State College Friends School was founded in 1980, under the care of State College Friends Meeting.  In the fall of that year,  Friends School opened with 12 students in kindergarten through third grade in a specially-renovated classroom in the Meeting House garden level room.  In 1988, four additional classrooms were leased at University Baptist and Brethren Church. 

We began the 1998-99 school year in our new facility on University Drive, offering Kindergarten through 5th grade. The following year the middle school was added.  In the fall of 2010,  an early learning program for children ages 3 - 5 was developed. Friends Pre-K program met in the annex wing of the meetinghouse until moving to the main school in 2018.  From our simple beginnings, State College Friends School continues to be an integral educational alternative in the community. 

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Governance

​State College Friends School is governed by a Board of Trustees. The board's major responsibilities include supervision of the head of school, policy making, financial oversight, strategic planning, and institutional advancement. The board has a fiduciary responsibility to uphold the mission of Friends School in service to today's children and to ensure a vibrant Friends School for future generations.

The board consists of 11-17 volunteers, the majority of whom are members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers); they are appointed by State College Friends Meeting in consultation with the board's Committee on Trustees (Governance Committee.) The other trustees are parents or individuals from the community who have an interest in Friends education.

Each board member serves a term of three years. Members may serve no more than two consecutive terms but may be reappointed after a one year absence. ​