Oakwood Friends School
22 Spackenkill Road
Poughkeepsie, NY 12603
Poughkeepsie, NY 12603
Tel: (845) 462-4200 Ext. 215
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.
Top Rankings
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Oakwood Friends School ranks among the top 20 boarding schools (out of 303 schools) for:
- Category Attribute
- School History Oldest founding date
| Definition of Terms | 2021 School Data | Oakwood Friends | Boarding School Avg. |
| School Focus | College Prep | College Preparatory |
| Grades Offered (Boarding) | 8-12 | 9-12 |
| Grades Offered (Day) | 5-12 | 9-12 |
| School Type | Co-ed | Co-ed |
| ADD/ADHD Support | Yes | Yes |
| Supports Learning Differences (LD) | Yes | Yes |
| Religious Affiliation | Quaker | Non-denominational |
| Year Founded | 1796 | 1907 |
| Campus Size | 63 acres | 125 acres |
Student Body
| Enrollment | 191 students | 300 students |
| % Students of Color | 52% | 25% |
| % International Students | 6% | 20% |
| % Students Boarding | 57% | 70% |
| Average SAT Score | 1250 | * National Avg. »View |
| Average ACT score | 22 | *National Avg. » View |
| Offers Post-Grad Year | No | No |
Academics and Faculty
| Saturday Classes | No | No |
| Classroom Dress Code | Casual | Casual |
| Average Class Size | 12 students | 12 *National School Avg. » 20 |
| Student : Teacher Ratio | 5:1 | 7:1 |
| # of AP / Advanced Courses Offered | 7 | 18 |
| ESL Courses Offered | Yes | Yes |
| % Faculty with Advanced Degree | 73% | 70% |
| Summer Program Offered | No | Yes |
Tuition Cost
| Endowment Size | $6 million | $25 million |
| Yearly Tuition (Boarding Students) | $66,700 | $59,500 |
| Yearly Tuition (Day Students) | $37,275 (Middle School Day = $30,300) | $33,500 |
| Tuition international students | $72,475 | $54,500 |
| Yearly Tuition (5 Day Boarding) | $56,925 | $44,100 |
| % 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 |
| Accepts Standardized Application | Yes | No |
| SSAT Required | No | Yes |
| Director of Admissions | Nicolas Ugarte | |
| Associate Director of Admissions | Grace Obee | |
Course Listings
| List of Courses Offered | Link to List of Courses |
AP / Advanced Courses
| # of AP / Advanced Courses Offered | 7 | 18 |
| Courses | AP Biology, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Chemistry, AP English, AP French, AP Spanish | |
Sports
| # Interscholastic Sports Offered | 10 | 16 |
| Sports | Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Cross Country Running, Dance, Soccer, Softball, Tennis, Ultimate Frisbee, Volleyball | |
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 | |
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 | |
| Link to Matriculation Data | ||
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 - Musician, 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.
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