Friends School of Wilmington

Such an amazing school. We moved here 3 months ago from Boston and was concerned about education for our children. Our daughter entered 6th grade at The Friends School and loves it! She is inspired every day by her teachers who are all so wonderful. The energy is positive from the administration and it is felt throughout. My daughter is engaged in so much at school that it has made such an impact on her outside of school. She wants to read so much more, learn so much more and give so much more. Wonderful environment for any child!
--Submitted by a parent

If you want a school that will mindlessly drill facts into your child's brain in a didactive environment, overload them with mountains of home work and create a stressful environment in prepation for testing, then Friends School is NOT for you. At Friends School, children learn to think and analyze problems independently and creatively in an inspiring hands-on environment. They learn to love learning. They learn values to prepare them to make decisions throughout their lives. They also thrive academically in small sized-class rooms led by dedicated teachers. Kindergarteners are working on multiplication, phonetic reading and creative writing skills. Pre-schoolers have an amazing grasp of geography, early phonics, and math conceptsand are continously honing fine motor skills. And, first graders achieve amazing reading proficiency and number fluency. While other schools are cutting arts, FSOW students study art, music, PE & Spanish twice a week. I would recommmend FSOW to any parent who wants to give their children the gift of learning and preprae them to excel academically in high school and beyond.
--Submitted by a parent

Friends is a very special school. Over 5 years, I've watched a series of exceptional teachers truly get to know the learning needs of my very different children and tailor their experiences accordingly. One remarkable teacher brought in technical books from home to encourage reading from my mechanically-fascinated Kindergartener. Another developed a paper airplane aeronatics seminar for 1/2 graders when she saw that interest sparked in my son and his peers on a windy day. I could provide pages of such examples. Both of my children have grown into eager, curious students who analyze as habit, problem solve easily and explore constantly. Their academic success is awesome, but even greater is their love of learning. Socially, every aspect of the school emphasizes inclusion and as a result you see an unusual level of support and camaraderie among the students as well as the parents, faculty and staff. It is truly a community, a place where you can be confident your kids will be well cared for and where they will thrive. For these and many more reasons, I give the school my highest recommendation. See for yourself!
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter attended Friends School for three years of middle school after moving here from California. The caring teachers and principal, wonderful experiences and IOWA test scores attest to the five star rating. Although Friends does not offer high school they were able to provide an educational experience that allowed my daughter to be accepted by an excellent private high school where she has done well. I recommend Friends very highly and unreservedly.
--Submitted by a parent

because of their non-traditional style of education, smaller classrooms which can give students more personal attention, their values which include the environment, the community, the arts, etc. whcih I think isbetter.
--Submitted by a parent

My son went to Friends School of Wilmington for his 3 middle school years and graduated with an incredible foundation in math and science. He is now a Math and Physics major at Duke University and his best friend, who also went to Friends School, was one of only 200 students accepted at the California Institute of Technology for the 2008-09 school year. Going to Friends School was a turning point in my son s life and prepared him so well for the academic rigors and social pressures of high school. I am deeply grateful for the Friends School s commitment to diversity, environmental stewardship, academic excellence, and for their unique social curriculum which is the heart of their program and the foundation for all of the learning that takes place there. I was so impressed with FSW that I joined the faculty there when a postion in my field became available!
--Submitted by a teacher

I have two children attending FSW and couldn't be more pleased with the quality of education, teachers and faculty. We moved from San Francisco in 2007 and were naturally concerned about schools - our kids were going to a great school in California and we didn't want to mess a good thing up! Thankfully FSW has provided an excellent environment for our children to continue to enjoy learning.
--Submitted by a parent

I have had a daughter at FSW for four years, now heading into 7th grade. This was our first excursion into private school, as our two older children were in public schools all the way through high school. What a difference FSW has made! I love the emphasis not only on academics, but also on community service, respect for one another, respect and nurturing for the environment, simplicity, and a moral compass without pushing any particular religion or belief. The smaller class sizes makes it feel more like a family that grows up together, enhancing the acquisition of social skills as the kids work out their social issues together. I think the leadership at FSW is excellent, and is poised to take FSW to greater and greater heights as we work into the future.
--Submitted by a parent

I have two daughters attending FSW, a rising 6th grader and a rising 7th grader who almost on a daily basis come home from school and declare...'I LOVE THE FRIENDS SCHOOL OF WILMINGTON'. Need I say more? Academically, FSW meets and beats the standard course of study for each grade level. Call for overall scores on the IOWA tests. Great results. Also check out the list that shows where the graduates from Friends end up going to High School and College. Impressive. In addition to great academic standards, what I, as a parent, love the most about FSW is the social curriculum. The teachers and staff are unbelievable at reinforcing values taught at home. They also have weekly service learning projects. Recycling for the homeless shelter, making blankets for the children at the carousel center, gardening, etc. Art is college level, music young and relevant. A+
--Submitted by a parent

Our oldest son started at Friends 3 years ago and our youngest last year. It has been a wonderful experience. The learning environment and values are just what we were looking for in a school for our boys.
--Submitted by a parent