Friends School of Baltimore is a private Quaker school in Baltimore, serving students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.

History

It is the oldest private school in Baltimore, founded in 1784 by members of the Religious Society of Friends. Classes were first held in the Aisquith Street Meetinghouse in the East Baltimore community of Old Town. The school was moved to the Lombard Street Meetinghouse in the 1840s and then, in 1899, to its third location at 1712 Park Avenue, adjacent to the Park Avenue Meetinghouse. In 1925, Friends purchased its present site at 5114 North Charles Street. Though the school was incorporated in 1973 and separated from the Baltimore Monthly Meeting of Friends, Stony Run, it maintains historic and philosophic ties with the Meeting.

Curriculum and administration

As of 2006, the school had a faculty of 105 teachers, including 87 full-time faculty and a yearly operating budget of $16.1 million. As of 2022, the school has an endowment of $41.89 million. The school is governed by a board of trustees. Friends' academics are notable for a number of signature programs: the University Partnership Program, Scholas Certificate Program, Inspired Institute, Social Justice Practitioners, William Penn Fellows, and Peer Educators. Friends School is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and the Association of Independent Maryland Schools, and is approved by the Maryland State Board of Education.

Principals, headmasters, heads of the school

†The terms "Principal" and "Headmaster" were not used before 1864. The term "Head of School" was first used by Jon M. Harris. †From 1889 to 1899 Eli M. Lamb's "Friends' Elementary and High School" operated separately from the Baltimore Monthly Meeting's school.

Historical timeline

Athletics

Friends' athletic program for middle and upper school students is intended to impart Quaker values and foster "collaboration, resilience, teamwork, communication, and leadership", for its 15 middle school teams and 19 upper school teams for boys and girls. Sports offered include soccer, field hockey, cross country and track, basketball, volleyball, tennis, lacrosse, baseball, and softball. The Quakers boys soccer team won the conference championship in 2017. Declining student participation in tackle football, mirroring national trends, resulted in Friends dropping the sport in 2018.

Notable alumni

Sources