Pre-K through Middle School Parent Ambassadors are Available to Answer Questions from a Parent Point of View. Email for details.

I have watched all three of my children grow into caring, compassionate, and intelligent human beings, in no small part because we chose Friends School. The values that we have taught, modeled, and fostered at home with regard to empathy and kindness to all humanity are also taught and reinforced daily in the classroom and on the playground by students, teachers, and administrators alike at Friends School.  
Parent, M. C. ​

Students at Friends School are encouraged to be themselves and to express their creative side. They are engaged, exploring, and excited to be at school. Additionally, students can respectfully voice their opinions in a world that tries to silence anyone that doesn’t conform. 
Parent, Lynn Williams

My children feel that they are active and valuable members of the Friends School community.  Not only do they expect their school to provide a safe place for learning, but they also feel empowered to speak up if they see an opportunity for beneficial change. 
Parent, Ieva Perkons


​My daughter feels like Friends School is now a second home to her. She feels as much at ease in her classroom wearing her cozy, fluffy indoor classroom socks and sitting in her comfy soft chair in the corner to read as she would in our living room. On the way home from school after yoga she told me, “Mom, I realized what you have said about a light in me now. Yoga shows us how there is a light in the quiet of our bodies.” Again I was shocked! What seven-year-old says that? I am so delighted with the integration of spirituality, mind/body wellness into the curriculum. I’m also always impressed by how the school integrates learning about others’ cultures and traditions throughout their lessons. Walking into Friends School feels like receiving a big hug, and I often do get one. It is a warm, loving, educationally enriching environment where quite literally all are welcome. 
Parent, M. V.​


As a parent and former physics teacher, I love this curriculum and how our teachers teach it. It is full of inquiry, problem solving, and recognition that there are many "right" ways to think about math problems. Every 1 hour class has a balance: a bit of drilling to keep old learning fresh, some teamwork, some public speaking in the form of presentation at the board, some hands on manipulative to see how math represents real quantities. Each week I volunteer I fear the room will ignite as sparks fly from each kid in turn. They are all thriving. I leave feeling grateful. Every. Single. Day.  ​   
  Parent, Elizabeth Crisfield
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S.P.I.C.E.S = Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, and Stewardship. These six values have been the guiding light for our whole family over the last seven years. As a Friends School family, our  children's everyday lives are shaped by those six values. It is beautiful process to witness.  The Friends School staff has encouraged our kids to be critical thinkers, to challenge the norms, to be individualists, to help others, but most importantly, to be kind and respectful to one another. In a world full of so much dark chaos, the Friends School's inner light shines bright. They are helping to develop children who will change the world.  
Parent, K.S.

During the first week of the year, my third-grade daughter and her friends started developing plans to improve the Friends School playground. Only days later, they met with the Head of School to discuss ways to make their dreams a reality. Was I surprised? Not at all.
At Friends School, children are wholeheartedly encouraged and supported in leadership endeavors. Where there’s energy and drive, there’s a teacher or administrator there to guide. My daughter’s excitement for the way their ideas were received was palpable. Since then, she has given me daily updates on how they are gathering input, hashing out specifics, and moving forward. 
When students requested new structures on the playground last year, they proudly took ownership and helped raise needed funds. Everyone has benefited from those additions. I’m excited to see what my daughter and her friends make happen this year!
Parent, J.A.

In choosing a preschool option for our son, we were hoping for a setting that would be play-based, developmentally appropriate, and responsive to his needs and interests. Friends School has provided that and more. 
Our son adores his teachers and looks forward to going to school each day. We've seen him grow so much in preschool, and we've always felt welcomed by the Friends School community.  We would definitely recommend Friends to other families who are looking.
Parents, Susan & Bob Hart
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At Friends School, the learning that happens is often a long conversation between different disciplines. Last year, my son’s class learned about ancient Egypt, experiencing the subject through multiple art projects, a (really impressive) class play, and a social studies unit that involved skyping with the curator of a natural history museum in Cairo.  As a chaperone for the class’ year-end trip to the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh, it was exciting to be there when the kids, after months of in-depth study, finally had a chance to take in actual ancient Egyptian artifacts. Their enthusiasm was hard to contain as they ran around showing each other the artifacts that they recognized.  As a parent, it is positively thrilling to watch the passion for learning and community that emerges from my children and their classmates. 
Parent, I.P.

I’m glad that my child attends Friend School because children are taught to believe in themselves and be kind to others, and they are encouraged to explore science independently.
Parent, Jia Li

Preschool students at the Friends School were welcomed into their classroom today by a butterfly that had just emerged from its chrysalis. Beside the empty chrysalis was another butterfly waiting to emerge. Its bright green color was contrasted against a bright blue paper with the word ‘Metamorphosis’ written on it. 
Later today, the kids will identify if the new butterfly is a male or female, they will name it, and then they will let it go. I’ll admit that I’m pretty excited to hear all about it this afternoon.
Parent, Maria Shroyer​

At the end of each day, I want to know that my children have been inspired, treated with kindness, and redirected with patience and meaningful dialogue. At Friends School, I see teachers and administrators who lead by example, and this is the distinguishing factor for our decision to choose this learning community.  
Parent, M. S.​

We are new to Friends School but every day when we walk in, it’s clear from the children’s behavior that this is a place where they are welcomed, cared for, and have an unusual level of agency.  I also love that the children have a chance to get to know and feel connected to kids in other grades; they feel a part of a community, and it shows. 
Parent, S.T.​

​My son was very happy at another daycare/preschool before transitioning to Friends School. I wasn't sure how he’d handle the change, thinking that it might take him a little time to get used to new teachers, routines, and kids. But as soon as the first day, he was beaming. Beaming in a way I had never seen him after a day at school. He wanted to show me the butterflies, the caterpillars, and all the wonderful hands-on learning he was doing. 
 Parent, Maria Vinca

My oldest son entered the State College Friends School as an eager Kindergarten student in the year  2000. Eighteen years later, our daughter is currently a student. Through many staff changes, leadership changes and structure changes, my children all found a safe and creative community. This was true eighteen years ago and is true now. The warm and positive feeling I have when I walk into the school each morning to drop off a child is identical to the joy I felt each day from the students eighteen years ago.
Parent, Denise Bierly

Our daughters’ teachers are deeply committed to nurturing all aspects of growth, and it shows in the loving and insightful ways they talk about their social and emotional development. It’s clear how well they know them and how much they pay attention to the subtleties of their personal learning. 
Friends School values the whole child, and teachers really care about helping children stretch in every way. They are keenly aware that important work such as building confidence, following passions, and establishing a strong sense of self should be part of each school day. We communicate often about how our daughters are navigating friendships, taking on leadership roles, and challenging themselves.  
​Their teachers are sincerely invested in their success, and it’s evident in the excitement they express about their achievements. We are thrilled about the growth that’s happening all the time.
Parent, J.A.

​Friends School is developing young minds into the adult leaders we need to change our world! 
Parent, Lynn Williams

For our daughter, the small class size and close-knit community in the Friends School Middle School allowed her to navigate those extremely formative years with grace and courage, paving the way for her to develop into the confident young woman she is now. 
Parent, M. C.​

We are a family that needed to move across states in the middle of grade school and starting middle school. We have found State College Friends School to be an amazing community that made our children feel welcome and supported from the beginning. 
The teachers have shown incredible attention and skill in assessing our children’s abilities and meeting their needs academically and socially. The academics are engaging and make learning a joy. The diverse and inclusive community and open-minded spiritual aspects of the curriculum are equally enriching. We feel truly blessed to be part of the SCFS community.  
Parent, Erin Vanness


​What makes the Friend's School stand apart for us is the attention paid across grades to the whole child, their intellectual, emotional, and social well-being. This underlying intention, shared by all the teachers and staff, permeates the instruction and informs the care paid to the academic and social lives of the students. Practically this intention is put into practice with the small mixed-grade classes, which allow the older children to model what it means to be a good student and friend for the younger ones and the younger ones to gain self-confidence in their interactions and friendships. 
Because the class sizes are small and the teachers see the same students over two years, they get a true sense of the individual children and can form a meaningful bond that can be the foundation to instill a true love of learning. 
We also love that the kids get to play outside more than in the public schools. Outdoor play has repeatedly been shown to improve learning outcomes as it allows students to focus on learning when it is time to do so. Kids need and love to be outside and move!
Parent, Clara Drummond

​I feel that the teachers, staff, and other parents at the Friends School truly see and love my children for who they are. The school provides a community -- a family really -- to help me raise my children to be the best versions of themselves. The Quaker values provide a basis for this nurturing environment, but it is the unique personalities of all the members of the community who make it really special. 
Parent, S.L.