Everybody smiles a lot. That's one of the first things you'll notice at Oakwood Friends School. Perhaps it's because Oakwood emphasizes individuality, not uniformity.
Held high is respect for the value of each student, teacher, and staff member. The resulting spirit of common trust enables an honest, open exchange of ideas among all campus members.
An independent, college preparatory school serving grades 5-12. Founded in 1796, Oakwood is one of the oldest co-ed boarding and day schools in America and first in New York state. Our commitment to strong academics, excellent college preparatory program, and great location, just 1-1/2 hours North of NYC in the beautiful Hudson Valley, are just a few of the many reasons to have Oakwood on your list. Oakwood Friends School, guided by Quaker principles, educates and prepares young people for lives of conscience, compassion, and accomplishment. Students experience a challenging curriculum within a diverse community dedicated to nurturing the spirit, the scholar, the artist, and the athlete in each person.
Quick Stats (2023-24)
- Grades: (Boarding) 8-12
- Enrollment: 191 students
- Yearly Tuition (Boarding Students): $66,700
- Yearly Tuition (Day Students): $37,275
- Average class size: 12 students
- Application Deadline: Feb. 15 / rolling
- Source: Verified school update
Upcoming Events and News
- Virtual Event - Sun., February 04, 2024 10:00am (EST) - get more information!
- Virtual Event - Sun., April 07, 2024 10:00am (EDT) - get more information!
- Virtual Event - Sun., April 21, 2024 10:00am (EDT) - get more information!
- Open House - Sun., May 19, 2024 - get more information!
- Oakwood Alum will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at GRAMMY Award Ceremony - 04/03/2022Oakwood Friends School alum, Bonnie Raitt, Class of 1967, will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Special Merit Awards Ceremony during the 64th Annual GRAMMY Award Ceremony on April ...more3rd, 2022 at 8:00 PM. The award celebrates "performers who have made outstanding contributions of artistic significance to the field of recording." hide
- Oakwood teacher travels to China for philosophy conference - 08/23/2018Our Humanities teacher, Stephen Miller is actually the president of the mid-Hudson Valley Model UN Chapter for all schools in our area. He does amazing work with our students ...moreand was recognized as one of three keynote speakers selected to present at the single largest international philosophy conference in the world the 24th World Congress of Philosophy hosted at Peking University in Beijing summer of 2018. hide
- Fox New's Juan Williams '72 returns to Oakwood - 05/10/2017Nationally known journalist, author, political analyst and regular panelist on the Fox News Channel, alumnus Juan Williams returned to Oakwood Friends School to present the Caroline "Dash" Davis Gleiter `51 ...moreLecture on Social Justice.
A contributor to Fox News Channel since 1997 and is currently a co-host of FNC`s "The Five" and a regular panelist on "Fox News Sunday" and "Special Report with Bret Baier." The author of six books including the best seller, "Eyes on the Prize: America`s Civil Rights Years, 1954-1965" and the critically acclaimed biography "Thurgood Marshall: American Revolutionary," Juan Williams has received many awards for his writing and investigative journalism. He has interviewed numerous influential people including five presidents: Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Barack Obama. Many colleges and universities have recognized his work by awarding him Honorary Doctorates.
Now in its 13th year, this lecture series was established by classmates in memory of Dash Davis Gleiter in recognition of her work in civil rights and her lifetime of volunteer activities to promote social justice. hide - Oakwood Friends School installs solar array - 06/07/2016Oakwood Friends School has partnered with Solar City to install a 2-acre solar array on campus, part of its efforts to become a more sustainable and energy efficient school.
- Oakwood student chosen for internatioanal philosphy competition - 06/07/2016Caroline Norfleet of Croton-on-Hudson, a senior at Oakwood Friends School, Poughkeepsie, was one of two students chosen nationally to compete in the International Philosophy Olympiad (IPO) to be held in ...moreGhent, Belgium May 12-15. hide
Top Rankings
Oakwood Friends School ranks among the top 20 boarding schools (out of 288 schools) for:
Category
Attribute
School History
School Overview
School Focus
College Preparatory
College Preparatory
Grades Offered (Boarding)
8-12
8-12
Grades Offered (Day)
5-12
7-12
School Type
Co-ed
Co-ed
Learning Difference Programs
Dyslexia / Language-based or Mild Learning Differences
n/a
Year Founded
1796
1907
Campus Size
63 acres
130 acres
School Calendar
Student Body
Enrollment
191 students
314 students
% Students of Color
52%
25%
% International Students
6%
20%
% Students Boarding
57%
67%
Offers Post-Grad Year
No
No
Academics and Faculty
Saturday Classes
No
No
Student : Teacher Ratio
5:1
7:1
# of AP / Advanced Courses Offered
7
17
% Faculty with Advanced Degree
73%
71%
Summer Program Offered
No
Yes
Tuition Cost
Endowment Size
$6 million
$25 million
Yearly Tuition
(Boarding Students)
(Boarding Students)
$66,700
$63,925
Yearly Tuition
(Day Students)
(Day Students)
$37,275
(Middle School Day = $30,300)
(Middle School Day = $30,300)
$35,185
Tuition international students
$72,475
$55,200
Yearly Tuition
(5 Day Boarding)
(5 Day Boarding)
$56,925
$46,000
% Students on Financial Aid
40%
40%
Avg. Financial Aid Grant
$21,275
$25,000
Merit Scholarships Offered
No
No
Acceptance Rate
Application Deadline
Feb. 15 / rolling
Jan. 15
Director of Admissions
Nicolas Ugarte
Associate Director of Admissions
Grace Obee and Anita Jones
AP / Advanced Courses
# of AP / Advanced Courses Offered
7
17
Courses
AP Biology, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Chemistry, AP English, AP French, AP Spanish
Sports
# Interscholastic Sports Offered
10
16
Extracurriculars
Total Extracurricular Organizations
33
23
Extracurriculars
Club or Organization:
Academic Committee, Academic World Quest, Animal Rights Club, Anime Club, Book Club, Business Club, Chess Club, Friends (S.P.I.C.E.) Club, Garden Club, Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA), Judicial Committee, Library Committee, Model United Nations, Nominating Committee, Piano Ensemble Club, Spectrum, Student Government, Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), Table Top Gaming Club, Tea Club, Yearbook Club
Arts and Music Programs:
Calligraphy Club, Dance Club, Drama Club, Ensemble, Oakword - Literary & Art Magazine, Orchestra
Recreational Athletic Programs:
Fitness Club, Martial Arts, Parks Club, Running Club, Ski Club, Yoga
Academic Committee, Academic World Quest, Animal Rights Club, Anime Club, Book Club, Business Club, Chess Club, Friends (S.P.I.C.E.) Club, Garden Club, Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA), Judicial Committee, Library Committee, Model United Nations, Nominating Committee, Piano Ensemble Club, Spectrum, Student Government, Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), Table Top Gaming Club, Tea Club, Yearbook Club
Arts and Music Programs:
Calligraphy Club, Dance Club, Drama Club, Ensemble, Oakword - Literary & Art Magazine, Orchestra
Recreational Athletic Programs:
Fitness Club, Martial Arts, Parks Club, Running Club, Ski Club, Yoga
College Matriculation
Year: 2009 - 2012
10 Most Popular College Choices (# Enrolled)
Drexel University
4
Goucher College
4
New York University
4
Boston University
3
George Washington University
3
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
3
SUNY Purchase
3
University of California, Irvine
3
Vassar College
3
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
2
School Notes
- Oakwood focuses on the individual learner, and cultivating a diversified community of students and staff in an atmosphere of mutual respect and enrichment.
- In striving to fulfill its mission, Oakwood Friends School provides rigorous academic preparation based on primary texts and hands-on learning respects the minds and imaginations of students and focuses on intellectual skills and habits.
- Oakwood encourages powerful thinkers whose abilities are nurtured through artful teaching, thoughtful assessment, and individual attention.
- Students and adults within the community learn through inquiry, reflection, and action in daily life; search for truth, valuing the challenge of competing ideas; resolve conflicts through respecting and listening to one another; value and embrace the diversity of cultures and religions in our communities; work for the good of society through active service learning; and act courageously in alignment with core moral beliefs.
- Oakwood fosters an accepting environment based upon the Quaker principle that each individual is worthy and capable of meaningful insight and truth.
- Oakwood provides an array of opportunities in the arts, athletics, and learning experiences beyond the campus to encourage creativity, self-expression, cooperation, and team-work guides students toward the responsibilities of community life and community involvement, through leadership and service both on the campus and beyond creates and sustains a vibrant residential and educational community that embraces students in grades five through twelve as well as faculty and families representing every stage of life and a diverse range of experiences and backgrounds.
- LD types supported: Dyslexia / Language-based or Mild Learning Differences
- Oakwood Friends School accreditations: NYSAIS; NAIS
- Sample of notable school alumni/alumnae:
- Juan Williams - Political Commentator, Journalist, Author
- Hugo Sonnenschein - President Emeritus, University of Chicago
- Mark Strand - Pulitzer Prize winning poet and former Poet Laureate of the United States
- Bonnie Raitt - GRAMMY Acclaimed American Musician, 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner, Political Activist
- Jarvis, Thomas and Peter Rockwell - Sons of painter Norman Rockwell
- Robert Turner - Internationally known ceramist
- Lucretia Mott - Quaker, abolitionist, women's rights activist, and social reformer who helped launch the women's rights movement, the 1st Women's Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, NY, which ignited the fight for women suffrage, earning women the right to vote in the USA
- Jonathan Talbot - An American collage artist, painter, and printmaker. He also is the creator of an innovative collage technique that eliminates liquid adhesives from the collage-assembly process.
- Keith Bunin - Keith Bunin is an American dramatist and screenwriter. More recently known for writing "Onward", the computer-animated urban fantasy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures.
- Jennifer Yee - Discovered a planet. Awarded a Carl Sagan Exoplanet Postdoctoral Fellowship by NASA, and currently based at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Source: Verified school update
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Oakwood Friends School cost?
Oakwood Friends School's tuition is approximately $66,700 for boarding students and $37,275 for day students.
Who are famous alumni from Oakwood Friends School?
Oakwood Friends School famous alumni include: Juan Williams, Hugo Sonnenschein, Mark Strand, Bonnie Raitt, Jarvis, Thomas and Peter Rockwell, Robert Turner, Lucretia Mott, Jonathan Talbot, Keith Bunin and Jennifer Yee.
What sports does Oakwood Friends School offer?
Oakwood Friends School offers 10 interscholastic sports: Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Cross Country Running, Dance, Soccer, Softball, Tennis, Ultimate Frisbee and Volleyball.
What is Oakwood Friends School's ranking?
Oakwood Friends School ranks among the top 20 boarding schools for Oldest founding date.
When is the application deadline for Oakwood Friends School?
The application deadline for Oakwood Friends School is Feb. 15 / rolling (applications are due on Feb. 15 but additional applications are reviewed year-round as space permits ).
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The nearest boarding school to Oakwood Friends School is New York Military Academy (15.4 miles away)
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Location
Miles
Grades
Students
699 students 44.6 miles 49 Clinton Avenue
Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522
(914) 479-6420
Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522
(914) 479-6420
44.6
9-12
5-12
5-12
699
110 students 61.8 miles 110 Darrow Road
New Lebanon, NY 12125
(518) 704-2760
New Lebanon, NY 12125
(518) 704-2760
61.8
9-12, PG
110
222 students 88.7 miles 14 Pine Valley Road
Hoosick, NY 12089
(518) 686-7331
Hoosick, NY 12089
(518) 686-7331
88.7
8-12, PG
222
127 students 64 miles 541 Long Beach Road
Saint James, NY 11780
(631) 686-1600
Saint James, NY 11780
(631) 686-1600
64
6-12, PG
127
190 students 181.8 miles 92 Northwood Road
Lake Placid, NY 12946
(518) 523-3382
Lake Placid, NY 12946
(518) 523-3382
181.8
9-12, PG
190
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