Abington Friends School

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At Abington Friends School, we cultivate fearless, curious learning in a culture of intellectual and creative ambition. Engaged and purposeful in every moment, students leave AFS with clear, sharp, and thoughtful voices, prepared for lives of meaning and accomplishment.
In this Friends school environment, children develop deep roots of inner strength and the ability to thrive in dynamic settings and make the most of their future college and professional communities. AFS is a school that joyfully embodies its mission. Our students are fully immersed in the classroom experience, in the arts, on playing fields, and in the precious times, they enjoy just being together on the playgrounds or in the Student Commons.
In the vital intellectual world of the classroom, full engagement in the arts and athletics, in community decision-making and in the broader community that surrounds us, is a hallmark of AFS. It stems from our commitment to appreciate children for who they are thoroughly and with a vision for whom they may become.
Community and classroom life is rooted in a profound respect for individuals. Quaker attunement to finding spiritual meaning in day-to-day life and an intellectually compelling capacity for the collaborative search for truth and deeper understanding.
As a Quaker (or Friends) school, Abington Friends School incorporates the Quaker testimonies of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship into our students' daily lives and education. In addition to these testimonies, AFS honors the value that Quakers place on social justice, social action, and reflective practices.
In keeping with Friends' values, AFS places a high premium on learning through inquiry, experience, and reflective practices. Collaboration and opportunities for creativity are built into classroom activities. We seek to foster each student's strengths and to "hold students in the light" as we find ways to nurture their growth and development.
All students in each division gather weekly for Meeting for Worship, which serves as a time for community members to be still, to listen, to reflect, and to share their thoughts with others. Whenever appropriate, we also practice Quaker decision-making. Through clerked meetings, use of silence and reflection queries based on community welfare and creation of spaces that allow everyone's voice to be heard, we try to make decisions that represent the whole community.
It is work that touches all spheres of our community, from the personal to the professional, and engages us intellectually, emotionally, morally, and spiritually. At Abington Friends School, our work is deeply rooted in the Quaker tradition. Our focus on Friends faith and practice orients us toward inclusion and collaborative inquiry skills that make the best use of the multiple perspectives in our midst.
Our excellence as a school is tied to the intellectual depth and sophistication that comes from engaging diversity in all of its human and intellectual complexity. Excellence for our students is rooted in their understanding of a diverse world and the dynamics of power and privilege. We intentionally cultivate the skills to engage and navigate multiple points of view within a culturally responsive curriculum and program.
We are deeply committed to helping our students develop and celebrate their voices in our community and beyond. A sense of justice drives us in this work as we seek to understand and counter the historical and current-day patterns of oppression.

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