Sidwell Friends School | |
---|---|
Location | |
Bethesda, Maryland (Lower School) Washington, D.C. (Middle/Upper School) USA |
|
Information | |
Type | Private, Day, College-prep |
Motto |
Eluceat Omnibus Lux ("Let the light shine out from all") |
Religious affiliation(s) | Quaker |
Established | 1883 |
Head of school | Bryan K. Garman |
Faculty | 248 |
Grades | PK–12 |
Gender | Coeducational |
Enrollment | 1,097 |
Athletics conference |
MAAC (boys) ISL (girls) |
Team name | Quakers |
Publication |
The Oat (the satirical student newspaper) Quarterly (the art magazine) |
Newspaper | Horizon |
Information | (202) 537-8100 |
Website | sidwell.edu |
Coordinates: 38°56′21″N 77°04′29″W / 38.939217°N 77.074628°W
Sidwell Friends School is a highly selective Quaker school located in Bethesda, Maryland and Washington, D.C., offering pre-kindergarten through secondary school classes. Founded in 1883 by Thomas Sidwell, its motto is "Eluceat omnibus lux" (English: Let the light shine out from all), alluding to the Quaker concept of inner light. All Sidwell Friends students attend Quaker meeting for worship weekly, and middle school students begin every day with five minutes of silence.
The school's admissions process is merit-based. As documented on the school's website, it gives preference in admissions decisions to members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), but otherwise does not discriminate on the basis of religion. The school accepts vouchers under the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program.
Described as "the Harvard of Washington's private schools", the school has educated children of notable politicians, including those of several presidents. Both of former United States President Barack Obama's daughters, Sasha and Malia, and former Vice President Joe Biden's grandchildren attend the school. President Theodore Roosevelt's son Archibald, Richard Nixon's daughter Tricia, Bill Clinton's daughter Chelsea Clinton, and Vice President Al Gore's son, Albert Gore III, graduated from Sidwell Friends.