Frankford Friends School
Frankford Friends School (also known as FFS) is an independent, coeducational Quaker day school for students in grades Pre-Kindergarten through eight. It is located at 1500 Orthodox Street in the historic Frankford section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Over a rich history spanning several centuries, Frankford Friends School has provided a nurturing and inclusive education while instilling Quaker values in its students, ages 4-14. The Quaker principles that are the foundation of the school also guide their daily interactions. They believe in fostering an inclusive and respectful environment where every student is valued for who they are. Through community service initiatives, students develop a deep sense of social responsibility for our immediate community and a commitment to making a positive impact on the world. They embrace diversity and celebrate individuality, preparing their students to navigate an interconnected world with empathy, understanding, and appreciation for different perspectives. Because of Frankford Friends School’s commitment to socio-economic diversity, the Board sets a tuition that is the lowest of any Quaker school in the Delaware Valley.
A defining characteristic of Frankford Friends School is its commitment to Project-based Learning, grounded in the study of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Their signature approach to learning emphasizes hands-on experiences, collaboration, and critical thinking. Students actively engage in projects that allow them to apply their knowledge and skills to real-world challenges, developing problem-solving abilities, creativity, and a sense of ownership over their learning. This prepares them for a future where adaptability and the ability to think outside the box are essential.
Students also enjoy classes in Spanish, art, physical education, music, and health and wellness. They are taught how to collaborate with others and communicate effectively by asking questions, thinking critically, and listening carefully. Students graduate from Frankford Friends School well-equipped for high school and beyond, prepared to let their lives speak in the pursuit of lifelong learning, a commitment to social justice, and service to their communities.
School highlights
Hands-on, project-based learning
STEM classes for all students in grades PreK-8
Library and Research Skills classes in grades PreK-8
An award-winning Music Program
Spanish for all students in grades PreK-8
Physical Education for all students in grades PreK-8
Service Learning for all students in grades PreK-8
STEM
The STEM program at Frankford Friends School is designed to advance 21st century teaching and learning at Frankford Friends School. Every student in grades PreK-8 participates in open-ended investigations which help them to build skills in problem solving, communication, teamwork, innovation, leadership, and entrepreneurship.
The curriculum emphasizes the inquiry process, critical thought, and creative independence. Students learn to communicate and collaborate more effectively with others using technology to access information and evaluate results. Perseverance and resilience are developed by providing open-ended tasks that require students to generate ideas, explore options, and continually revise their thinking.
Service learning
Frankford Friends School's Service Learning program provides the opportunity for students to connect with each other and the people in their communities, to think critically about issues in the world about them, and to communicate ideas in a creative and appropriate way. Classroom teachers, the service learning teacher, and the community, work to foster a sense of civic responsibility in FFS students, provide diverse and practical “real-world” experiences for their students, and raise awareness of social justice issues.
Early childhood program
Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten students enjoy learning through purposeful play, constructive learning activities, information gathering and wondering. They review skills and concepts in math, literacy, handwriting, social studies, and science in one-to-one (teacher/student) or small groups. Classrooms are joyous places for learning, equipped with centers for literacy, science, engineering, manipulative work, sensory play, and exploration.
Lower school program
Children in grades 1-5 are challenged to be curious and inventive. They take responsibility for their learning by taking risks and through working with others. Students acquire literacy skills and mathematical understanding through lessons that integrate science and social studies themes. String instrument lessons begin in fourth grade.
Middle school program
The Middle School program helps students to develop their own identities and discover their passions. By challenging them academically and creatively, students are supported in taking risks and to make meaning of their world. The curriculum also provides a variety of musical and visual arts electives, STEM classes, and foreign language studies, and ensures a solid knowledge base in all curricular areas.
History
The earliest direct predecessor of Frankford Friends School was the one-room “Spring House School,” built by Oxford Meeting in 1768 at the corner of Waln and Spring Streets. It was attended by both Quaker and non-Quaker children. Frankford, along the King's Highway between New York and Philadelphia, was a bustling area, frequently visited by members of the Second Continental Congress, including John Adams, Benjamin Rush, and Thomas Jefferson.
Campus Transformation
Frankford Friends School was established on its present site in 1833 when Frankford Monthly Meeting members purchased a large parcel of land spanning from what is now Orthodox Street to Leiper Avenue, for the sum of $1,777.07. A new Meetinghouse was built, with 20 Quaker students learning on the second floor. The School’s budget was $75, with $28.27 of that going towards scholarships.
In 1868 the meeting house was enlarged and the second story removed. Additional classrooms were built above the horse sheds on the property. Sometime during the late 1880s or early 1890s, a new brick schoolhouse was built. In 1924, a social room was added to the rear of the meeting house, and a few years later, the porch was enclosed for the use of the Kindergarten.
In the early years of the twenty-first century, grades seven and eight were added to the school, and the first eighth grade class graduated in 2004. In 2012, the Margaret Passmore Trickey building was built to house the expanded Middle School program.
As the School grew, classes were moved above the horse shed, and eventually, a free-standing, one-room schoolhouse was constructed in 1890 to accommodate the growing numbers of students in the post-Civil War era. New additions were increasingly added over the next 40 years.
During the 1970s, more changes were made to accommodate a fluctuating number of students. For example, when a particular grade required more space, a classroom was enlarged, or if the preschool program was discontinued for a period of time, the space where it met was converted for a different use. Most interesting to the students was the reading loft built into the fifth-grade classroom.
Under the guidance of Principal Terry Farley (1969-2004), Frankford Friends School implemented new programs in the arts, with the spirit of the school reflected in music. Mr. Farley himself conducted the choirs and handbell ensemble, and alumni fondly remember their holiday performances at Strawbridge and Clothiers. Plays and pageants were also an enormous part of the School’s culture. The School’s first Apple computer lab was also installed during that time.
Beginning in 2012, Frankford Friends School began a new period of campus growth. The construction of the Margaret Passmore Trickey building allowed 7th and 8th graders to learn along with the other students on campus, providing leadership and example to the younger children. In 2014, two properties were gifted to FFS, including a three-story parsonage, and a .4-acre vacant lot across the street from the school, where the city had torn down a deteriorating church. These would become an outdoor space for the School’s use.
With the arrival of Kathryn Park Cook as the Head of School in 2015, construction began on the Nest. The Nest is an award-winning, half-acre green space on campus, equipped with three rain and pollinator gardens, mud kitchens, spaces for dirt digging, climbing, building, a soccer field, and a waterworks.
In 2016, Frankford Friends School began a strategic effort to plan for future program needs. Over the next six years, the school purchased and/or renovated all of the School’s spaces, including the Meetinghouse, the Farley Building, the IDEA Lab, and the new middle school and gym.
The IDEA Lab is the School’s signature space for inquiry and project-based learning. Students come together to identify problems, find solutions, and take action on the issues that will impact their communities today and in the future. Interdisciplinary pavilions - building and design, construction, cooking, a stage for public speaking, a research and computer lab - make learning visible by bringing ideas, prototypes, and presentations to the forefront.
In 2021, Frankford Friends School and Frankford Monthly Meeting were separately incorporated. The two entities continue to exist in a care relationship.
Quakerism at Frankford Friends School
Quakerism is rooted in the belief that each person has a unique and sacred worth. Even the youngest FFS students engage with Quaker values and practices at school. Through exploration, mindfulness, and centering among the silence, students are gradually exposed to the power and pleasure of a still, quiet moment.
Quakers are members of the Religious Society of Friends and place great value on community, continuous inquiry, and belonging. They seek nonviolent solutions to conflict, help others through service, promote social and economic justice, show kindness in their daily lives, and are guided by the belief that every living thing has an inner Light.
The FFS Core Quaker Values
- We believe that every member of our community can grow and change in order to reach their potential.
- We act courageously in alignment with our core moral beliefs and strive to be socially responsible.
- We value and embrace the diversity of cultures, backgrounds, and religions in our communities.
- We resolve conflicts through respectful discussion and by listening to each other.
- We welcome the challenge of competing ideas, and know that truth is continuously revealed and accessible to the seeker.
Inclusion and Belonging
Frankford Friends School strives to create a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and just learning environment. To ensure that Frankford Friends students may realize their full learning potential, everyone in our school community will feel welcome and know that they and all aspects of their identity belong.* The school administration, faculty, and staff participates in recurring professional development opportunities,reviews curriculum to enhance educational programming and pedagogy, and engages as members of Philadelphia’s diverse citizenry. All members of the school community have a vital role in realizing Frankford Friends School’s vision for Diversity and Belonging.
*Identity includes but is not limited to race, ethnicity, national origin, socioeconomic status, religion, sex (including sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression), age, ability, veteran status, or family structure.
School Leadership
- Frankford Monthly Meeting of the Society of Friends: 1833-1928
- Reba Lammey, Principal: 1928-1969
- Terrence Farley, Principal: 1969-2004
- Penny Colgan Davis, Principal: 2004-2014
- Kathryn Park Cook, Head of School: 2015-present
Early Childhood Center: Fishtown Campus
In 2023, Frankford Friends School began planning for a satellite campus to house a new preschool in the Fishtown/Kensington Area of Philadelphia, to open in early winter 2024. The program will serve children from 2 years, 7 months to 5 years old and will be built on the same mission and values as FFS Main Campus.
Frankford Friends School is accredited by the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools (PAIS), Friends Council on Education (FCE), and is a member of NAIS and ADVIS.