Friends' Central School (FCS) is a
Quaker
Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...
, independent, coeducational, college-preparatory day school for students in Nursery though grade 12. It is located on 41 acres across two campuses in
Wynnewood, a community in
Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania
Lower Merion Township is a Township (Pennsylvania), township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Philadelphia Main Line. The township's name originates with the county of Merionethshire, Merioneth in north Wales ...
in the
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
metropolitan area.
The school was founded in 1845 in Philadelphia, near the current location of the
Philadelphia Mint
The Philadelphia Mint is a branch of the United States Mint in Philadelphia. It was built in 1792 following the Coinage Act of 1792, in order to establish a national identity and the needs of commerce in the United States, and is the first and ...
. It had an enrollment of 769 students from nursery to grade 12 in 2019.
Informally known as "Friends' Central," the school encompasses three divisions: Lower School (nursery through 5th grades), Middle School (6th through 8th), and Upper School (9th through 12th). The Middle and Upper Schools share their campus, and the Lower School occupies its own site.
History
19th century
Friends' Central School was founded in 1845 in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
at 4th Street and Cherry Street, serving as an upper school for the
Quaker
Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...
primary schools with grades 7 through 12. In 1857, the school moved to 15th and Race Street, remaining at this location until 1925, when it moved to its current campus on City Avenue, formerly the Wistar Morris Estate. The main house of the estate, constructed in 1862, remains and serves as the administrative building of the school and an architectural focal point of the campus.
20th century
In 1988, due to the growth of the student body, Friends' Central acquired the Montgomery School's property and relocated the lower school there.
21st century
In 2000, the Shimada Athletic Center was constructed. In 2003, the Fannie Cox Center for Science, Math, and Technology was completed and opened.
In 2011, David Felsen retired after 23 years of service as headmaster; beginning in the 2012 school year, Craig Sellers was named Head of School.
On July 1, 2021, Beth D. Johnson, '77, was named interim Head of School.
On February 17, 2022, Beth Johnson was unanimously named the 12th official head of Friends Central.
In 2022, Friends’ Central converted the former Rex Gymnasium into Phase I of the school's new Center for Innovation and Design (CID). Construction of Phase II of the CID began in January 2024, and the brand new, fully completed CID was finished in October 2024.
Curriculum
Friends' Central School students achieved the highest average SAT scores in all three sections (Math, Verbal, and Writing) of the 19 schools that had scores reported in Suburban Life Magazine's 2010 report on suburban Philadelphia private high schools. The scores were 649 in Math, 669 in Verbal, and 666 in Writing. This report also indicated that Friends' Central had a student-faculty ratio of 9:1, yearly high school tuition of $25,400 and that 100% of the 93 students in the senior class went on to a four-year college.
Quaker values such as community, service, equality, and integrity are all incorporated into student life. All students attend a weekly
Meeting for Worship
A meeting for worship is what the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) call their church service. Quakers#Splits, Different branches of Quakers have different types of worship, primarily consisting of three types. A meeting for worship in Engl ...
on Wednesdays for 40 minutes, sharing messages when "moved to speak". The community convenes in one room in silence, and individuals stand when expressing thoughts to the community. Students are also required to perform off-campus service for mandatory hours. In the middle and upper school, students must take three courses concerning the history of the Society of Friends and the central philosophies of Quakerism from a non-religious perspective.
In middle school, 5th and 6th graders learn the history and faith of Quakerism, and the 9th-grade course further explores the Quaker faith and practice, focusing on a deeper understanding of the religion's history and its testimonies. 11th and 12th graders may take additional study in the origin and philosophy of religion in general.
Athletics
Friends' Central has strong baseball, swimming, girls' track, boys' tennis, basketball, and wrestling programs. From 2009 to 2012, Friends' Central won four consecutive Pennsylvania Independent Schools Boys' Basketball Championships.
Notable alumni
*
Jonathan H. Adler,
Case Western Reserve University School of Law professor
*
Wynne Alexander, civil rights author and advocate, investigative journalist, and documentary filmmaker
*
Edmund Bacon, urban planner, architect, educator, and author
[Greg Heller, ''Ed Bacon: Planning, Politics, and the Building of Modern Philadelphia. ''(Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2013) p.17]
*
Bradley M. Campbell, attorney and politician
*
Helen Taggart Clark, journalist and poet
*
Ida Craddock
Ida C. Craddock (August 1, 1857 – October 16, 1902) was a 19th-century American advocate of free speech and women's rights. She wrote extensively on sexuality, which led to her conviction and imprisonment for obscenity. Facing further legal pro ...
, women's rights activist
*
Brad Furman
Brad Furman is an American film and music video director, producer, and writer.
Career
Furman grew up in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania. He is Jewish and attended Friends' Central School. He later went on to study at New York University (NYU ...
, film director
*
Adam Goldstein, DJ known as DJ AM
*
Andy Greenwald, author
*
H.D., poet and novelist
*
De'Andre Hunter, professional basketball player
*
Daniel Immerwahr, author
*
William T. Innes, aquarist and photographer
*
Amile Jefferson, former college basketball player, Duke Blue Devils 2015 national championship team
*
Raymond Lohier,
United States Court of Appeals judge and former U.S. Assistant Attorney for the Southern District of New York
*
Mildred Scott Olmsted, peace activist
*
Elizabeth Osborne, artist
*
Brian De Palma
Brian Russell De Palma (; born September 11, 1940) is an Americans, American film director and screenwriter. With a career spanning over 50 years, he is best known for work in the suspense, Crime film, crime, and psychological thriller genres. ...
, film director
*
Benj Pasek, Tony, Grammy, and Oscar-winning songwriter,
Pasek and Paul, ''
Dear Evan Hansen
''Dear Evan Hansen'' is a stage musical with music and lyrics by Pasek and Paul, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and a book by Steven Levenson. The musical follows Evan Hansen, a high school senior with social anxiety, "who invents an important rol ...
'', ''
The Greatest Showman'', ''
La La Land (film)
''La La Land'' is a 2016 American musical romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Damien Chazelle. It stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone as a struggling jazz pianist and an aspiring actress who meet and fall in love while pursuing ...
'', ''
A Christmas Story: The Musical'', ''
Dogfight
A dogfight, or dog fight, is an air combat manoeuvring, aerial battle between fighter aircraft that is conducted at close range. Modern terminology for air-to-air combat is air combat manoeuvring (ACM), which refers to tactical situations requir ...
'', NBC's ''
Smash'', ''
Johnny and the Sprites''
*
Daniel J. Porter, former
OMGPOP
OMGPop, stylized as OMGPOP and formerly known as i'minlikewithyou or iilwy, was an independent flash game studio. In 2013, it was purchased by Zynga Inc.
History
OMGPop was based in SoHo, in New York City. The company received seed funding from ...
chief executive officer, ''
Draw Something
''Draw Something'' was a video game developed by OMGPop based on its browser game ''Draw My Thing'', launched on February 6, 2012. It won a Flurry App Spotlight Award in 2012. In the first five weeks after its launching, the game was downloaded ...
'' creator, and former
Teach For America
Teach For America (TFA) is an American nonprofit organization whose stated mission is to "enlist, develop, and mobilize as many as possible of our nation's most promising future leaders to grow and strengthen the movement for educational excell ...
president
*
Frederick Taylor Pusey, former Pennsylvania State Representative
*
K. Barry Sharpless,
Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, 2001 and 2022
*
Sonya Sklaroff, artist
*
Stacey (Goldsborough) Snider, former
DreamWorks chief executive officer
*
Hakim Warrick, professional basketball player,
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...
,
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...
,
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...
,
Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...
, former NCAA Player (
Syracuse University
Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...
, member of 2003
NCAA Men's Basketball Championship team
*
Mustafa Shakur, professional basketball player,
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...
*
Ty Stiklorius, Emmy award-winning film and television producer, music executive, and philanthropist
*
George Washington Tryon Jr., malacologist
*
Sylvia Williams, former director,
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...
's
National Museum of African Art
The National Museum of African Art is the Smithsonian Institution's African art museum, located on the National Mall of the Washington, D.C., United States capital. Its collections include 9,000 works of traditional and contemporary African ar ...
*
James Wolfenden, U.S. Congressman
See also
*
List of Friends Schools
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
1845 establishments in Pennsylvania
Educational institutions established in 1845
Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania
Private high schools in Pennsylvania
Quaker schools in Pennsylvania
Private elementary schools in Pennsylvania
Private middle schools in Pennsylvania
Schools in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Wynnewood, Pennsylvania