Admissions

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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:

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

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 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

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