Admissions
Open a new door in your student’s academic journey with an educational experience committed to the highest standards of learning and living.
Rated the #1 private school in Nassau County...
Friends Academy is a PreK-12 private school in Long Island that is based on the Quaker school values of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equity, stewardship, and service. Founded in 1876, Friends Academy is a nationally renowned coeducational, independent, college-preparatory school for students in preschool, elementary school, middle school, and high school.
As a private school built upon the foundations of Quaker education and values, Friends Academy achieves educational excellence by committing to the highest standards of learning and living. Our diverse community is welcoming to people of all faiths.
We empower our students to inquire, reflect, and engage in their classrooms, in their communities, and in the world.
12:1
Student to teacher ratio
104
Faculty with PH.Ds and master's degrees
Rated #1:
-
K-12 School,
-
High School,
-
and College Prep School
in Nassau County
Our Mission
Guided by Quaker principles, Friends Academy educates our students to discover and develop the best of who they are and who they can become.
A Quaker Approach to Education
At Friends Academy, students are taught that integrity matters in all they do and that the standards we keep in the classrooms and hallways of our school are indicators of how we'll impact the world.
Cultivate Community
When we work together, we can go further and reach greater heights. With countless opportunities to engage with each other in the classroom, in clubs, and in extracurriculars, students learn to commit to one another, solve our community’s challenges, and foster a sense of belonging for everyone.
Be the Change
We approach education with a purpose to serve so that we may use our knowledge and our talents to positively impact our community and our world. Academic curricula at all grade levels have a “student-centered” approach, developing students into active questioners with an awareness of their responsibility to the world around them.
Pursue Justice
We know the simple choice isn’t always the right choice. We believe that society should be equitable and that inclusivity isn’t a goal to check off a list, but rather a culture that is intentionally woven into our lives. Our commitment to diversity is embedded within our curriculum, welcoming and nurturing multiple perspectives, as well as natural and intentional discourse.
Practice Peace
We see conflict as an opportunity for growth, approaching that inevitable tension with an intention of peace and dignity. Our belief in the power of poise and self-control starts with our early childhood programming, where students learn tactics such as eye contact and shaking hands to reinforce the best ways to listen, learn, and compromise with others.
Stay True
The world is a complicated place, and it’s easy to get caught up in details that might not matter. We help students identify the important insights of their work so they can set their own standards for growth and success. By focusing first on the necessary components of good organizational and study skills, our academic program enables students to grow into higher levels of cooperative learning and leadership.
Take Care
At Friends Academy, we understand the importance of being stewards of our earth. Our responsibility to our planet begins in the classroom, as we educate our students about limited resources and how we can protect them. Our focus on collaboration and inclusion fuels creative ideas and sustainable solutions for our neighborhoods, our communities, and our world.
Let Your Life Speak
We strive to be our best selves – in both learning and living – and we reflect on our actions often so that we may illuminate each student's unique potential. Weekly Quaker meetings throughout all grade levels focus on empathetic listening, public speaking, critical thinking, and the ability to use silence as a powerful tool – preparing our students to do well and do good in college and in life.
Our Belief Statement
At Friends Academy, we achieve educational excellence by committing to the highest standards of learning and living.
Our diverse and welcoming community is strengthened by our Quaker values, which empower our students to inquire, reflect, and engage in their classrooms, in their neighborhoods, and in the world.
Because when we inspire students to learn and live with purpose, they can achieve greatness without sacrificing goodness.
Our Admissions Process
2021-2022 Applications:
Early Childhood, Lower
All other Upper School Applications received by January 15, 2021 will receive notification by early March.
1. Apply Online:
Online applications for 2021-2022 are now available through Ravenna. Kindly create a user account and search for Friends Academy in the Ravenna school directory to apply. All required forms and steps are online.
2. Interview:
Once we receive your application, we will call you to schedule a virtual parent meeting.
And students applying to:
- Early Childhood and Kindergarten: We will contact you to schedule a virtual screening.
- Playgroup: 3 years of age by September 1
- Pre-Kindergarten: 4 years of age by September 1
- Kindergarten: 5 years of age by September 1
- Grades 1-4: We will contact you to set up a virtual screening.
- Grades 5-8: We will contact you to set up a virtual Student Interview.
- Grades 9-12: We will contact you to set up a virtual Student Interview with an Admission Team member or Upper School faculty member.
3. Required Forms:
Transcript Release Form and Teacher Recommendation Forms are completed through our online application system. An applicant file is complete when all required forms have been received and the screening/interview is complete. Kindly notify your child’s school that we require the current year’s first semester report card, report cards for the last 3 years, and all standardized test results for the last 3 years (if applicable). Additionally, students applying for Grades 5-12 must complete the Student Questionnaire online in Ravenna.
4. Register for SSAT - Students applying for Grades 6 through 11 (optional):
Information regarding the Secondary School Admissions Test (SSAT) may be found at www.ssat.org. All test scores must be sent directly from SSAT to Friends Academy. The Friends Academy school code is 3286.
5. Apply for Financial Aid:
Friends Academy maintains a need-based financial aid policy. See the Financial Aid section below for more information.
Attend a Virtual Event
Tuition & Financial Aid
2020-2021 Tuition
Friends Academy has an inclusive tuition plan (ITP). The stated tuition for grades K through 12 includes all mandatory fees and the meal plan.
Lower School:
PlayGroup: $17,400
PreKindergarten: $23,500
Kindergarten: $27,200
Grades 1-4: $32,000
Middle School:
Grade 5: $32,000
Grades 6-8: $35,300
Upper School:
Grades 9-12: $38,900
Note that a 10% deposit is required with all enrollment contracts.
Matriculation Fees for New Enrollees:
Playgroup/Pre-K: $300
Kindergarten – 5th Grade: $400
6th Grade – 8th Grade: $500
9th Grade – 12th Grade: $600
Inclusive Meal Plan
As part of our inclusive tuition plan, all students, from Kindergarten through twelfth grade receive a daily hot lunch in our Dining Commons. Students have a variety of choices, including salad bar, hot lunch, sandwiches and grill station. Click here for Weekly Menus.
Early Childhood children bring their lunch to eat in the Early Childhood Center kitchen space.
In-class Snacks: All students in Grades Kindergarten - 5th grade are served a light snack either mid-morning or mid-afternoon in their classrooms. Middle School students are offered fresh fruit during the day.
Purchasing breakfast and snacks: Both breakfast and afternoon snack items are available for purchase in the Dining Commons. All Lower School students receive a daily snack, which is eaten in the classroom. Middle School students enjoy fresh fruit at the end of the school day.
Questions: Contact Food Services Manager Jodi Resnick at 516-393-4233 or jodi_resnick@fa.org.
Friends Academy dining services are provided by Flik Independent School Dining. Flik and Friends Academy work in tandem to promote and enhance the school's health and wellness and sustainability programs.
Financial Aid
Friends Academy maintains a need-based financial aid policy. This means that no one will be denied admission based on an inability to pay full tuition and that financial aid is awarded strictly based on demonstrated need. Need is determined by a number of factors as outlined in our pamphlet entitled, "Financing Your Friends Academy Education."
While Friends Academy has a generous financial aid budget and is able to meet the needs of many new families, unfortunately we are not able to offer awards to all who qualify.
Parents of enrolled students who wish to request financial aid for the first time should contact the Admissions and Financial Office to obtain the necessary forms and information. If enrolled as a full-paying student at Friends Academy and there is a change in your financial circumstances, you may apply for financial aid after two consecutive school years.
For further information, please contact us in the Admissions and Financial Aid Office at:
Director of Enrollment Management
Taisha_Thompson@fa.org
Associate Director of Admissions
Elizabeth_Holmes@fa.org
Admissions Coordinator
Doreen_Heyman@fa.org
Financial Aid Timeline for 2021-2022 Academic Year
Please submit financial aid documentation by February 3, 2021 and make sure you have completed the following:
- Create your Parents' Financial Statement (PFS) application online at solutionsbysss.com.
- Upload 2019 W-2 Forms
- Upload a signed, undated Form 4506-T
- Upload 2019 Federal Tax Returns (1040) including all schedules
- Upload 2019 Corporate Returns if applicable
- We will be collecting 2020 tax returns prior to Sept. 1
About Our Campus
Located on a beautiful 65-acre campus in the heart of Locust Valley, facilities include the Dolan Center, which houses a state-of-the-art 400-seat theater, art studios and our dining hall; separate buildings for Upper, Middle, Lower schools and the Little Friends Infant & Toddler Center; the Athletic Center with adjacent fields for soccer, field hockey, baseball, softball, football and track, as well as tennis courts; and the three-story, modern Kumar Wang Learning Commons that houses more than 50,000 volumes, a web-based catalog system, e-readers and laptop loan program.
We offer a campus-wide wireless network, various computer labs, a renovated gymnasium, field house (featuring brand-new locker room facilities) and extensive athletic fields.
Take a Virtual Tour

With a rigorous academic program rooted in our Quaker values, students engage in a balanced education that ensures they understand their impact on the world around them with reflection and integrity - not just for now, but for the world of tomorrow.
An Inside Look at Our School
Early Childhood & Lower School
At Friends Academy, we know that beginnings matter. Because we understand that children learn best when they feel known and loved, we work to create a relationship-driven environment where children can develop their intellectual curiosity while fostering personal responsibility and increasing independence.
By engaging each child in student-centered, hands-on learning, Friends Academy teaches real-world skills to our youngest learners, including communication, inquiry, interpretation, analysis, and problem-solving. This strong foundation provides our students the tools they need to evolve from curiosity to creativity, all while maintaining wonder and awe for the world around them.
– Dot Woo, Lower School Principal
Middle School | Grades 5-8
Middle School is a time of great growth and vibrant energy at Friends Academy. Young adolescents mature in a myriad of ways: academically, physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually. Our Friends Academy students develop autonomy and self-advocacy, forge their identities, and learn to value others’ perspectives while simultaneously engaging in a challenging curriculum and real-world experiences. At Friends, we invite our emerging adolescents to stretch, to take risks, to engage, and to grow through a hands-on, interdisciplinary approach to learning. Anchored by our timeless Quaker values, our middle school students become fearless mathematicians, inquisitive scientists, clear communicators, willing collaborators, innovative creators, and active citizens.
Our Quaker practice and approach to learning empower us to listen for greater understanding, pay attention to our own inner voice, engage in deep inquiry, and strive to see the light in others. It also holds fast the idea that our learning is both dynamic and lifelong, as we experience and question the world around us.
– Christine Saunders, Middle School Principal
Upper School | Grades 9-12
At Friends Academy, our exceptional college preparatory program, rooted in inclusive humanities and innovative sciences, springs to life through rigorous discourse and dynamic inquiry. As our students learn to ask more meaningful questions, we dare them to look beyond themselves.
When our students graduate, they are exceptionally prepared – academically and emotionally – for the top colleges in the world, ready to use real-world skills, like collaboration and critical thinking, which will enable them to purposefully succeed in their careers and in life.
– Mark Schoeffel, Upper School Principal