Wilmington Friends School offers an unsurpassed academic program, and just as important, it is a great place to grow up.
There is no “typical” Friends School student or family. We recognize diversity of thought, identity, and experience as essential to both academic excellence and the character of our community.
Our teachers know our students. They provide individual attention and are deeply invested in students’ growth and success. Because they are known as individuals, students are able to discover and develop the best in themselves. Because they are valued and held to high standards as members of a community, students are motivated to contribute and to lead.
For parents, Friends is a great place to join with other families who share a commitment to education that inspires the best in each student while fostering an active responsibility to the good of all.
First Grade Grub Hub is open for business! After visiting the Sunday Breakfast Mission last week, WFS first graders were inspired to create their own restaurant to support the community pantry.
Seventh grade Chinese students visited Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library to learn more about its Chinese wallpaper and book collection, helping the students gain valuable insight into Chinese history and culture.
WFS Middle and Upper School Learning Resources Coordinator Stella Mask recently presented to a packed house at the MCRC@ADVIS (Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools) DEIJB Conference.
Congratulations to sophomores Easton Martinenza, Teagan Grubb, and Decker Reitemeyer for earning spots in this summer's prestigious Delaware Governor's School for Excellence (DGSE) Program.
WFS 6th and 7th graders recently traveled in their service groups to different locations: the Delaware Food Bank; Faithful Friends Animal Society; Guardian Angels Daycare; Rockland Place Assisted Living; the Materials Resource Center in Ephrata, Pennsylvania; and Alapocas State Park.
The end-of-year senior traditions have begun, with the Class of 2025 signing the Senior Scroll and receiving their WFS laundry bag. This tradition has been a part of the senior class spring for more than 25 years!
Congratulations to our IB Art and Visual Arts Major students, who welcomed friends and family to the opening of their exhibition, showcasing works from the portfolios they have developed over the past two years.
From St. Louis to Boston, our College Guidance team is on the move! Director Kathleen Martin connected over lunch with Aaron Hockstein ’24 and Devin Wallace ’24 at Washington University in St. Louis, and with Nick Winchell ’24 at Hampden-Sydney College, while Associate Director Rose Gnade caught up with Alex Saville ’21 at Gettysburg College. We love seeing our alumni and supporting our current students on their college journeys!
The WFS Model UN Club, accompanied by faculty advisor Nick Childers, recently sent a delegation of four students to the Tower Hill Model UN Conference.
WFS Lower School assistant and associate teachers participated in a professional development retreat at Pendle Hill last week, focused on deepening instructional practice and strengthening team collaboration.
Last night, WFS honored the Class of 2025 International Baccalaureate Diploma candidates during the annual Celebration of Scholarship. Each student delivered a 3–5 minute presentation reflecting on their growth through the program’s core components: Theory of Knowledge, Creativity, Activity, and Service (CAS), and the Extended Essay. The evening highlighted the depth of thought, dedication, and inquiry that define the IB experience at Wilmington Friends School.
Megan Hegenbarth’s Quakerism class took a mindful journey into Alapocas Woods with middle school Spanish teacher Laura Pardo ’90, who studied forest immersion on her sabbatical earlier this year. Guided sensory exercises—listening to rustling leaves, feeling tree bark, noticing the movement of water—helped students support their well‑being by connecting with the present moment, their natural surroundings, and themselves.
Congratulations to our community members who shared their talents at this week's Informal Concert! This concert is designed to showcase the talent of our students, parents, and faculty in an informal, yet serious, chamber concert or recital format.
College readiness is more than academic achievement—it's about independence, resilience, and developing life skills. When exploring high schools, look for programs that focus not only on academic excellence but also on essential life skills. Here are five key areas where high schools can make a meaningful difference in preparing your student for college (and beyond):
When researching private schools, attending an admissions open house event is a great opportunity for your family to tour campuses and see where your child could spend their days.
And while facilities conducive to learning and state-of-the-art resources are important, families should also look beyond the physical environment. A school’s true strength lies in its culture and academic program.
In January, WFS middle school students take the reins and lead portfolio-led conferences with parents/guardians and advisors. This approach not only fosters a sense of accountability for the students but also strengthens the partnership between parents/guardians, students, and advisors. The two main objectives of these conferences are:
The digital landscape plays an essential role in the lives of students and adults, and at Wilmington Friends School, we want to equip our students, families, faculty, and staff with the necessary tools to ensure that they make positive and safe decisions online every day.
Wilmington Friends kicked off the 275th Webinar Series on Thursday, November 9, with "How Networking Enhances Your Brand," featuring Andy McEnroe '04, Managing Director for Raymond James; Monterry Luckey, Deputy Director of the Delaware Workforce Development Board; and Lynne M. Williams, Executive Director of Great Careers Group & BENG; and moderated by Connor Dalton ’08.
As organizations continue to rely on ever-changing technology, computer science has become increasingly more popular in high school and college curricula.
Many of us are interested in volunteering, but with the demands on our time and attention these days, community service can easily be placed on the back burner.
Many of us know of Advanced Placement or “AP” courses in high schools, and often see “AP” grouped with “IB” in references to more challenging coursework.
Our podcast shines a light on what make WFS such a vibrant and unique learning community that allows students to, in the words of George Fox, "let their lives speak."
Videos
WFS in action! Check out videos of all that's happening at Friends!
“Wilmington Friends School provided me with the foundation for understanding what a community truly is. My teachers, coaches, and classmates helped me learn that a community is not necessarily a physical space but a feeling where everyone is valued and has a sense of belonging. Most importantly, my time at Friends formed my core belief that there is light in everyone and that every human being deserves to live a life of dignity.”
“I believe my time at WFS prepared me for success at CWRU both academically and athletically. Academically, the high rigor of WFS courses like AP Physics gave me a great foundation coming into CWRU. However, I think the most effective tool I learned from WFS was building relationships with teachers. Building relationships with teachers at CWRU has helped me monumentally with assignments and exams.”
“My experience at Wilmington Friends School set me up for success by providing challenging coursework that required critical thinking. Learning how I learned and figuring out a process that worked for me was one of the most important things because regardless of what you want to major in or what sport you want to play at a higher level, you will need to learn the information and how to apply it when it is necessary. Friends helped me facilitate my learning process, and I’ve continued to adapt and improve it based on the situation.”
Congratulations to Jocelyn Nathan ‘23 and the Penn State University women’s volleyball team on winning the National Championship! In their 3-1 victory over the University of Louisville this afternoon, Nathan recorded a career-high ten digs.
Jocelyn is pictured with her parents, Len and Lynne, and sisters, Dani ‘19 (bottom left) and Alyssa ‘17.
“My experience at Wilmington Friends School taught me the importance of time management, resilience, and community. Academically, the rigorous curriculum helped me develop my critical thinking skills, intellectual curiosity, and the habits to handle complex material, all of which have equipped me with the tools to excel at Williams.”
“I always mention Wilmington Friends as having an incredible influence in my life as preparation not only for college but well beyond. Acceptance and curiosity in understanding sound simple enough, but as I get older, I realize the world would benefit greatly if more people were taught those lessons at a young age.”
“There’s no need to be modest about your ambitions or your hopes. If there is something that you want to do or something that you want to see happen in the world, move toward it one little step at a time, and you can be a part of how things change.”
On the latest episode of the Quaker Matters Podcast, hosted by Piper Roskovensky ’26, Josh Galperin ’00 discusses what it’s like to work in environmental law, what he enjoys most about teaching law, and shares advice to students who are interested in pursuing a career in law.
When Kaylea Ann Donaghy, age 3, walked into Wilmington Friends Lower School in January, 2021, she was not aware that she may well be the ninth generation and 38th member of her family to attend or be involved with the oldest school in Delaware.
Voices of Friends: Enterprise Chief Scientific Officer and Vice President of Research Administration and Scientific Affairs for ChristianaCare, Dr. Omar Khan ’90.
Statement of Nondiscrimination as to Student Enrollment
Wilmington Friends School admits students of any race, color, gender, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students of these schools. Wilmington Friends School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, national and ethnic origin in administration of their educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school administered programs.