Introduction

Quaker Dimension

Diversity

Diversity:

History of Diversity at Friends School

Friends School’s tradition of seeking to serve a diverse population is rooted in the Quaker testimony of Equality.

The School was founded in 1784,

45 years before Baltimore City Public Schools opened, and

56 years before suffragette Margaret Fuller wrote The Great Lawsuit; Man vs. Woman

Coeducation: Friends has always educated both boys and girls—separately, at first, and then jointly by the 1840s.

Desegregation: Friends was one of the first independent schools in Baltimore to integrate in 1955, following the Supreme Court decision of 1954.

Family Diversity: Friends celebrates and supports all types of family structures. The School supports different family diversities through its curriculum and events/programs.

Affinity groups: Friends fields a wide range of affinity groups for students and families. The School supports students beginning in Lower School with the Kids of Color group through Middle School Diversity Club and with a wide range of Upper School student-led student affinity groups. The School supports Parents through the Parent Affinity Groups.