Plymouth Meeting Friends School

We took our child out of PMFS at the end of last year and wish we had done it a year sooner. It was a wonderful place for a while, but in retrospect we realize that when the first of two top poistions exited, so did everything we liked about the administration of the school. There are some (SOME) WONDERFUL and dedicated teachers who are not supported by leadership and instead politics and outside agendas prevail. Please understand that the kids and some of the teachers are amazing and we miss all that is great there, but the good no longer outweighed the bad for us. I urge parents to be more vocal and open in questioning what you see---don't hand anyone your blind faith when you hand over your children. We learned that the hard way! Perhaps the winds of change will blow back in the right direction again. We just couldn't hang around and hope for the best. We are so happy to see (this year) our child regain a love for learning that was lost after a bad year at PMFS. I am curious to see if this review and the negative review also posted today is allowed to remain. Any negative reviews of this school keep magically disappearing...
--Submitted by a parent

My two children attend this gem of a school. The school leadership is fabulous, and teacher turn-over is unbelievably low. There are two teachers in each classroom, and most classes have only about 20 children. The community feels like an extended family, very nurturing and close-knit. The academic program is strong, and language arts and social studies are truly outstanding. The children learn to be very independent in their work, much of which is project-based. All the kids I know there love to go to school. There is a strong emphasis on Quaker values of respect, caring, honesty, simplicity, and positive conflict-resolution, which leads to kind, self-assured, respectful kids. The atmosphere is also very playful. The list of cherished school traditions is so long it would fill a page. Creative and performing arts are quite strong. What can I say? I will cry when my kids graduate.
--Submitted by a parent

Wonderful school. Very involved parents. Close-nit community.
--Submitted by a parent

Plymouth Meeting Friends is a wonderfully caring, delightfully small school where kids are allowed to be themselves and are loved for who they are. There is a sincere focus on helping kids work things out using non-violent means, and this emphasis on social skills has been a godsend for my second grader. Children are encouraged to go deeply into areas of their interest, and there is a good program in the arts and music. Older children study violin, and my son has learned to knit. My son who once hated school now loves going and has made meaningful connections. The wholesome approach to writing, reading, and math, which uses a lot of intrinsically motivating materials, helps kids not to be bored, and to learn without submitting to rote methods of memorization. It is a great school, infused with Quaker values of simplicity, and respect for the group and each individual's worth.
--Submitted by a parent