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Sidwell Friends School
Sidwell Friends School.JPG
The Sidwell Friends school building at 3825 Wisconsin Avenue N.W. in Washington, D.C.
Location
Bethesda, Maryland (Lower School)
Washington, D.C. (Middle/Upper School)

United States
Coordinates 38°56′21″N 77°04′29″W / 38.939217°N 77.074628°W / 38.939217; -77.074628
Information
Type Private, Day, College-prep
Motto Eluceat Omnibus Lux
("Let the light shine out from all")
Religious affiliation(s) Quaker
Established 1883 (142 years ago) (1883)
CEEB code 090200
Head of school Bryan K. Garman
Faculty 257
Grades PK–12
Gender Coeducational
Enrollment 1,152
Athletics conference MAC (boys)
ISL (girls)
Mascot Fox
Team name Quakers
Publication The Oat
(the satirical student newspaper)
Quarterly
(the art magazine)
Student Political Review
(student editorial newspaper))
Sidwell Business Review
(student editorial newsletter)
Newspaper Horizon

Sidwell Friends School is a private school with two campuses. One is in Bethesda, Maryland, and the other is in Washington, D.C.. It offers classes from pre-kindergarten all the way through high school.

The school was started in 1883 by Thomas W. Sidwell. Its motto is "Eluceat omnibus lux", which means "Let the light shine out from all." This idea comes from the Quaker faith, which believes everyone has a special "inner light" or goodness inside them. All students at Sidwell Friends attend a Quaker worship meeting every week. Middle school students also start each day with five minutes of quiet time.

Getting into Sidwell Friends is based on how well students do. The school looks for the best applicants. While it gives a slight advantage to students who are part of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), it welcomes students of all backgrounds. Sidwell Friends is a very selective school, accepting only a small percentage of students who apply.

Many children of important politicians have attended Sidwell Friends. This includes children of several U.S. presidents. For example, Archibald Roosevelt, son of President Theodore Roosevelt, went there. So did Tricia Nixon Cox and Julie Nixon Eisenhower, daughters of President Richard Nixon. Chelsea Clinton, daughter of President Bill Clinton, and Sasha and Malia Obama, daughters of President Barack Obama, also studied at Sidwell. Even grandchildren of President Joe Biden attended when he was Vice President.

Discovering Sidwell Friends School's Past

How Sidwell Friends Began

Thomas Sidwell opened his "Friends' Select School" in 1883. It was located in downtown Washington, near the White House. When it first opened, only eleven students were enrolled.

Growing and Changing Through the Years

In 1911, the school started buying land on Wisconsin Avenue. At first, this new land was used for sports fields. Students had to travel between the downtown campus and the new fields by streetcar. By 1923, a building for school events was built on the Wisconsin Avenue campus.

In 1925, Sidwell Friends added a kindergarten. This made it the first school in Washington, D.C., to offer classes from kindergarten through high school. The school's name changed to "Sidwell and Friends School" in 1934. It then slowly moved all its classes to the Wisconsin Avenue campus. By 1938, the move was complete, and the old downtown property was sold.

Dress Codes and Diversity

In 1957, the school started a formal dress code. This included rules for students in all grades. The rules changed over time, becoming stricter in the 1960s. But by the 1970s, students helped change the dress code to allow jeans. The rules kept changing, and by 2000, they included limits on showing midriffs or visible underwear. In 2016, students successfully pushed to ban clothing with the Washington Redskins football team name and logo.

Sidwell Friends became a racially integrated school in 1964. This meant students of all races could attend.

Recent School Developments

In 2018, Sidwell Friends and other private schools decided to stop offering AP courses. They felt these courses were not as important for college applications anymore. This decision led to an investigation by the United States Department of Justice. The investigation ended in 2021.

As of 2020, the school plans to move its elementary grades back to Washington, D.C. This will happen after they buy and expand a nearby property.

What Students Learn at Sidwell Friends

To graduate, students need to earn at least 20 credits. They must take four years of English, three years of math, and three years of history. Students also need two years of a foreign language, two years of science, and two years of art.

All ninth-grade students take a special course called "Ninth Grade Studies." This course includes a community service project. Students in tenth and eleventh grades also take specific courses for their grade level.

Sidwell Friends is also part of School Year Abroad. This program allows students to study in another country for a year.

Sports and Athletics at Sidwell Friends

Sidwell Friends' sports teams are called the Quakers. Their school colors are maroon and gray. Boys' teams compete in the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAC). Girls' teams compete in the Independent School League (ISL).

The school offers many sports, including:

  • Volleyball
  • Golf
  • Cross country
  • Football
  • Field hockey
  • Soccer
  • Basketball
  • Swimming and diving
  • Wrestling
  • Tennis
  • Baseball
  • Lacrosse
  • Track
  • Ultimate frisbee
  • Crew
  • Softball

Basketball Success

The girls' basketball team is one of the best in the Washington, D.C. area. In the 2021-2022 season, they had a perfect undefeated record. They were even ranked the number one girls' basketball team in the nation by MaxPreps and ESPN. In the 2022–2023 season, they won their second state championship in a row.

The boys' basketball team is also very strong. In the 2022–2023 season, they won a state championship and two conference championships. They finished the season with an impressive 27–4 record.

Sidwell Friends Today

Here are some facts about Sidwell Friends School for the 2022–2023 school year:

  • About 1,142 students are enrolled.
  • More than half of the students (57%) are people of color.
  • About 21% of students receive financial help to attend.
  • The school has 273 full-time teachers and staff.
  • Most teachers (84%) have advanced degrees.
  • Tuition for the 2022–2023 school year ranged from $47,200 for younger grades to $51,650 for high school.
  • The school does not give out GPAs or student rankings. It also does not share average scores for the SAT and ACT tests. However, it does share a list of colleges where recent graduates have gone.
  • As of 2023, Niche rated Sidwell Friends School as the 14th Best Private K-12 School in the U.S.

Exploring the Sidwell Friends Campuses

Sidwell Friends has two main campuses, each with different facilities.

Middle and Upper School Campus

This campus is located at 3825 Wisconsin Avenue in Northwest Washington, D.C.

  • It covers about 15 acres.
  • The Middle School building has a special "LEED Platinum Certification." This means it was designed to be very eco-friendly. It uses smart ways to save water and energy. For example, it has a constructed wetland that helps recycle wastewater.
  • The campus also has the Kogod Center for the Arts, the Richard Walter Goldman Memorial Library, and two gymnasiums.
  • There are three athletic fields, five tennis courts, and two tracks for running.
  • A large parking facility is available for faculty, students, and guests.

Lower School Campus

The Lower School campus is at 5100 Edgemoor Lane in Bethesda, Maryland.

  • This campus is about 5 acres.
  • It includes the Manor House, which has classrooms and the Clark Library.
  • The Groome Building has more classrooms and a multi-purpose room.
  • There is also a Science, Art, and Music (SAM) Building.
  • The Bethesda Friends Meeting House is on this campus.
  • Students can enjoy athletic fields, a gymnasium, and two playgrounds.

Both campuses had big renovations in 2005–2006. The Athletic Center at the Wisconsin Avenue campus was finished in 2011. Sidwell Friends plans to move the Lower School next to the Wisconsin Avenue campus in the future.

Famous People Who Attended Sidwell Friends

Many notable people have studied at Sidwell Friends School.

Activism and Community Work

Arts and Entertainment

Business and Leadership

  • Daniel Mudd (1976), former CEO of Fannie Mae.
  • Nick Friedman (2000), an entrepreneur.

Government and Law

Journalism and Writing

  • Anne Applebaum (1982), a journalist and author.
  • John Dickerson (1987), a journalist and political commentator.
  • Charles Gibson (1961), former anchor of ABC World News Tonight.
  • Tony Horwitz (1976), a journalist and author.
  • Ann Brashares (1985), author of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants books.
  • Margaret Edson (1979), Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Wit.
  • Gore Vidal, a famous writer.

Children of U.S. Presidents

Science and Sports

Schools Sidwell Friends Connects With

Sidwell Friends has "sister schools" around the world, meaning they have special connections and partnerships. These include:

  • High School affiliated to Fudan University (China)
  • The Second High School Attached to Beijing Normal University (China)
  • Ramallah Friends Schools (Palestine)
  • Moses Brown School (USA)
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