City: Baltimore, MD

Category: Education

Telephone: (410) 649-3200

Address: 5114 North Charles St.

Description: Founded in 1784 by the Quakers, it moved several times before settling in its present location in 1925. Halfway between Towson and the Inner Harbor on a well-traveled stretch of North Charles Street, it is now nonsectarian and the school has a large campus that includes woods and a stream and the use of the Roland Park swimming pool for its summer camp. The school and the camp make good use of the dance studio, fitness room, two gymnasiums, outdoor tennis courts, five playing fields, and two practice fields. Students attend Meetings on a regular basis and are encouraged in critical thinking and problem solving and academics. The Upper School (grades 9-12) offers a challenging college preparatory program in an environment where individual differences and perspectives are respected and encouraged. Students generally take five major courses: English, history, mathematics, science, and a foreign language (Russian, Latin, French, or Spanish). Additionally, seniors gain real-life work experiences in month-long professional internships in the spring of the 12th grade year. About 960 students attend the school, pre-K through 12 (with almost 400 in grades 9-12). Friends School students’ average SAT scores over the past several years have been 1,280 on the 1,600 point scale. The average score for the Friends class of 2006 was 1,906 on the new 2,400 point scale.