Quaker school in Haverford, Pennsylvania, ends grades 1-5 to focus on early childhood education

Friends School Haverford, a Quaker institution that has served the community since 1885, is shifting its focus to early childhood education. According to a 2025 report from Patch, the 2025-26 school year is the last in which the school will offer Grades 1 through 5, ending 140 years of elementary education. Mainline Media News, reporting in July 2026, said the school officially closed its first through fifth grades at the end of the 2025-2026 school year, which concluded on June 9. The school now serves children from age one through kindergarten.

Patch reported that the decision was announced the previous fall and that the school committee cited educational trends as the primary reason. According to that report, more local families were enrolling their elementary-age children in public schools while demand for early-childhood education had grown.

The school committee chose Dr. Kimberly Blake, an education administrator with two decades of experience in organizational change, to lead the transition. Patch reported that Blake was appointed as head of school in July, and Mainline Media News said she assumed the role on July 1.

Both outlets reported on enrollment for the coming year, though they framed the figures differently. Patch said that by the end of July, 77 students were enrolled for the upcoming school year, which surpassed enrollment in the prior three years of 71, 64, and 70. Mainline Media News said that within weeks of Blake’s arrival, she and Director of Admissions Olivia Brangan had enrolled 77 children before August, which it described as 87 percent of the school population. Patch reported that the school had 12 remaining spaces and that waiting lists existed for the 1-year-old class and the PreK program for ages 3 and 4. Mainline Media News said the school expects those remaining 12 open slots to be filled before the 2026-2027 school year begins on August 31.

The school’s move toward the youngest learners reflects care for young children, a concern for those who most need protection (Mark 9:42).