Frequently Asked Questions

See below for a list of our most frequently asked questions. Please visit use the buttons to the right to learn more or contact Director of Admissions & Program Angela DiMaria.

Admissions

When should I begin the application process?

What is the deadline for applying?

What happens on a personal tour and who should come?

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, in-person tours will be one-on-one, meaning one adult family member will tour campus with our Director of Admissions Angela DiMaria. At this time, children or other members of prospective families will not be able to attend the tour. Limiting on-campus visitors will help reduce risk for the safety of our community. To learn more about our COVID-19 protocols, read our COVID-19 Reopening Plan for Fall 2020.

While we encourage families to first RSVP to a Virtual Admissions Open House if possible, all prospective families must Schedule a Personal Tour of MPFS. Parents/Guardians will meet with Director of Admissions Angela DiMaria, tour campus, and observe students and teachers in the classroom. We think a personal tour is the best way for prospective parents to see what happens here on campus every day, all year round. This one-on-one approach is also a reflection of our belief in honoring each child as an individual.

May I bring my child with me on my first visit?

What tuition payment options do I have?

Do you offer financial aid?

Virtual Open House

MPFS Fast Facts

Faculty & Directory

Accreditation

MPFS Graduates

Where do MPFS graduates go?
How do MPFS graduates transition to high school?

Where do MPFS graduates go?

Our 8^th Graders and their families work with the Director of Admissions and Advisor to find an appropriate match for high school. Recent graduates have been accepted by the following schools: Agnes Irwin School, Archmere Academy, Baldwin School, Church Farm School, Friends' Central, Friends Select, Haverford School, Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy, Kimberton Waldorf School, Malvern Preparatory School, Penn Charter, Shipley, Springside School, Tower Hill School, Westtown, Wilmington Friends and Woodlynde. Some graduates choose to attend their local public high schools.

How do MPFS graduates transition to high school?

Alumni and their parents advise us that the transition to high school goes quite smoothly. Our graduates leave well-equipped with the tools to succeed: strong writing, critical thinking, research, technology, social and self-advocacy skills, solid content mastery and a strong sense of who they are as individuals. High schools report that MPFS graduates stand out as engaged learners.

MPFS Values

Our family is not Quaker - will we be comfortable in a Quaker school?
What does S.P.I.C.E.S mean?

Our family is not Quaker - will we be comfortable in a Quaker school?

MPFS doesn’t seek to inculcate a particular set of beliefs or doctrines. To the contrary, we actively seek to learn about the diverse beliefs of our school families and faculty and others around the world. Within our school community in any given year are Christians of numerous denominations, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims, along with agnostics and atheists. Click here to learn more about Friends Education.

What does S.P.I.C.E.S mean?

School Day & Student Activities

What hours does the school operate?

Do you offer care during school holidays?

Does MPFS provide transportation?

21 school districts provide free transportation to and from MPFS: Chester-Upland, Chichester, Garnet Valley, Great Valley, Haverford Township, Interboro, Lower Merion, Marple Newtown, Penn-Delco, Philadelphia, Radnor Township, Ridley, Rose Tree Media, Southeast Delco, Springfield, Tredyffrin/Easttown, Upper Darby, Unionville-Chadds Ford, Wallingford-Swarthmore, West Chester and William Penn. We recommend that you contact the transportation department of your local school district for details.

Do you offer competitive sports?

Are your teachers certified/What kinds of backgrounds do your teachers have?

Do you use standardized tests?

MPFS students in 5^th-8^th Grade take ERBs. Our primary goal in using these tests is to provide students with practice in taking standardized tests, because, for now at least, they can expect to encounter them as part of the admissions process for independent secondary schools, in any public high school they might attend, and as part of the college admissions process. And, unlike in large schools, our teachers have the ability to look at individual student and overall class results, question by question, to assess mastery and needs for review.

How can families be involved at MPFS?

We invite our families to share in the education of their children because, when joined by a common set of beliefs and purpose, teachers, families and administration are a powerful partnership. All parents of MPFS students are also automatically members of the school’s Family Association, which builds community within the school, staffs events throughout the year (Bookfair, Pizza Pumpkin Night, Annual Auction, etc.) and supports faculty and administration.

Families can also volunteer to become Class Ambassadors. Class Ambassadors are dedicated parents who help foster a sense of community among MPFS families. As an advocate for MPFS, Class Ambassadors are asked to plan two simple social gatherings* for their assigned class. They are also responsible for communicating and promoting school events and other school happenings to parents/guardians and members of our MPFS community.

Ambassadors are instrumental to building bonds within the classes, expanding the reach of MPFS in the community and spreading the word about the school and all the wonderful things we do.

*If possible, while keeping in place the proven mitigation tools that include wearing masks and maintaining social distancing during the pandemic.

How does lunch work?

Students at MPFS eat lunch in their own classrooms or, weather permitting, on the playground. Families may order lunch for their student through Yay Lunch. Yay Lunch provides freshly made, balanced meals for students, faculty, and staff through a simple online ordering process. All meals are prepared daily by local food partners and delivered to schools by the Yay Lunch team.