Friends Seminary

Learning to make something work

Every ninth grader at Friends Seminary takes a semester of Programming and Computing, and the course ends with a game. The catalogue says students build a game inspired by Space Invaders, after learning enough programming to make something run, test it, and fix what breaks.

I like the order of things: learn the pieces, then build something that has to work.

Friends is a coeducational Quaker day school for kindergarten through Grade 12, at 222 East 16th Street in Manhattan. The Quaker part is not decoration, and most of this guide is about how it reaches an ordinary day.

How Quaker practice enters an ordinary day

Meeting for Worship is the clearest change. Students and faculty sit together in silence, and anyone who feels moved to speak may do so.

The school describes it as weekly, and in some divisions more often. Classes may also begin with a short pause so students can settle and arrive, which fits the school's treatment of silence as a working part of the day rather than a gap in it.

Quaker practice also shapes how classes are meant to work. The school describes teaching built around questions, discussion, close reading, and group problem-solving, with students treated as participants in making understanding rather than recipients of it.

A useful test for a parent is whether your child enjoys being asked what they think and why.

Friends is rooted in the beliefs and practices of Quakers, and the school says it teaches no religious creed, welcomes students of all faiths, and requires neither belief nor affiliation. A family can reasonably ask how Meeting is explained to a child who arrives without any Quaker background.

Grade 9 is where the Quaker thread and the academics meet most visibly. English 9 builds the year around the Bible, with several translations in play, from the King James Version to Robert Alter's, so students can see how writers answer each other across centuries; the class uses it to practice literary criticism.

Ninth graders also take a semester of Friends Foundations, which introduces the tradition's history and the principles the school lives by.

From read-alouds to subject teachers

In the Lower School the Quaker emphasis on listening shows up in small classroom moves. The school says it builds empathy with read-alouds chosen for the purpose, role-play, and conversations that respond to what has just happened, and that children are greeted by name each day.

Missteps are framed as chances to make amends or start over.

Middle School changes the structure. From Grade 5 on, children move among subject teachers, and in Grades 7 and 8 schedules are fitted more closely to the individual student.

Meeting happens most mornings in this division, and weekly advisory meetings give students a place for honest conversation.

Learning support at each age

Learning specialists work with families, teachers, psychologists, and outside providers, and each division's guidance team (leaders, psychologist, learning specialists) meets weekly to review student needs. Three full-time divisional psychologists cover Kindergarten through Grade 12 and may recommend a neuropsychological evaluation when concerns persist.

The Academic Center is the Grades 7–12 piece. It offers help in writing, math, and science; seventh and eighth graders go by appointment, while older students can also drop in, which matters when a question cannot wait for tomorrow.

If your child would need ongoing specialist help, ask directly who would provide it, how often, and how that person would work with the outside providers you already use.

Entry points and 2027–28 dates

Kindergarten and Grade 9 are the annual entry grades; other grades open as attrition allows. Friends does not accept midyear transfers.

For 2027–28, kindergartners must be five by August 31, 2027. Plan around November 16, 2026 for the initial application, though one welcome FAQ answer says November 17, so ask admissions to confirm.

Supplemental materials are due January 8, 2027.

Kindergarten applicants meet in small groups for an hour while parents meet admissions in parallel; Grade 9 families visit for a tour, an interview, and a brief writing sample.

Applicants to Grades 5–12 need an ISEE or SSAT score report; testing should not predate August 1, 2026.

Early notification for siblings, faculty and staff, alumni, and Society of Friends members runs on a separate timetable; check it instead of the table below. Interpreters are available if requested before the interview.

What the year costs

The published 2026–27 price is $68,700 for every grade from kindergarten through Grade 12. That is this year's figure rather than a 2027–28 price, so ask what increase to expect.

A one-time $2,500 new-student fee is charged on enrollment, and the school notes financial aid may apply to it. The price covers books, breakfast and lunch, and required trips; optional trips and after-school care cost extra.

Prospective families seeking aid apply through Clarity by December 15, 2026, and families receiving aid must reapply every year.

One caveat matters before enrolling: a family that enters at full tuition should not expect aid later, and ordinarily is not considered for at least three years unless an unusual or unforeseen circumstance arises.

Financial help for testing, evaluations, tutoring, and therapeutic services depends on the family’s aid percentage and requires a Division Head’s recommendation and approval.

After-school care

For after-school care, the separate extended programs site says kindergarten through Grade 6 can stay until 4:30, with an option to 5:30, and that drop-ins are welcome, even the same day. Enrollment runs in three trimesters with a commitment for each, and most workshops carry an extra fee.

Meeting for Worship, advising and care at Friends Seminary

Friends' Quaker practices shape daily life, so ask what a Meeting morning, a restorative conversation and ninth-grade Foundations look like for your child.