Our Philosophy
Since its establishment in 1845 by the Religious Society of Friends, Friends' Central School, a coeducational, college-preparatory day school for students in nursery through grade 12, has been guided by the Quaker testimonies of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship. Underlying all facets of School life is the belief that "there is that of God in everyone." Meeting for Worship is central, providing time for connections among members of the community and between individuals and their spiritual sources. Peaceful resolution of conflicts, seeking truth, and collaboration are key aspects of a Friends' Central education.
Friends' Central offers rigorous and varied educational experiences in academics, the arts, and athletics, helping our students realize their potential and achieve on the highest level possible. We encourage trial and error, critical thinking and questioning, and intellectual courage in all areas of our curriculum. We strive to balance competence in using sophisticated technology with the richness of a humanistic education. Students' individual interests are encouraged and supported while essential skills are carefully honed.
We intentionally seek a wide spectrum of diversity in our School community. We respect unreservedly that diversity and strive to enhance and support it. Diversity influences how we teach, learn, and communicate. It enriches the community and furthers understanding that each human life is intrinsically valuable and interrelated, one with another.
We realize that our students have instant access to world events, and we help them generate a social conscience in their actions within the community as well as in the wider world. We want them to develop compassion for fellow human beings across national boundaries and to value the environment. Accordingly, there are many opportunities for service, where experiential learning provides us with the awareness that we, to whom much has been given, can make a difference both locally and globally.
