The Journey Matters.
Friends School of Baltimore is a private, coeducational, Quaker school founded in 1784 serving students in Pre-K through 12th grade. At Friends, we believe that The Journey Matters and are deeply committed to helping young people discover and become the person they are meant to be. Community and connection are at the heart of a Friends School education, and we look forward to connecting with your family! Please join us for an admission event or reach out to us at admission@friendsbalt.org.
The Friends School journey emphasizes the mastery of essential skills required to succeed in the world.
Skills like critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and leadership are taught in an environment of trust and support where ideas are openly expressed, debated, and tested in real-world applications. We ensure that students have an excellent academic foundation, and teach them to be active, self-directed learners.
Our holistic approach to education allows students to explore and excel across a broad range of activities in academics, athletics, and arts. Our schedule is deliberately designed to guide students out of the safe lane of their own familiar interests because we know that it is the best way to teach our students about themselves.
Held in high regard by colleges and universities across the country, Friends students are accepted at nearly 2xs the national college admission rate. They go on to attend great schools, and they go to the schools that are right for them.
Pre-Primary and Lower School
(Pre-K through Grade 5)
The Pre-Primary and Lower School provide a warm and supportive environment that nurtures and challenges our students. Within the safety of this atmosphere, children learn to explore their world, take healthy risks, and master essential skills. Through active engagement in hands-on projects, students learn to organize information, compare ideas, make hypotheses, and find solutions. In all areas, our program nurtures independent thinking and problem-solving skills. Students leave our Lower School with a solid emotional and educational foundation that they carry with them throughout their lives.
Middle School
(Grades 6–8)
Middle School is a time when children experience the greatest amount of growth in the shortest amount of time and our teachers are experts at helping adolescents and their parents navigate these complex years. At Friends, we provide the structure and resources to meet the intellectual and emotional needs of our students so that they may fully discover their gifts and talents. With an emphasis on cooperative learning and hands-on activities, the Middle School's rigorous academic program nurtures students' critical thinking skills. Our faculty instills in our students a strong sense of self that will help them thrive in the real world.
Upper School
(Grades 9–12)
The Upper School offers a challenging college preparatory program where individual perspectives are respected and celebrated. Students work side by side with their teachers as active partners in the learning process. In this rich intellectual environment, the curriculum calls on students to apply what they learn within and beyond the classroom. Students are encouraged to passionately pursue their interests and to put their hopes and ideals into action, to "let their lives speak." A broad range of course offerings within various disciplines allows students to tailor the academic program to suit their aptitudes and interests.
Why Quaker Education
There’s a reason why for generations Friends has been weaving the enduring Quaker testimonies of Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality and Stewardship into everything we do. Because it works.
Teaching & Learning
Foundational skills of critical thinking, communication, collaboration and empathy don’t just complement and enhance our strong academics, they're also the key ingredients of a life well-lived.
Signature Programs
Our Signature Programs make it possible for students to engage in a variety of challenging academic and co-curricular programs to explore their interests and passions.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
At Friends School of Baltimore, we strive to be a community where everyone can live out their full identity and be cherished and respected for every aspect of it.
Baltimore's First School
As Baltimore’s first school, Friends has pioneered innovative teaching and learning since 1784. Throughout our 240-year history, our commitment to providing an excellent education to our students has remained constant. We are proud of our legacy and our rich history in Baltimore City.
Baltimore's Best School
Friends has been named Baltimore's Best Private School by The Daily Record in 2022 and by Baltimore's Child Magazine in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2025.
Baltimore's Quaker School
As a Quaker school, Friends is guided by the testimonies of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship, and a core belief that there is that of God in each person. Our students are held to a high standard of personal conduct and challenged to model behaviors that build community and promote equality.
