Middle School at AFS

Consider a Quaker education at Abington Friends School (AFS) for your Middle School student entering fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grades. Learning at AFS does not happen only within the classroom. As a member of the Independent School Experiential Education Network, AFS teachers engage students through a cycle of direct experience, reflection, analysis and experimentation in the world and the outdoors. Our fifth through eighth grade students participate in clubs, sports, theatre and musical performances, and they choose their own subject for independent study projects as a finale to their time in Middle School.

Each class participates in a series of retreats and trips in order to create shared stories and build community among their peers. These experiences are typically built into the school day so that each student has equitable access to extracurricular activities no matter their choice of outside activities or their proximity to campus.

The Middle School program is thoughtfully and intentionally crafted for adolescent children. Our faculty have researched the best ways to provide a joyful learning experience to students ages 10 through 14. Students access an equal amount of class time in every major subject. Advisors help students with everything from academics and homework to communication tactics and social interactions. By emphasizing critical thinking, AFS encourages student curiosity and develops individuality. Learning in our Middle School happens with resources and flexibility, not the confinement of standardized testing.

The culture at AFS is based on Quaker values and students participate in Quaker meeting for worship each week. All middle school students participate in the tradition of reflective silence in the Meetinghouse and have time to think, relax and consider themselves within the context of the world around them; a beautiful tradition that has continued uninterrupted for 326 years.