State College Friends School is an independent Quaker school serving approximately 120 students in Pre-K through 8th grade. Since 1980, SCFS has offered a vigorous educational program grounded in the Quaker testimonies of equity, integrity, and stewardship. Our community includes families in the State College, Bellefonte, Bald Eagle, Penns Valley, Tyrone, and parts of Huntingdon area school districts.
At SCFS, academic success is supported by small class sizes and individualized teacher attention for each child’s strengths and growing edges. In addition to developing skills in investigation, analysis, and quantitative reasoning, our social-emotional curriculum invites each student to practice conflict resolution, creative problem solving, collaboration, and empathy. Our building was designed for students to feel at home while at school, offering plenty of space for interactive, hands-on learning and a comfortable environment in which to learn and grow.
SCFS has grouped children in intentional, multi-age classrooms since its founding in 1980. While grade level designation is used, the organization of children into classroom groupings is intentionally driven by academic, social, emotional, and developmental indicators. This practice is rooted in the belief that children are individuals and progress through the stages of development at their own pace. SCFS has found that multi-age grouping encourages children of many ages to teach and learn from one another and enables teachers to strengthen relationships with the students with whom they work for multiple years.
