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Olney Friends School, founded in 1837, is a small, co-educational boarding school for grades 9 through 12 located in Barnesville, Ohio, in the beautiful Appalachian foothills of southeastern Ohio.
The school provides an intellectually challenging college preparatory program in a supportive Friends community that promotes traditional Quaker values such as integrity and simplicity, while encouraging freedom of expression, creative thinking and acceptance of individual differences.
Olney Friends School challenges students to grow. We celebrate intellectual rigor, provoke questions of conscience, and nurture skills for living in community.
Set on 350 acres of rolling farmland in Barnesville, Ohio, Olney Friends School provides a tranquil atmosphere where students in grades 9-12 can focus on the lesson at hand. With domestic and international students on campus, including both boarding and day students, the community includes a diverse mix of personalities and cultural backgrounds that allows its members to learn from one another in ways that supplement their formal studies. The farm nurtures mind, body, and spirit by producing much of the food students and faculty consume and by providing opportunities for place-based learning as they join forces to work the land and tend to animals such as cattle, goats, and chickens. The rigorous academic curriculum sets high standards for student achievement, while the faculty provides support and encouragement. Although the facilities are aging, they are well-maintained and constantly updated, offering comfortable learning spaces set against the backdrop of a long, rich history.
- Posted by Administrator - Jennifer
511/14/2025
Two of my sons attended Olney Friends School and both benefitted tremendously from their experiencs there. They grew in confidence, conscience, and compassion. They developed critical thinking skills and an understanding of the fundamental interconnectedness of all life -- as well as college-level reading and writing ability. Last but not least, they formed lasting friendships.
- Posted by Parent - Anne T.
53/22/2017
Great School, I am so happy that both my children attended. Olney exposed them to International Cultures, Sustainability, and gave them a sense of Community, self confidence, and an Education they will use all their lives.
- Posted by Parent - Melody Cannon
57/12/2013
I went to Olney, and I sent my son to Olney.
It was intellectually challenging, and the values of the Society of Friends are some of the most important spiritual values I ever learned.
- Posted by Parent - olney
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Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
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The average private school tuition in Ohio is $9,373 for elementary schools and $13,451 for high schools (read more about average private school tuition across the country).
