campuses in ], a community in ] in the ] metropolitan area.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.friendscentral.org/|title=Friends' Central School - N-12 Quaker School - Philadelphia|website=Friendscentral.org|access-date=29 December 2018}}</ref><ref>" {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150202020223/http://www.lowermerion.org/archive/osp/osp_tabA.html |date=2015-02-02 }}." ]. Retrieved on April 30, 2014. (contains maps of Lower Merion).</ref>


The school was founded in 1845 in ], near the current location of the ] and currently has an enrollment of more than 1200 students from nursery to grade 12. The school was founded in 1845 in Philadelphia, near the current location of the ]. It had an enrollment of 769 students from nursery to grade 12 in 2019.


Informally known as "Friends' Central," the school encompasses three divisions: lower school (nursery through 5th grades), middle school (6th through 8th) and upper school (9th through 12th). The middle and upper school share a campus, and the lower school occupies its own site. Informally known as "Friends' Central," the school encompasses three divisions: Lower School (nursery through 5th grades), Middle School (6th through 8th), and Upper School (9th through 12th). The Middle and Upper Schools share their campus, and the Lower School occupies its own site.

The school is widely known for the quality of its education, ranking highly as one of the top schools in the Philadelphia area.<ref name=SuburbLife>http://www.suburbanlifemagazine.com/articles/?articleid=194</ref><ref>http://www.phillymag.com/articles/philadelphia_magazine_top_schools_2006/</ref>


==History== ==History==
===19th century===
Friends' Central School was founded in 1845 in Philadelphia at 4th Street and Cherry Street, serving as an upper school for the Quaker primary schools with grades 7 through 12. In 1857, the school moved to 15th and Race Street, remaining at this location until 1925, when it then moved to its current campus on City Avenue (formerly the Wistar Morris Estate). The main house of the estate, constructed in 1862, remains and serves as the administrative building of the school as well as an architectural focal point of the campus. In 1988, due to the growth of the student body, Friends' Central acquired the Montgomery School's property and relocated the lower school there.<ref>http://www.lowermerionhistory.org/texts/first300/part16.html</ref> Recent expansion includes construction of the Shimada Athletic Center (2000) and the Fannie Cox Center for Science, Math and Technology (2003).<ref>http://www.friendscentral.org/about/who/faq</ref> In 2011, David Felsen retired after 23 years of service as headmaster;<ref>http://www.friendscentral.org/podium/default.aspx?t=204&tn=David+M.+Felsen+Announces+His+Retirement&nid=693615&ptid=42520&sdb=True&pf=pglw&mode=0&vcm=True&rc=0</ref> beginning in the 2012 school year, Craig Sellers was named Head of School.<ref>http://www.friendscentral.org/podium/default.aspx?t=204&sdb=1&nid=752077&bl=/default.aspx</ref>
Friends' Central School was founded in 1845 in ] at 4th Street and Cherry Street, serving as an upper school for the ] primary schools with grades 7 through 12. In 1857, the school moved to 15th and Race Street, remaining at this location until 1925, when it moved to its current campus on City Avenue, formerly the Wistar Morris Estate. The main house of the estate, constructed in 1862, remains and serves as the administrative building of the school and an architectural focal point of the campus.


===20th century===
==Emphasis and Incorporation of Quaker Values==
In 1988, due to the growth of the student body, Friends' Central acquired the Montgomery School's property and relocated the lower school there.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lowermerionhistory.org/texts/first300/part16.html|title=The First 300: The Amazing and Rich History of Lower Merion (Part 16)|website=Lowermerionhistory.org|access-date=29 December 2018}}</ref>
Quaker values such as community, service, equality and integrity are all incorporated into student life. All students attend a weekly ] on Wednesdays for 40 minutes, sharing messages when "moved to speak". The community convenes in one room in silence and individuals stand when expressing thoughts to the community. Students are also required to perform off-campus service for a set of mandatory hours. In the middle and upper school, students are required to take three religious courses concerning the history of the Society of Friends and the central philosophies of Quakerism from a non-religious perspective. In middle school 5th grade and 7th grade learn the history and faith of Quakerism, and the 9th grade course further explores the Quaker faith and practice, focusing on a deeper understanding of the religion's history and its testimonies. Additionally 11th and 12th graders may take additional study in the origin and philosophy of religion in general.{{Citation needed|date=April 2011}}


==Academics== ===21st century===
In 2000, the Shimada Athletic Center was constructed. In 2003, the Fannie Cox Center for Science, Math, and Technology was completed and opened.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.friendscentral.org/about/who/faq |title=Friends' Central School ~ About Friends' Central |access-date=2011-09-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001175819/http://www.friendscentral.org/about/who/faq |archive-date=2011-10-01 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Friends' Central School students achieved the highest average SAT scores in all three sections (Math, Verbal and Writing) of the 19 schools that had scores reported in Suburban Life Magazine's 2010 report on suburban Philadelphia private high schools. The scores were 649 in Math, 669 in Verbal, and 666 in Writing. This report also indicated that Friends' Central had a student-faculty ratio of 9:1, a yearly high school tuition of $25,400, and that 100% of the 93 students in the senior class went on to a four-year college.<ref name=SuburbLife/>


In 2011, David Felsen retired after 23 years of service as headmaster;<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.friendscentral.org/podium/default.aspx?t=204&tn=David+M.+Felsen+Announces+His+Retirement&nid=693615&ptid=42520&sdb=True&pf=pglw&mode=0&vcm=True&rc=0 |title=Friends' Central School ~ David M. Felsen Announces His Retirement |access-date=2011-09-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120327184833/http://www.friendscentral.org/podium/default.aspx?t=204&tn=David%2BM.%2BFelsen%2BAnnounces%2BHis%2BRetirement&nid=693615&ptid=42520&sdb=True&pf=pglw&mode=0&vcm=True&rc=0 |archive-date=2012-03-27 |url-status=dead }}</ref> beginning in the 2012 school year, Craig Sellers was named Head of School.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.friendscentral.org/podium/default.aspx?t=204&sdb=1&nid=752077&bl=/default.aspx |title = Friends' Central School ~ Our 11th Head of School |archive-url=https://archive.today/20131115054016/http://www.friendscentral.org/podium/default.aspx?t=204&sdb=1&nid=752077&bl=/default.aspx |archive-date=15 November 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
Of the 2009 graduating class, eight schools enrolled 30% of the senior class: The University of Pennsylvania (6), Muhlenberg College (4), Johns Hopkins (3), Haverford (3), Carnegie Mellon (3), Temple (3), Washington University in St. Louis (3), and Sarah Lawrence (3). Fourteen students enrolled at ] institutions.<ref>http://www.friendscentral.org/podium/default.aspx?t=204&id=536497</ref>


On July 1, 2021, Beth D. Johnson, '77, was named interim Head of School.<ref name="friendscentral.org">{{Cite web|url=https://www.friendscentral.org/news/news-posts-direct-links/~board/homepage/post/new-interim-head-of-friends-central-beth-d-johnson-77|title = New Interim Head of Friends' Central Beth D. Johnson '77}}</ref> On February 17, 2022, Beth Johnson was unanimously named the 12th official head of Friends Central.<ref name="friendscentral.org"/>
==Athletics==
Friends' Central has strong basketball and wrestling programs. From 2009-2012 Friends' Central won four consecutive Pennsylvania Independent Schools Boys' Basketball Championships.<ref>https://www.friendscentral.org/podium/default.aspx?t=204&nid=683720</ref><ref>http://mainlinemedianews.com/articles/2011/02/19/sports/doc4d5f92fa12aa9275917690.txt</ref><ref>http://www.mainlinemedianews.com/articles/2011/02/23/sports/doc4d5f92fa12aa9275917690.txt</ref>


In 2022, Friends’ Central converted the former Rex Gymnasium into Phase I of the school's new Center for Innovation and Design (CID). Construction of Phase II of the CID began in January 2024, and the brand new, fully competed CID will be open for business in September 2024.
==Other uses==
The Japanese Language School of Philadelphia (JLSP, フィラデルフィア日本語補習授業校 ''Firaderufia Nihongo Hoshū Jugyō Kō''), a ], holds its classes at FCS.<ref>"." Japanese Language School of Philadelphia. Retrieved on March 30, 2014. "The Japanese Language School of Philadelphia utilizes the campus of: Friends Central School 1101 City Avenue, Wynnewood, PA"</ref>


==Notable alumni== ==Curriculum==
Friends' Central School students achieved the highest average SAT scores in all three sections (Math, Verbal, and Writing) of the 19 schools that had scores reported in Suburban Life Magazine's 2010 report on suburban Philadelphia private high schools. The scores were 649 in Math, 669 in Verbal, and 666 in Writing. This report also indicated that Friends' Central had a student-faculty ratio of 9:1, yearly high school tuition of $25,400 and that 100% of the 93 students in the senior class went on to a four-year college.<ref name=SuburbLife>{{cite web|url=http://www.suburbanlifemagazine.com/articles/?articleid=194|title=Private High Schools: 2010 Report Card|website=Suburbanlifemagazine.com|access-date=29 December 2018}}</ref>
*] (Class of 1881) — Collector and trader of ]s. His name was called mineral ]{{citation needed|date=October 2013}}.
*] (Class of 1903) - Noted poet and novelist.
*Cynthia Shallcross Calhoun (Class of 1919) - Former President of the Pennsylvania Resources Council
* ] - Urban planner, architect, educator and author<ref>Greg Heller, ''Ed Bacon: Planning, Politics, and the Building of Modern Philadelphia. ''(Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2013) p.17</ref>
*] - United States Congressman from Pennsylvania
*Charlotte McAleer Kohler (Class of 1931) - Former First Lady of ], wife of Governor ], who was also President of the ].
*Jane Wooster Scott (Class of 1947) - Renowned American folk artist
*Gardner C. Hendrie (Class of 1950) - Designer of "microNova," the first commercial single chip, 16-bit ]. Special Limited Partner, Sigma Partners - a ] ] firm.
*Sylvia Hill Williams (Class of 1953) - former director of the ]'s ]
*Alexander L. Fetter (Class of 1954) - Professor of ] and ] and Director of the ] (LAM), ]
*Elizabeth Osborne (Class of 1954) - Renowned artist
*Stephen A. Cozen (Class of 1957) - Founder and Chairman of ], a ]-based law firm with 21 offices throughout the ] and offices in ] and ].
*Richard B. Klein (Class of 1957) - Judge of the ]
*] (Class of 1958) - Movie Director
*] (Class of 1959) - 2001 ]
*Maude Southwell Wahlman (Class of 1959) - Dorothy and Dale Thompson/Missouri Endowed Professor of Global Arts, ]


Quaker values such as community, service, equality, and integrity are all incorporated into student life. All students attend a weekly ] on Wednesdays for 40 minutes, sharing messages when "moved to speak". The community convenes in one room in silence, and individuals stand when expressing thoughts to the community. Students are also required to perform off-campus service for mandatory hours. In the middle and upper school, students must take three courses concerning the history of the Society of Friends and the central philosophies of Quakerism from a non-religious perspective.
*Lise Funderburg (Class of 1977) - Author

*Stacey (Goldsborough) Snider (Class of 1978) - CEO, ]
In middle school, 5th and 7th grades learn the history and faith of Quakerism, and the 9th-grade course further explores the Quaker faith and practice, focusing on a deeper understanding of the religion's history and its testimonies. 11th and 12th graders may take additional study in the origin and philosophy of religion in general.<ref>{{Cite web|title=History Curriculum - Upper School {{!}} Friends Central School|url=https://www.friendscentral.org/academics/upper-school/curriculum/history|access-date=2022-02-24|website=www.friendscentral.org|language=en-US}}</ref>
*Douglas G. Baird (Class of 1971) - Harry A. Bigelow Distinguished Service Professor of Law, ]. Former Dean of the Law School from 1994 to 1999.

*Barry L. Zubrow (Class of 1971) - Former Chief Administrative Officer of ], chairman of the ] and current Chief Risk Officer of ].
==Athletics==
*Daniel Porter (Class of 1984) - Former CEO ], Creator of ] Game, Former President of ]
Friends' Central has strong baseball, swimming, girls' track, boys' tennis, basketball, and wrestling programs. From 2009 to 2012, Friends' Central won four consecutive Pennsylvania Independent Schools Boys' Basketball Championships.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.friendscentral.org/podium/default.aspx?t=204&nid=683720 |title=Friends' Central School ~ Three-peat Basketball Champions! |access-date=2011-04-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140301004805/https://www.friendscentral.org/podium/default.aspx?t=204&nid=683720 |archive-date=2014-03-01 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=http://www.mainlinemedianews.com/sports/friends-central-dunks-malvern-prep-in-pennsylvania-independent-schools-basketball/article_f7331476-ba29-554d-899b-68c10f7619ad.html|title=Friends' Central dunks Malvern Prep in Pennsylvania Independent Schools basketball tourney final|website=Main Line Media News|access-date=29 December 2018}}</ref>
*] (Class of 1987) - Professor of Law at the ] School of Law

*] (Class of 1988) - Artist
==Notable alumni==
*] (Class of 1991) - Renowned Disk Jockey, also known as DJ AM
*], ] professor
*] (Class of 1995) - Author
*], civil rights author and advocate, investigative journalist, and documentary filmmaker
*Zach Leibowitz (Class of 1997) - ] Personality
*], urban planner, architect, educator, and author<ref>Greg Heller, ''Ed Bacon: Planning, Politics, and the Building of Modern Philadelphia. ''(Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2013) p.17</ref>
*] (Class of 2001) - NBA Player (], ], ], ]), former NCAA Player (], member of 2003 ] team)
*], attorney and politician
*] (Class of 2003)<ref name="fcs_pasek">{{cite web | url=http://www.friendscentral.org/podium/default.aspx?t=204&nid=174262 | title=Alum Destined for The Great White Way! | publisher=Friends' Central School | accessdate=June 1, 2012}}</ref> - Tony-nominated songwriter - ], A Christmas Story, Dogfight, NBC's SMASH, ]
*], journalist and poet
*] (Class of 2003) - NBA Player (]), Polish Basketball Player, former NBA Player (]), former NCAA Player (Arizona)
*], women's rights activist
*], film director
*], DJ known as DJ AM
*], author
*], poet and novelist
*], professional basketball player
*], author
*], former college basketball player, Duke Blue Devils 2015 national championship team
*], ] judge and former U.S. Assistant Attorney for the Southern District of New York
*], peace activist
*], artist
*], film director
*], Tony, Grammy, and Oscar-winning songwriter, ], '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', NBC's '']'', '']''<ref name="fcs_pasek">{{cite web | url=http://www.friendscentral.org/podium/default.aspx?t=204&nid=174262 | title=Alum Destined for The Great White Way! | publisher=Friends' Central School | access-date=June 1, 2012 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130414232148/http://www.friendscentral.org/podium/default.aspx?t=204&nid=174262 | archive-date=April 14, 2013 | url-status=dead | df=mdy-all }}</ref>
*], former ] chief executive officer, '']'' creator, and former ] president
*], former Pennsylvania State Representative
*], ], 2001 and 2022
*], artist
*], former ] chief executive officer
*], professional basketball player, ], ], ], ], former NCAA Player (], member of 2003 ] team
*], professional basketball player, ]
*], Emmy award-winning film and television producer, music executive, and philanthropist
*], malacologist
*], former director, ]'s ]
*], U.S. Congressman


==See also== ==See also==
Line 82: Line 251:


==External links== ==External links==
*{{official website|http://www.friendscentral.org}} *{{Official website|https://www.friendscentral.org}}
*{{twitter|friendscentral}}


{{Lower Merion}}
{{Education in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania}}
{{Montgomery County, Pennsylvania School Districts}} {{Montgomery County, Pennsylvania School Districts}}
{{Authority control}}


]
{{coord|39.98502|-75.26261|type:edu_globe:earth_region:US-PA|display=title}}
]

]
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] ]
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Latest revision as of 22:37, 8 January 2025

Quaker school in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Friends' Central School" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
Friends' Central School
Address
1101 City Ave
Wynnewood, Pennsylvania 19096-3490
United States
Coordinates39°59′06″N 75°15′45″W / 39.98502°N 75.26261°W / 39.98502; -75.26261
Information
TypeIndependent, day, college preparatory
Religious affiliation(s)Christianity
DenominationQuakers
Established1845; 180 years ago (1845)
StatusOpen
NCES School ID01195711
Head of schoolBeth D. Johnson
Faculty116 (on an FTE basis)
GradesN12
GenderCoeducational
Enrollment769 (2019-2020)
 • Pre-kindergarten36
 • Kindergarten31
 • Grade 135
 • Grade 223
 • Grade 332
 • Grade 433
 • Grade 535
 • Grade 640
 • Grade 758
 • Grade 862
 • Grade 979
 • Grade 10101
 • Grade 11103
 • Grade 12101
Student to teacher ratio6.3:1
Campus typeSuburban
Color(s)  Navy
  White
  Gray
Athletics conferenceFriends Schools League
NicknamePhoenix
SAT average649 Math
669 Verbal
666 Writing
Annual tuition$41,990
Nobel laureatesKarl Barry Sharpless
Websitefriendscentral.org

Friends' Central School (FCS) is a Quaker, independent, coeducational, college-preparatory day school for students in Nursery though grade 12. It is located on 41 acres across two campuses in Wynnewood, a community in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.

The school was founded in 1845 in Philadelphia, near the current location of the Philadelphia Mint. It had an enrollment of 769 students from nursery to grade 12 in 2019.

Informally known as "Friends' Central," the school encompasses three divisions: Lower School (nursery through 5th grades), Middle School (6th through 8th), and Upper School (9th through 12th). The Middle and Upper Schools share their campus, and the Lower School occupies its own site.

History

19th century

Friends' Central School was founded in 1845 in Philadelphia at 4th Street and Cherry Street, serving as an upper school for the Quaker primary schools with grades 7 through 12. In 1857, the school moved to 15th and Race Street, remaining at this location until 1925, when it moved to its current campus on City Avenue, formerly the Wistar Morris Estate. The main house of the estate, constructed in 1862, remains and serves as the administrative building of the school and an architectural focal point of the campus.

20th century

In 1988, due to the growth of the student body, Friends' Central acquired the Montgomery School's property and relocated the lower school there.

21st century

In 2000, the Shimada Athletic Center was constructed. In 2003, the Fannie Cox Center for Science, Math, and Technology was completed and opened.

In 2011, David Felsen retired after 23 years of service as headmaster; beginning in the 2012 school year, Craig Sellers was named Head of School.

On July 1, 2021, Beth D. Johnson, '77, was named interim Head of School. On February 17, 2022, Beth Johnson was unanimously named the 12th official head of Friends Central.

In 2022, Friends’ Central converted the former Rex Gymnasium into Phase I of the school's new Center for Innovation and Design (CID). Construction of Phase II of the CID began in January 2024, and the brand new, fully competed CID will be open for business in September 2024.

Curriculum

Friends' Central School students achieved the highest average SAT scores in all three sections (Math, Verbal, and Writing) of the 19 schools that had scores reported in Suburban Life Magazine's 2010 report on suburban Philadelphia private high schools. The scores were 649 in Math, 669 in Verbal, and 666 in Writing. This report also indicated that Friends' Central had a student-faculty ratio of 9:1, yearly high school tuition of $25,400 and that 100% of the 93 students in the senior class went on to a four-year college.

Quaker values such as community, service, equality, and integrity are all incorporated into student life. All students attend a weekly Meeting for Worship on Wednesdays for 40 minutes, sharing messages when "moved to speak". The community convenes in one room in silence, and individuals stand when expressing thoughts to the community. Students are also required to perform off-campus service for mandatory hours. In the middle and upper school, students must take three courses concerning the history of the Society of Friends and the central philosophies of Quakerism from a non-religious perspective.

In middle school, 5th and 7th grades learn the history and faith of Quakerism, and the 9th-grade course further explores the Quaker faith and practice, focusing on a deeper understanding of the religion's history and its testimonies. 11th and 12th graders may take additional study in the origin and philosophy of religion in general.

Athletics

Friends' Central has strong baseball, swimming, girls' track, boys' tennis, basketball, and wrestling programs. From 2009 to 2012, Friends' Central won four consecutive Pennsylvania Independent Schools Boys' Basketball Championships.

Notable alumni

See also

References

  1. ^ "Search for Private Schools – School Detail for Friends Central School". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  2. "Affording FCS". Admissions. Friends' Central School. 2022–2023. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  3. "Friends' Central School - N-12 Quaker School - Philadelphia". Friendscentral.org. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  4. "Community Profile Archived 2015-02-02 at the Wayback Machine." Lower Merion Township. Retrieved on April 30, 2014. (contains maps of Lower Merion).
  5. "The First 300: The Amazing and Rich History of Lower Merion (Part 16)". Lowermerionhistory.org. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  6. "Friends' Central School ~ About Friends' Central". Archived from the original on October 1, 2011. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
  7. "Friends' Central School ~ David M. Felsen Announces His Retirement". Archived from the original on March 27, 2012. Retrieved September 8, 2011.
  8. "Friends' Central School ~ Our 11th Head of School". Archived from the original on November 15, 2013.
  9. ^ "New Interim Head of Friends' Central Beth D. Johnson '77".
  10. "Private High Schools: 2010 Report Card". Suburbanlifemagazine.com. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  11. "History Curriculum - Upper School | Friends Central School". www.friendscentral.org. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  12. "Friends' Central School ~ Three-peat Basketball Champions!". Archived from the original on March 1, 2014. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
  13. "Friends' Central dunks Malvern Prep in Pennsylvania Independent Schools basketball tourney final". Main Line Media News. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  14. Greg Heller, Ed Bacon: Planning, Politics, and the Building of Modern Philadelphia. (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2013) p.17
  15. "Alum Destined for The Great White Way!". Friends' Central School. Archived from the original on April 14, 2013. Retrieved June 1, 2012.

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