Skip to main content

26-27 School Profile

Page 1

School Profile 2026-2027 ABOUT WILMINGTON FRIENDS SCHOOL Founded in 1748, Wilmington Friends is a coeducational, Quaker day school, serving students from preschool through twelfth grade. Wilmington Friends is Delaware’s oldest school, the first in the state authorized to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme and the first in the state to join the School Year Abroad Consortium. Wilmington Friends School has joint accreditation by Middle States and the Association of Independent Maryland & DC Schools (AIMS). The School is also affiliated with the International Baccalaureate Organization, School Year Abroad, the National Association of Independent Schools, the Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools, the Delaware Association of Independent Schools, and the Friends Council on Education. Wilmington Friends is also part of the Malone Schools Online Network, a consortium of 27 schools nationwide providing 46 advanced classes to juniors and seniors.

WFS BY THE NUMBERS

students in grades 9-12

--------------------------

256

DIPLOMA REQUIREMENTS 4 credits in English 3 credits in World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures

65%

(through level 3 of one language, and at least two years of one language)

of students receive financial aid

3 credits in mathematics 3 credits in science 3 credits in social science/history

52

1.5 credits combined in performing arts and visual arts 1 course in Quakerism 2 semesters of Human Dynamics & Development 1 sport required per year 50 hours of community service .5 credit in computer science

--------------------

37%

of students identify as students of color *

students in the Class of 2027

--------------------

52

faculty who hold advanced degrees

(including American History and Global Peace and Justice)

16%

teaching faculty who are people of color **

*Reporting doesn't include students who have identified as White or Hispanic **Includes those who identify as Hispanic

G.P.A. CALCULATION G.P.A., ADVANCED COURSES, AND GRADING SCALE

Grade Point Average is computed using major courses. Although all courses are college preparatory, some are considered advanced and, as a reflection of academic rigor, are weighted one point (e.g., A = 5, C+ = 3.3). WFS offers a total of 47 IB, AP, Advanced, Honors, and Accelerated courses. Weighted courses in the current curriculum include*: .5 WEIGHTING:

Advanced 20th Century History; Calculus; IB/SL Chinese, year 1; IB/SL Computer Science; IB/SL English; IB/SL French; IB Mathematical Analysis and Approaches SL, year 2; IB/SL Spanish; IB/SL History; IB/TOK; Music Major; Visual Arts Major 1.0 WEIGHTING:

Advanced Biology 2; Advanced Chemistry 2; Advanced Physics 2; Advanced Placement (AP) courses; All IB/HL courses; IB Chinese SL, year 2; IB/SL Biology; IB/SL Physics; IB/SL Chemistry; IB/SL Music

To review our curriculum, visit wilmingtonfriends.org and click on Our Programs > Upper School

LETTER GRADE, NUMERICAL EQUIVALENT, GRADE POINTS A AB+ B BC+

93 - 100 90 - 92 87 - 89 83 - 86 80 - 82 77 - 79

4 3.7 3.3 3 2.7 2.3

C C-

73 - 76 70 - 72

D+ 67 - 69 1.3 D 63-66 1 D60 - 62 0.7 E 0 - 59 0.0 S = Satisfactory

CLASSES OF 2020 - 2026 SAT DISTRIBUTION EVIDENCE-BASED READING & WRITING MEAN

626

25TH PERCENTILE

568

75TH PERCENTILE

680

MATH MEAN

25TH PERCENTILE

615 549

*Please note, this list is subject to change each academic year 75TH PERCENTILE

2 1.7

686


GRADES EARNED BY THE CLASS OF 2027 IN 2025 - 2026 ENGLISH

A

A-

B+

B

B-

C+

C

C-

D+

D

D-

E

English: Journeys IB English HL: Journeys IB English SL: Journeys English: Power and Performance IB English HL: Power and Performance

0 7 1 9 1

0 5 0 6 0

0 3 0 2 1

2 5 0 1 0

1 3 0 1 0

0 1 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0

0 4 0 0 0

1 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0

WORLD LANGUAGES, LITERATURES, AND CULTURESA

A-

B+

B

B-

C+

C

C-

D+

D

D-

E

Chinese 4 IB Chinese SL1 IB French HL1 IB French SL Spanish 2 - Modified Spanish 3 Spanish 3 - Modified IB Spanish HL1 IB Spanish SL 1 IB Spanish SL

2 3 0 0 0 5 0 11 2 0

0 1 0 2 0 2 0 1 0 0

0 0 1 1 0 1 0 2 0 0

1 1 0 3 1 1 0 0 0 1

0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 5 1 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

MATHEMATICS

A

A-

B+

B

B-

C+

C

C-

D+

D

D-

E

AP Statistics Discrete Mathematics IB Math Analysis and Approaches HL1 IB Math Analysis and Approaches SL1 - Precalculus IB Math Analysis and Approaches SL1 - Statistics Math Analysis Precalculus

1 1 5 2 4 2 6

0 1 3 2 1 2 3

0 1 1 0 2 1 1

0 0 0 3 1 0 1

0 0 0 1 1 2 1

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 1 1 0 1 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

SCIENCE

A

A-

B+

B

B-

C+

C

C-

D+

D

D-

E

Adv Chemistry 2 Environmental Science General Biology IB Biology HL1 IB Biology SL IB Chemistry SL

0 1 0 5 1 1

0 0 1 3 0 0

1 0 0 6 1 2

0 0 1 3 0 1

0 0 0 7 1 0

0 1 2 1 0 0

0 2 1 1 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 2 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

HISTORY/SOCIAL SCIENCE

A

A-

B+

B

B-

C+

C

C-

D+

D

D-

E

Global Politics IB Global Politics SL IB History: Europe HL1 IB History SL IB World Religions SL World Religions

1 2 15 1 2 2

1 1 5 0 1 2

0 1 2 0 1 2

1 1 2 0 1 0

0 0 1 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 1 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

VISUAL ARTS

A

A-

B+

B

B-

C+

C

C-

D+

D

D-

E

IB Visual Arts HL1 Visual Arts Major 1 Electives

2 0 4

4 1 1

0 0 2

0 0 1

0 0 0

0 0 0

0 0 0

0 0 0

0 0 0

0 0 0

0 0 0

0 0 0

PERFORMING ARTS

A

A-

B+

B

B-

C+

C

C-

D+

D

D-

E

Electives

8

2

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

COMPUTER

A

A-

B+

B

B-

C+

C

C-

D+

D

D-

E

Computer Science Major Electives

0 12

1 1

0 3

0 1

1 0

0 0

0 0

0 0

0 0

0 0

0 0

0 0

IB THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE

A

A-

B+

B

B-

C+

C

C-

D+

D

D-

E

IB Theory of Knowledge

24

4

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0


GRADUATE INFORMATION 2025- 2026 Students from the classes of 2025 and 2026 were accepted to the following colleges and universities. Bold type and number in parentheses denotes matriculation from the class of 2026. Allegheny College Alvernia University American University Amherst College Arcadia University Arizona State University (Tempe) Art Center College of Design Auburn University Bard College Baylor University Binghamton University Boston College (2) Boston University Bowdoin College Cardiff University Carleton University Case Western Reserve University Catholic University of America Clark Atlanta University Clark University Clarkson University Clemson University Coastal Carolina University College of Charleston Colorado College Connecticut College Davidson College Delaware Technical Community College Delaware Valley University Denison University Dickinson College Drew University Drexel University Eckerd College Elon University Emory University Endicott College Fairfield University Flagler College Florida Atlantic University Florida Gulf Coast University Fordham University Franklin & Marshall College (2) George Mason University George Washington University Georgetown University Gettysburg College Goucher College Hampshire College Haverford College Hawai'i Pacific University High Point University Hobart and William Smith Colleges Hofstra University IE University Immaculata University Indiana University (Bloomington) (2) Ithaca College James Madison University Juniata College Kenyon College Kutztown University of Penn La Salle University Lafayette College

Lehigh University Lewis & Clark College Louisiana State University Loyola University Maryland Maine Maritime Academy Marist University Massachusetts Maritime Academy McDaniel College McMaster University Michigan State University Middlebury College Montclair State University Moravian University Muhlenberg College Neumann University New College of Florida North Carolina Central University North Carolina State University Northeastern University Norwich University Pace University (New York City) Palm Beach Atlantic University Penn State University (University Park) Penn State University (Brandywine) Pratt Institute Providence College Purdue University (Main Campus) Quinnipiac University Randolph-Macon College Reed College Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Roanoke College Rochester Institute of Technology Roger Williams University Rollins College Rowan University Rutgers University (New Brunswick) Saint Joseph's College of Maine Saint Joseph's University Saint Vincent College Salisbury University Salve Regina University San Diego State University Sarah Lawrence College Seton Hall University Simon Fraser University Skidmore College Smith College Southern Methodist University Springfield College Stevenson University Stony Brook University SUNY Maritime College SUNY Morrisville SUNY University at Buffalo Susquehanna University Syracuse University Temple University The College of Wooster The University of Alabama The University of Tampa The University of Tennessee (Knoxville) The University of Texas at Austin Thomas College Thomas Jefferson University

Towson University Trinity College Tufts University Tulane University of Louisiana Union College University of Arizona University of California (Berkeley) University of California (Davis) University of California (Irvine) University of California (Los Angeles) University of California (San Diego) University of California (Santa Barbara) University of California (Santa Cruz) University of Central Florida University of Colorado Boulder University of Connecticut University of Delaware (11) University of Denver University of Florida University of Georgia University of Hawaii at Manoa University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign University of Kentucky University of Louisville University of Maine University of Mary Washington University of Maryland (Baltimore County) University of Maryland (College Park) University of Massachusetts (Amherst) University of Miami University of Michigan University of Minnesota (Twin Cities) University of Mississippi University of New Hampshire (Main Campus) University of North Carolina Wilmington University of Notre Dame University of Pennsylvania University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh) University of Rhode Island University of Richmond University of Rochester University of San Diego University of South Carolina University of South Florida (Main Campus) University of Southern Maine University of Utah University of Vermont University of Victoria University of Virginia (Main Campus) University of Washington (Seattle Campus) Vassar College Villanova University Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Wake Forest University (3) Washington & Jefferson College Washington College Washington University St. Louis West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Virginia State University Wheaton College - MA Whittier College Widener University William & Mary Worcester Polytechnic Institute


ACADEMIC PHILOSOPHY Wilmington Friends requires its students to demonstrate mastery of factual material and traditional skills, but also requires that they work at a high level as true thinkers, able and eager to move beyond what is presented to them, applying learning to new and real-world situations. Within a challenging yet caring community, students are evaluated based on course objectives and are supported in all areas of their growth, from physical, social, and spiritual to intellectual and cognitive. The IB is a natural fit with the philosophy and program at Friends, with an emphasis on high academic standards, global perspective, informed and engaged citizenship, respect for others, and the application of classroom experience to the world beyond.

CULTURE OF THE SCHOOL In our diverse school community, the typical Wilmington Friends students challenge themselves to pursue their personal best while recognizing their responsibility to the success and character of their communities communities as small as the classroom and as large as the world. They understand the importance of their own voices while being open to difference, respecting the views, traditions, and unique identities of others. They are both honestly self-reflective and actively outward-focused, in the Quaker tradition.

STUDENT GOVERNMENT Upper school governance includes a Meeting for Business, which involves all students and staff. Modeled on the Quaker Meeting for Business, this organization and its committees, both standing and ad hoc, offer students distinctive opportunities for leadership and participation. The leaders of these school committees are referred to as clerks.

SENIOR EXPLORATION During the Senior Exploration in May, students are encouraged to integrate and apply skills and knowledge, with reflection on their growth as learners, through a real-world experience. Such experiences might include career internships, service projects, or a language/cultural immersion. Each student formulates a personal question as a guide to the exploration, works with an adult mentor, and makes a concluding presentation to a panel of faculty, students, parents, and others with relevant expertise.

SERVICE Students at Wilmington Friends are required to perform 50 hours of service during a 12-month period during their upper school years. The service must be outside the school community and represent steady involvement with one sponsor agency. Following completion of an approved service project, students must receive a satisfactory agency evaluation; complete a self-evaluation; and prepare an essay or presentation designed to extend the impact, and opportunity, of the service experience to others.

MASTERY PROGRAM/INDEPENDENT STUDY During their Friends School careers, students are offered the opportunity to pursue a project (or projects) enabling them to attain and demonstrate an exceptionally high degree of mastery in a field of their choice. Students also have the opportunity to do independent study for credit by contract. In recent years, students have initiated mastery projects and independent study in fields such as laboratory methods in molecular genetics, documentary film-making, Euclidean geometry, vocal performance and recording production, and American Sign Language.

QUEST CENTER The QUEST program supports service learning trips on an annual basis, including to El Paso (witnessing immigration issues), Acadia (sustainability), South Africa (social justice) and the Dominican Republic (literacy campaign). QUEST Scholars are those who have completed more than 150 hours of service focused on an essential learning question related to social justice and equity during their years in upper school.

HONORS AND AWARDS In the Quaker tradition, Wilmington Friends does not emphasize individual honors, and the awards we do present focus on character, leadership, and contribution to the class and to the School. In addition to commendations for service to the School (leadership in activities, athletics, publications, etc.), for which any faculty member may nominate a student, Wilmington Friends presents ten named awards each year: John Marshall Mendinhall II, Class of 1939, Memorial Award Charles W. Bush, Class of 1900, Award Howard W. Starkweather, Jr., Class of 1944, Community Service Award Eden Wales, Class of 1999, English Award

The Upper School World Language Award Jordan Wales, Class of 1997, History Award Amanda Spackman Gehret, Class of 1951, Memorial Mathematics Award Wyeth Brothers Performing Arts Award Robert P. Hukill, Class of 1949, Science Award Wyeth Brothers Visual Arts Award

INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE PROGRAM Friends School offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) program to all interested and academically capable students in their junior and senior years. Recognized for its rigor by colleges and universities around the world, the IB program also complements the School’s own commitment to a global and interdisciplinary curriculum. Any Friends student may elect to take the full IB diploma program or individual IB courses. In addition to courses offered in the five major academic areas (English, math, natural/computer sciences, history, world language) as well as the arts, all IB Diploma candidates must take a Theory of Knowledge course, complete the Extended Essay, and engage in athletic, service, and creative programs (CAS). Since WFS began offering the IB program in 2002, more than 95 percent of WFS juniors and seniors elected to take IB courses for either the diploma or certificates; more than 40 percent took the full Diploma program; and 91 percent of those candidates earned their IB diploma.

MALONE SCHOOLS ONLINE NETWORK The Malone Schools Online Network (MSON) provides motivated upperlevel students at participating Malone Schools with a variety of academically challenging courses that enhance each member school’s existing curriculum. These interactive seminars bring students together from across the country with dedicated teachers in real time. MSON joins the best of independent school education with the latest video conferencing technology to chart new territory in online learning. Each MSON course takes a blended approach, combining synchronous instruction—real-time video conferencing seminars—with asynchronous instruction—recorded lectures and exercises students complete outside of the class. The virtual discussion seminar is delivered in high-definition classroom set-ups.

SUSPENSIONS In accordance with Wilmington Friends School policy and best practices of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), we report all suspensions to colleges.

TRANSCRIPTS As per best registrar practices and Wilmington Friends School policy, transcripts for all high school grades from all institutions will be sent to colleges, including: Transfers from other high schools Students who repeat a grade Students who study elsewhere during high school (i.e., SYA, AFS, etc.)

CONTACT INFORMATION Kenneth E. Aldridge Head of School 302.576.2900 kaldridge@wilmingtonfriends.org

Rose Gnade Director of College Guidance 302.576.2920 rgnade@wilmingtonfriends.org

J.R. Neiswender Head of Upper School 302.576.2906 jneiswender@wilmingtonfriends.org

Zoe Osborne Associate Director of College Guidance 302.576.2923 zosborne@wilmingtonfriends.org Erica Brown ’12 Upper School Registrar and College Guidance Coordinator 302.576.2919 ebrown@wilmingtonfriends.org


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
26-27 School Profile by Wilmington Friends School - Issuu