Media-Providence Friends School

Small, suburban town

$9020-22,925

Need-based aid is available. Approximately half of students receive aid

MPFS students participate in a rich program of core courses in language arts, math, social studies, science and foreign language complemented by art, music, chorus, library, computer, guidance/values studies and physical education, with frequent multi-disciplinary experiences

No

1-to-1 Chromebook program

Dress guidelines: clean, neat, and simple

Parent(s) or guardian(s) should initially call the school to arrange an appointment with the Director of Admissions to exchange information about the student's strengths, interests and needs, about the school and its program, and to tour our facilities. Following this appointment, parents should submit a completed application along with an application fee, and request complete transcripts and records from schools the student has attended, as well as referrals from the student's most recent teacher(s). A school-day visit for the applicant should also be scheduled at this point. During the visit, the applicant will be evaluated by the teacher whose classroom they are visiting and administered a test of basic school skills. Older applicants will be asked for reading, writing and math samples during their visits. In some cases, additional testing may be required. If accepted by the Admissions Committee, parents should promptly register the student by completing a registration form, signing an enrollment contract and making the required registration deposit to reserve the student's place in the school.

Media-Providence Friends School , a Quaker school offering pre-kindergarten through middle school, is a learning community, rich in diversity, where academic challenge is combined with the teaching of values. Those values flow from the Quaker conviction that there is “that of God” in each person. Our intimate classes encourage individuality to be celebrated and intellectual growth and curiosity to be nurtured. Community involvement and service learning play integral parts in school programming, cultivating responsibility within students and connecting them with the larger world.

• Philosophy of Education: MPFS is dedicated to creating a community of life-long learners who grow in a nurturing environment filled with both academic vigor and rich opportunities for character development. We embrace diversity, all its forms, challenging students to develop respect for all communities while cultivating their social, creative, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and physical aspects.
We emphasize the Quaker belief that there is "that of God" in every individual and are deeply committed to nurturing the Light and potential within each child. We support children who learn within a range of differences in style and strengths, working from mastery of basic skills to higher order thinking, encouraging individual responsibility and critical thinking throughout the learning process.

Originally situated in a school room above a local livery stable in Media in 1876, the school moved to its current home next to Media Monthly Meeting nine years later, in 1885. The original 1885 school building still houses students today. Now comprised of 4 buildings, the campus serves 140+ students and employs 38 full and part time faculty and staff members.

Since the earliest days, Media-Providence Friends School opened its doors to students from a variety of backgrounds. Children from Russian Doukhobor refugee families were invited to attend school in 1908 and the first African-American student to be accepted to an independent school in the area attended MPFS in 1937, despite objections and the departure of a significant number of families. In 1957, MPFS hired its first African-American teacher and became one of the first schools to celebrate diversity in the teaching staff. More recently, the school has welcomed students whose parents left El Salvador amidst the heat of war, and closer to home, bright students from failing area public schools.

Today, the School is rich in religious, cultural, and economic diversity. Our students, coming mainly from Delaware and Chester County and reflect the racial diversity of the surrounding area. Children of color comprise 37% of the student body. School families have identified their religious affiliations as follows: 19% Catholic, 2% Eastern Orthodox, 4% jewish, 3% Muslim, 25% Protestant, 15% Quaker, 6% Multiple Household Religions. Over 40% of our students receive financial aid.

MPFS is accredited by PAIS and is a member of NAIS, FCE, ADVIS and AMLE