Friends Select School is a coed, college preparatory, Quaker day school serving 639 students in grades pre-k through 12. Friends Select believes that education can be fascinating. The school, which traces its roots to 1689, is located on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, in the cultural heart of Center City Philadelphia. At every age, students visit museums, attend cultural events, participate in community service, and experience the finest educational resources Philadelphia has to offer.
Friends Select is accredited by the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools (PAIS) and is affiliated with the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), the Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools (ADVIS), the Friends Council on Education (FCE), and Center City Independent Schools (CCIS).
Friends Select School believes education is preparation for the whole of life: the vigorous development of intellectual and physical capacities and those of the spirit. Our teaching is structured around these key beliefs—that both direct experience and the young person's developmental needs are central in the learning process, and that learning should be placed at the service of society. Under caring oversight, our students gain the knowledge, the skills, and the character that will enable them to live full lives.
Friends Select School's mission is to provide a challenging, college-preparatory academic program to its diverse, coed student population, from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade. Members of the Friends Select community believe in the Quaker values of respect for all, simplicity, the peaceful resolution to conflict, and a constant search for truth. The school works to achieve a balance between the needs of individuals and the community, in an atmosphere of cooperation and concern for the betterment of all. It values the rich diversity of its urban setting and the opportunities and challenges it provides for the education of its students. Under the caring oversight of dedicated faculty and staff, Friends Select students gain the knowledge, skills, and character that will help them to live full lives.
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