Brooklyn Friends School
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| Founder 👔 | Religious Society of Friends |
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| 🌐 Website | [Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 665: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). ] |
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| https://m.facebook.com/bfs1867/?locale2=ar_AR | |
| https://www.instagram.com/brooklynfriends1867/?hl=en | |
| 💼 LinkedIN] | https://www.linkedin.com/school/brooklyn-friends-school/ |
School Background
Located in the thriving Downtown Brooklyn neighborhood, Brooklyn Friends School (BFS) is an independent Quaker school serving students two years old through grade 12.
BFS was founded in 1867 as a co-educational grade school by the Religious Society of Friends. With an initial student body of 17, the school was led by Mary Haviland, then a 23-year-old teacher. By 1902, we expanded to include Kindergarten, and in 1907, the Upper School Learning Community was added. Since its founding, BFS has been in continuous operation, providing a dynamic, diverse, and robust social/emotional environment and academic program that cultivates compassionate, intellectually curious, and confident societal changemakers.
Consistent with the Quaker belief in continual revelation, the School has evolved considerably over time, including its physical location. The School’s first physical home was at the now-landmarked Brooklyn Monthly Meeting House at 110 Schermerhorn Street. In the early 1970s, the School moved to larger, more spacious quarters at 375 Pearl Street, which was built in 1928 and previously housed the Brooklyn Law School. Much of that building, which currently is the home for our Early Childhood, Lower School, and Middle School Learning Communities, remains unchanged from its earliest days. Included are the two, person-operated elevators that have carried students to and from class for nearly a century.
As the School’s enrollment grew, additional locations were necessary. Currently, the Upper School (grades 9-12) is at 116 Lawrence Street, a few blocks away from 375 Pearl Street.
Vision, unveiled in the fall of 2023 after a year-long strategic planning process with
a representative committee of 20 colleagues, family members, and trustees. The new building represents a historic campus unification for BFS and a critical opportunity to extend our public purpose and social impact in Downtown Brooklyn.
Throughout its 157-year history, the School has been led by 22 Heads of School. Our current Head, Crissy Cáceres, joined BFS in 2019 as the first head of color and the first woman to lead the school in 33 years. From the outset, Crissy has navigated significant challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the wall-to-wall unionization of all non-leadership colleagues. Under her leadership, BFS has emerged as a thriving urban, Quaker, independent, unionized school serving students from age two through 12th grade.
Anchored by its mission, BFS operates as a cohesive community dedicated to student-centered education, which has Diversity, Equity, and Belonging, Global Social Impact, and Wholeness & Well-Being, as its three mighty pillars. Every aspect of the school reflects a commitment to caring, intentional, and joyful service to its 700+ students.
Mission Statement
Guided by the Quaker belief that there is a Divine Light in everyone, Brooklyn Friends School cultivates an intellectually ambitious and diverse community that celebrates each individual’s gifts. We challenge our students to value and embrace difference as they develop critical thinking skills and apply their knowledge and intelligence both in and out of the classroom. In this rich learning environment, we inspire all members of our community to voice their convictions, to discover and pursue their passions, and to seek truth. Our graduates are compassionate, curious, and confident global citizens who let their lives speak in the spirit of leadership and service.
Who we are
Brooklyn Friends is an independent, college preparatory Quaker school where the majority of the faculty holds advanced degrees, and the Upper School offers the academically challenging and highly esteemed International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. Our school is proud of its active, supportive parent body, our enthusiastic teachers and dedicated staff, and our thoughtful and articulate students. Together, we form a community reflective of a unique combination of intellect, energy, and heart.
Our Three Pillars
Diversity, Equity, and Belonging
Values of equity, community, wholeness, imagination, learning and justice are enacted at BFS in authentic ways through the collective responsibility we all hold in our hands. In the spirit of centering all the ways we do the work, there are countless ways in which our school—and our individual Learning Communities— illustrate the ways souls, humanity, character, and criticality are nurtured in our school—as a collective experience. This is work that is the heart of the Brooklyn Friends School mission and takes us from where we have always been in ways that are grounded in the “now” of our world for learning that is timely and enduring. Learn more.
Global Social Impact
Brooklyn Friends School has always been on the cutting edge of issues of the day and the current work of Global Social Impact is right on time. Led by Director of Global Social Impact , Kevin Murungi, BFS students and colleagues have been working on—and will continue to work on—many exciting projects and initiatives. All of them are directly aligned with BFS’ Strategic Vision—For BFS, For Brooklyn, For the World. Learn more.
Wholeness and Well-being
What does it mean for BFS to center Wholeness and Well-being as one of its Pillars? It means that our students and colleagues are healthy and thriving, our retention is strong, and our families are shining a light on the wellbeing that defines their children’s educational experiences. In our work we will continue to audit our health and wellness program, integrate a robust resilience & wellness curriculum within each learning community, invest in resources and professional learning for colleagues to best support students’ social-emotional, mental health and learning needs, and always center the wholeness and well-being of our students, colleagues, and families. Learn more.
