What makes Richmond Friends School Unique?
Richmond Friends School (RFS) is a Preschool – 8th grade independent Quaker school providing high-quality educational experiences that nurture individual gifts and meet the needs of the whole child. The school’s multi-age, low student-to-teacher ratio classrooms enable one-to-one instruction and innovative learning methods. This encourages students to recognize, comprehend and conquer challenges both inside and outside the classroom. Through outdoor education, community involvement, and project-based curriculum, students are encouraged to think critically and collaborate with peers and teachers. This unique educational setting encourages our students to become lifelong learners committed to making the world a better place.
Academics
- Educating the whole child: addressing individual skill levels; customized curriculum; acknowledging mental, emotional, and physical growth
- Small student-to-teacher ratio
- Strong foundation emphasizing self-discovery and inquiry
- Non-traditional assessment: portfolios, written evaluations, and presentations instead of letter grades; sample standardized tests administered in upper elementary only
- Multi-age classrooms engage students in peer mentoring and modeling; allows teachers to address and adjust to individual challenges and gifts; fosters greater understanding and routine consistency as well as deeper relationships among peers and teachers after being together for multiple years
Community
- All-School Events: All-School Meetings, special field trips (Annual Creek Walk, for example), events such as Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Day, Family Work Days, mentoring between classrooms, and school buddies
- Parent involvement: crucial for success of above-listed events (committee work, board work, volunteering, etc.) and financial support (tuition in addition to annual fund, capital campaigns and parent fundraising initiatives)
Quaker Principles
- Commitment to diversity and equality
- Decision-making by consensus (in classrooms as well as in school governance)
- Peaceful conflict resolution
- Integrity
- Simplicity
- Community Service
Monthly Newsletters:
Get a snapshot of daily life at Richmond Friends School! Newsletters are distributed to parents on a monthly basis and include narratives and photos from each teacher about progress and activities in their classroom
Most Recent Newsletter: March 2021 Newsletter
"When we place nature at the center of our community, we come to realize the true abundance of the world we live in. This school puts these seeds of hope in its students; it changes how they move through the world, and it changes the communities they enter for the better.”
