Where Every Child Is Known, Valued, and Empowered to Change the World
Massachusetts's only Quaker school combining progressive academics, radical diversity, and the values that matter—in a community of just 145 students where your child will never be lost in the crowd.
Early Childhood
In Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten, our youngest students find a love of learning through projects and play.
Lower School
In our Lower School, our students explore their capabilities, academically, socially, and individually.
Middle School
In sixth through eighth grade, our middle schoolers take their learning in hand with an advanced curriculum and kind mentors.
Learn What Makes Quaker Education Different
Cambridge, MA
Where Every Child Is Known, Valued, and Empowered to Change the World
Massachusetts's only Quaker school combining progressive academics, radical diversity, and the values that matter—in a close knit community of students where your child’s light will shine.
Learn What Makes Quaker Education Different
What others are saying
Our family is absolutely thrilled and grateful to be part of the CFS community. Small class sizes, diverse communities and wonderful teachers really help us feel seen and cared for as a family. I especially appreciate the thoughtfulness to which this school communicates with families both on an individual basis, and as a community. Between photos and notes sent home on classroom happenings to the school newsletter, we feel informed and connected. The after school program is a huge highlight for our child (and our family).
- Current Parent
Our daughter has had a wonderful kindergarten experience at Cambridge Friends. The community is diverse, engaged, and supportive and the teachers are wonderful. We've especially been impressed with the friendly and casual feel of the school, and with the depth of resources. Our daughter loves the extended day program (which is nice for us parents too!)In terms of education, the student-teacher ratio is impressive and we really see the impact of it in the feedback we get from teachers about our daughter and the ability to customize classroom activities to world events and questions from the kids. We're thrilled to be at CFS and recommend it highly!
- Current Parent
Our family had a wonderful experience at Cambridge Friends School, where our child thrived academically and personally. The school's commitment to Quaker SPICES—Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, and Stewardship—created a nurturing environment that fostered confidence, critical thinking, and a love of learning...This strong foundation led to our child’s success in high school and acceptance into their first-choice college. We are grateful for the academic rigor, values-driven education, and inclusive culture that shaped our child’s growth. CFS is a truly special place, and we highly recommend it to families seeking an education rooted in excellence, values, and meaningful community.
- Current Parent
Small is Our Strength
While other schools boast over 500 students and sprawling campuses, we've chosen to remain small. With our close-knit student body, every teacher knows your child's name, passions, and potential. Our graduates attend Phillips Exeter, MIT, and Harvard—proving that an intimate scale can create extraordinary outcomes.
A Hidden Oasis in Cambridge
Just 10 minutes from Porter Square T, our North Cambridge campus blends suburban calm with urban energy, steps from Harvard and MIT. Think outdoor science labs, drama productions, and reflective green spaces where kids thrive.
Your child will never be just a number here.
“Values of justice and peace animate all of school life... informing the curriculum with ethics and compassion.”
– Current Parent
Quaker Values
Our values are our guiding principles, central to the school’s vision and the day-to-day practices of the school. They are the grounding that informs our curriculum and anchors how our teachers approach learning and teaching. The spirit of inquiry is nurtured through queries, used for reflection or as the start of discussion in the classroom.
5 Superpowers Your Child Gains From a Quaker Education
Simplicity
Cut the noise. Kids learn to focus on what matters, chasing meaning over metrics. “What’s most important to you?”
Peace
Conflict becomes a catalyst. Kids master active peacemaking and empathy. “Can you be peaceful and powerful?”
Stewardship
Planet-savers from day one. Kids act for sustainability and justice. “How do you make the world better?”
Integrity
Truth-tellers with grit. Kids own their voice and learn from mistakes. “How do you tell hard truths?”
Community
Every voice is heard. Kids build inclusive teams and global allyship. “What do you bring to a community?
Explore Our Academic Programs
Students at Cambridge Friends School are challenged academically, supported individually, and known deeply. Through a combination of best-practices research, strong national benchmarks, and caring social and emotional support, students at Cambridge Friends School thrive in the classroom and out in the world. Beginning in PreK, every child receives free instrumental music instruction through Grade 2, fostering creativity and joy in learning from their earliest years.
Get More Information
"We chose CFS because we wanted a school that created the space for our child to be himself while developing a love of learning. It was important to us that the school we chose for our child supported him as he was and did not force him into some idealized notion of a child/student."
- Current Parent
Academics and Beyond
The education at Cambridge Friends School goes beyond academics with supporting education across many other areas:
Social and emotional learning and lessons that help students become thoughtful, emotionally intelligent people
Values-based learning connected to our Quaker values of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equity, and stewardship that connects with students’ academic learning
Physical education that teaches the body through movement on the playground or play garden, in PE class, and interscholastic sports teams
Arts that reach from poetry to drama to painting to string ensemble
Affinity groups that provide space to recognize and affirm each child’s lived experience
And this learning happens in community – a caring community that includes teachers, peers, and parents working together.
Early Childhood
In Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten, our youngest students find a love of learning through projects and play.
Lower School
In our Lower School, our students explore their capabilities, academically, socially, and individually.
Middle School
In sixth through eighth grade, our middle schoolers take their learning in hand with an advanced curriculum and kind mentors.
Academics and Beyond
The education at Cambridge Friends School goes beyond academics with supporting education across many other areas:
Affinity groups that provide space to recognize and affirm each child’s lived experience
Arts that reach from poetry to drama to painting to string ensemble
Physical education that teaches the body through movement on the playground or play garden, in PE class, and interscholastic sports teams
Values-based learning connected to our Quaker values of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equity, and stewardship that connects with students’ academic learning
Social and emotional learning and lessons that help students become thoughtful, emotionally intelligent people
And this learning happens in community – a caring community that includes teachers, peers, and parents working together.
ADMISSIONS
Welcome Prospective Families!
We’re so glad you’re interested in getting to know Cambridge Friends School! Choosing a school for your child is about more than just a place of education – it’s about community, growth in learning and character, support from teachers and peers, being seen and valued, inspiring curiosity, just to name some of the hopes and dreams you have for your child. Choosing a school is a big decision, and we’re here to help you through the process at Cambridge Friends School.
Here’s a little about us: Cambridge Friends is day-school for students entering Pre-Kindergarten to Eighth Grade. We are a welcoming learning community that is rooted in the Quaker values – Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equity, and Stewardship – and excellent academics that are imbued with the complexity of social justice. Each student is seen and known, while simultaneously being appropriately challenged within the classroom. At CFS, we seek to unlock each student’s full potential as a critical thinker today and as a compassionate leader of tomorrow.
If you would like to learn more about CFS and what we can offer your child, please fill out the inquiry form below. A member of our Admissions team will reach out to answer your questions, share information, and help in whatever way you need. We know this is a big step and it is our intention to reduce the stress and anxiety that comes with planning your child’s future as a learner and as a human.
Warm Regards,