Philadelphia Friends Schools

William Penn envisioned a society dedicated to religious toleration, participatory government, and liberty. Central to this Holy Experiment was his belief that all children deserved a moral education. In 1689, Penn established a Friends Public School in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Over the years, many Quakers have been similarly inspired, and today there are 81 member schools in the Friends Council on Education operating in 22 states. This book includes images from the 10 Friends schools founded in or near Philadelphia before the 20th century: Abington Friends School, Frankford Friends School, Friends’ Central School, Friends Select School, George School, Germantown Friends School, Greene Street Friends School, Plymouth Meeting Friends School, William Penn Charter School, and Westtown School. Philadelphia Friends Schools tells the photographic story of an educational philosophy rooted in three centuries of faith and practice.