Friends School of Baltimore

What Friends School of Baltimore does

Friends School of Baltimore is a private, nonprofit, independent Quaker school founded in 1784 and located on a 35-acre campus at 5114 North Charles Street in Baltimore, Maryland. The institution operates a continuous educational continuum spanning Little Friends Early Learning Center (ages 6 weeks through 4 years) and four academic divisions: Pre-K and Lower School (Grades PK-5), Middle School (Grades 6-8), and Upper School (Grades 9-12), serving approximately 830 students with an employee base of roughly 209 across all departments. The school is led by Christian Donovan, its 13th Head of School, under a 24-member Board of Trustees with Joel Goldberg serving as Clerk; governance and ownership are independent with no parent company.

The school's core products are tuition-based educational programs with pricing structured annually and disclosed in tiered bands ranging from $26,500 (Pre-K) to $41,200 (Grades 9-12) for the 2026-27 academic year, supplemented by Little Friends early-learning tuition of $36,900 (under 2) and $28,100 (over 2). Adjacent revenue streams include Summer at Friends day camps (ages 4-13 with specialized tracks such as Technology Tapas and Robots & Rockets), facility rentals of campus assets like Forbush Auditorium and athletic fields, and the Quaker Closet campus store. Financial assistance exceeding $8 million was awarded for 2025-26, reflecting gross-to-net dynamics typical of nonprofit enrollment models.

Distinctive infrastructure includes dedicated Makerspaces in each academic division, award-winning Native Plant Teaching Gardens operated in partnership with the Guilford Garden Club (since 2005), and an Upper School Aquaponics system whose harvests are donated to the CARES Food Pantry. The school maintains signature programs (Community Partnerships, University Partnership, Scholars Certificate, William Penn Fellows, Social Justice Practitioners) and collaborates with the Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning on research-informed pedagogy. Distribution is exclusively direct-to-consumer via campus tours, shadow days, the myFriends admissions portal, and CampBrain summer registration; alumni referrals and a 5,500-member alumni network reinforce the community-led admissions funnel. Annual tuition represents the sole primary revenue engine, with summer camps, rentals, and store sales providing diversified but smaller auxiliary contribution.

Name

Friends School of Baltimore

Legal name

Friends School of Baltimore

Website

https://friendsbalt.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1784

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Friends School of Baltimore is a 240-year-old nonprofit independent Quaker day school in Baltimore, Maryland, serving approximately 830 students from age 6 weeks through Grade 12 via four academic divisions, with tuition-based enrollment, summer camps, and facilities-based differentiation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private K-12 Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Child and Youth Services (62411)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based (Religious) K–12 Schools (EDAJABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Preschools (EDACABAF), Faith-Based Nursery & Playgroups (EDACACAK)

Keywords

• Private K-12 education
• Quaker education
• Early childhood education
• College preparatory
• Summer camp programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Baltimore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition: Primary revenue stream from tuition payments for Pre-K through 12th grade students. Tuition rates for 2026-27 school year range from $26,500 (Pre-K) to $41,200 (Grades 9-12). Additional revenue from Little Friends Early Learning Center for children 6 weeks to 4 years old.
2. Summer Camp Programs: Year-round summer day camp programs serving children ages 4-13 with various camps including Junior Camp, Intermediate Camp, Senior Camp, Sports Camp, Visual Arts Camp, Technology camps, and Counselor-in-Training Program. Programs include lunch, beverage, and snack.
3. Facility Rentals: Campus facilities available for community events including athletic practices/games, concerts, lectures, and meetings. Rental revenue from spaces including Forbush Auditorium, Dining Hall, gymnasiums, athletic fields, and classrooms.
4. Campus Store (Quaker Closet): Official campus store carrying school supplies, Friends-themed clothing, spirit gear, and gift items. Operated Monday-Thursday 9:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. and Friday 9:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Friends School of Baltimore is an independent Quaker school offering comprehensive Pre-K through 12th grade education across Lower School, Middle School, and Upper School divisions, plus the Little Friends Early Learning Center for children ages 6 weeks to 4 years. The school delivers a values-based curriculum emphasizing Quaker principles of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship, supported by signature programs, college counseling, athletics, arts, and Summer at Friends day camp programs.

Product overview

Friends School of Baltimore is an independent Quaker school offering a comprehensive PK-12 educational program plus early childhood care through its Little Friends Early Learning Center (ages 6 weeks to 4 years). The school operates four academic divisions: Lower School (Pre-K through Grade 5), Middle School (Grades 6-8), and Upper School (Grades 9-12). Supporting programs include Extended Day care, Signature Programs (Community Partnerships, University Partnership, Scholars Certificate, William Penn Fellows, Social Justice Practitioners, Peer Educators, Student Assistant Teachers, Student Athlete Leadership Team, and Language Immersion), College Counseling, Athletics, and Arts. Summer operations include Summer at Friends day camps with various specialized programs including Technology Tapas and Robots & Rockets camps. Campus facilities feature dedicated Makerspaces in each division and Teaching Gardens. The school is powered by Finalsite for its web platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Little Friends Early Learning Center Full-service childcare and early learning center for children ages 6 weeks to 4 years old, offering developmentally appropriate practice with emergent curriculum and Magda Gerber's philosophy, guided by Quaker values.
• Lower School (Pre-K through Grade 5) Foundational division education program for Pre-K through Grade 5 emphasizing hands-on project-based learning, social-emotional development, and Quaker values within a supportive environment.
• Middle School (Grades 6-8) Middle division program for Grades 6-8 addressing adolescent intellectual and emotional development through cooperative learning, rigorous academics, and hands-on activities.
• Upper School (Grades 9-12) College preparatory program for Grades 9-12 offering challenging academics with individualized teacher partnerships, college counseling, and real-world application of learning.
• Summer at Friends Day Camps Summer day camp programs for children ages 4-15, including Junior Camp, Intermediate Camp, Senior Camp, Sports Camp, Visual Arts Camp, Technology Tapas, Robots & Rockets, and Counselor-in-Training programs; certified by the State of Maryland for Youth Camp Safety compliance.

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Guilford Garden Club (GGC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Long-standing partnership since 2005 with Guilford Garden Club led by Kay McConnell H'22, P'02, '05, '10. GGC has worked closely with Friends students, faculty, families, and extended community to create and maintain award-winning Native Plant Teaching Gardens throughout campus. GGC provides garden plans, planting supervision, and ongoing maintenance support.
• Stony Run MeetingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStony Run Meeting joined gardening efforts on campus in 2009 and works with GGC members and Friends Upper School Sustainability Club to design and maintain the Friends Community Garden. Meeting members have priority status on the Little Friends waitlist.
• CARES Food PantryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership for food security. Students in the Aquaponics Club and Friends Community Garden donate harvests to CARES food pantry, engaging students in lessons about healthy eating and obstacles facing those who cannot afford fresh food.
• Center for Transformative Teaching and LearningcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFriends was one of the first schools to partner with the Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning to work on the science of teaching. Research-informed teaching paves the way for superior outcomes in and beyond the classroom.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Garrison Forest School: Independent girls' school in suburban Baltimore with K-12 programming, signature programs, and comparable tuition pricing. Direct competitor for families prioritizing single-sex or Baltimore-area private education.
• Roland Park Country School: Independent K-12 school in north Baltimore with similar tuition tier, IAAM/MIAA athletics participation, and college-prep positioning. Overlapping applicant pool in the Baltimore private school market.
• Calvert School: Independent Baltimore lower/middle school (PK-8) competing for the same elementary and middle school families, with comparable tuition levels and progressive educational approach.
• Germantown Friends School: Philadelphia-area Quaker independent K-12 school with shared values-based Quaker educational philosophy, comparable size and program structure. Regional peer demonstrating the Quaker-school business model outside Baltimore.
• Gilman School: All-boys independent day school in Baltimore competing for the same upper-middle-class families, with overlapping athletics (MIAA) and college-prep outcomes. Competes for feeder students from the same Lower/Middle School cohort.
• McDonogh School: Large independent K-12 school in suburban Baltimore County with comparable tuition, signature programs, and college placement outcomes. Competes directly for families willing to consider suburban alternatives.
• Boys' Latin School of Maryland: Independent all-boys K-12 school in Baltimore with MIAA athletics and similar college-preparatory curriculum. Competes for the same Baltimore private school family demographic.
• Bryn Mawr School: All-girls independent school in Baltimore with comparable tuition pricing, college placement outcomes, and Quaker-adjacent progressive values. Direct competitor for the same families at coed alternatives like Friends.
• Park School of Baltimore: Independent progressive K-12 school in Baltimore serving a similar affluent, values-driven family base with comparable tuition levels and college-preparatory focus. Most directly comparable peer given overlapping philosophy, location, and family demographics.

Broad incumbents

• Sidwell Friends School: Elite Quaker K-12 school in Washington, D.C., serving as the brand benchmark for Quaker independent education nationally. Comparable values-based positioning and academic profile, though at a much larger scale and elite pricing tier.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLz_FRZkkV4bj9DEkRMCsHx0o3mnBzKcLi
• Facebookfacebook.com/friendsbalt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/friends-school-of-baltimore
• Instagraminstagram.com/friendsbalt
• Xx.com/friendsbalt

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Friends School of Baltimore