Friends Community School

• Now in its fourth decade, Friends Community School is a purposeful and joyful school that engages and inspires young children through adolescence.
• Located on 17 wooded acres adjacent to Greenbelt National Park in College Park, MD, FCS is a vibrant and nurturing community with strong Quaker roots, a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and community, and a progressive approach to education.
• At FCS, students are respected, childhood is celebrated, and learning is experiential, relevant, and meaningful.
• Our students are lifelong learners, courageous risk-takers, and joyous peacemakers who matriculate to rigorous independent, parochial, and public magnet schools in the greater Washington, DC area.
• FCS lives at the unique juncture of Quaker values, progressive pedagogy, and K-8 education.
• As a Quaker school, we believe that intellectual and moral education are inextricably interconnected. Our values - simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship - are embedded in our curriculum, and we focus on fostering both academic and spiritual growth in our students.
• As a progressive school, we recognize that children learn best through hands-on lessons, a child-centered curriculum, collaborative projects, and intentional reflection, and we foster deep learning over rote memorization.
• Our inquiry-based approach to instruction and our practice of active reflection allow students to build skills that are important in academic and social settings alike. FCS students are continually challenged with big questions about the world around them and given the space, resources, and time to pursue solutions--and even more questions.

APPLICATION DEADLINES

• Early Application Deadline: December 8 (1/2 application fee);
• Regular Application Deadline: January 9 (full fee).

OPEN HOUSES

• Held annually between October and January.
• See the Visit FCS page of our website for event details and registration.

FRIENDS COMMUNITY SCHOOL

• Our Mission:At Friends Community School, children are inspired to reach their full potential as individuals and engaged community members, discovering that of God in themselves and others. We nurture lifelong learners, courageous risk-takers, and joyous peacemakers.
• Our green, Silver LEED-Certified building and 17 acre campus adjacent to Greenbelt National Park embody our commitment to environmental stewardship and education.

OUR PROGRAM

• We teach using a progressive, child-centered instructional philosophy. We balance academic with social-emotional learning. Our academic program includes language arts, math, science, social studies, Spanish, visual arts, performing arts, art, music, physical education, digital citizenship, community-building, and community service.
• We challenge our students to question, explore, reflect, reason, and communicate effectively. We do so by using varied teaching methods and incorporating many hands-on activities. Field trips are integral to the curriculum, exposing children to rich learning environments that cannot be duplicated in the classroom.
• FCS offers after-school Extended Day, Enrichment Activities, and Instrumental Music Programs. FCS also offers Summer Camp.

COMMUNITY

• Energized students, dynamic and experienced faculty, experienced administrators, active parents/caregivers, and dedicated alumni comprise the FCS school community.
• In addition, we value our partnerships with Greenbelt National Park, the University of Maryland, NASA, local governments, local businesses, non-profits, service groups and individuals who share our commitment to education.

AFTER FCS

• You can find our high school matriculation list here.
• Students matriculate to a wide range of rigorous independent, parochial, and public magnet schools in the DMV-area and beyond.