Upper School

Welcome to the Friends Seminary Upper School.

The path of Friends from ninth grade to graduation offers many shared experiences with opportunities to carve out individual roads at every turn. As lifelong learners ourselves, Friends teachers and advisors strive to locate and honor the Inner Light in all of our students and to support them as they shoulder the increasing responsibilities associated with becoming independent.

The Upper School at Friends prepares students to engage with the wider world as compassionate, generous, reflective, curious, resourceful and globally aware citizens. Here, teachers support the development of deep critical thinking skills that reach beyond the classroom walls to help our students lead “a world that ought to be.” Our extensive academic offerings allow students to pursue their unique academic interests and college aspirations.

Our learning philosophy, as captured in our handbook: “When students at Friends participate in contests and tests, we urge them to consider their competitors as those who can inspire them to play a game, perform a solo, or solve a problem at a new level. In this way both competitive and collaborative learning lead to individual achievement and community enrichment.” We expect students to put their learning into action, whether that be through outdoor programs; opportunities to study abroad; community service projects; social justice initiatives; artistic, academic, and athletic performances; student publications; Peace Week; Day of Concern; or school-focused committee and governance work.   

As a community, we are fiercely committed to one another and to the greater good. Guided by Quaker values, we seek to understand and live by the principles of integrity, equality, peace, simplicity, service and community. We bring our community together in weekly Meetings for Worship in our historic Quaker Meetinghouse where the shared silence of three hundred peers strengthens our self-knowledge and connects us to each other. This connection enables us to grow in the company of one another and build friendships that thrive beyond our school walls.