New Garden Friends School is located in Greensboro, North Carolina, and is the Triad`s only independent preschool through 12th grade school guided by Quaker values, and built upon the long-held standards of extraordinary Friends schools.
New Garden Friends School was founded in 1971 with the goal of educating children from differing backgrounds together in a positive, affirming, and safe environment.
The New Garden Friends School experience is defined by an experiential and hands-on curriculum, weekly school-wide participation in service, and shared practices that reflect an emphasis on community and equity.
Students are challenged to see themselves as agents of change and to actively engage in the needs of the world around them.
NGFS classrooms incorporate learning about and celebrating diversity in developmentally appropriate ways.
The values of community, social justice, and equality are woven into our everyday classroom practices.
Our belief in the power and promise of diversity encompasses people of different religious beliefs, economic and cultural backgrounds, races, nationalities, sexual orientations, genders, gender identities, gender expressions, physical and mental abilities, and ages. Diversity also refers to the various ways that families can be configured. Our community is made up of traditional families, families with same-sex parents, and families headed by grandparents and other family members.
Quick Stats (2024-25)
- Grades: Nursery/Preschool-12
- Enrollment: 256 students
- Average class size: 15 students
- Application Deadline: None / Rolling
- Source: Verified school update
School Overview
Religious Affiliation
Grades Offered
Grades Nursery/Preschool-12
ADD/ADHD Support
Yes
Learning Difference Programs
Yes
Year Founded
1971
School Calendar
Student Body
Total Students
256 students
Student Body Type
Co-ed
% Students of Color
15%
State avg.: 23%
Students by Grade
Academics and Faculty
Total Classroom Teachers
47 teachers
Student : Teacher Ratio
5:1
National avg.: 13:1
% Faculty w/Advanced Degree
40%
Average Class Size
15 students
Advanced Courses
Guilford College Courses available for qualified students, Honors Level Courses Offered
Classroom Dress Code
Casual
Tuition and Acceptance Rate
Admission Deadline
None / Rolling
Tuition Notes
$10,800-25,100 depending on grade level
% on Financial Aid
33%
Admissions Director
Christene Skidmore
Sports
Total Sports Offered
8 sports
Sports
Extracurriculars
Total ExtracurricularsTotal Extra-curric.
5 extracurriculars
ExtracurricularsExtra-curric.
Club or Organization:
Chess Club, Student Ambassadors, Student Council, Ultimate Frisbee Club
Arts and Music Programs:
Musical Theater (grades 3-6 and grades 7-12)
Chess Club, Student Ambassadors, Student Council, Ultimate Frisbee Club
Arts and Music Programs:
Musical Theater (grades 3-6 and grades 7-12)
School Notes
- New Garden Friends School is located in Greensboro, North Carolina, and is the Triad`s only independent preschool through 12th grade school guided by Quaker faith and practice, and built upon the long-held standards of extraordinary Friends schools. New Garden Friends School was founded in 1971 with the goal of educating children from differing backgrounds together in a positive, affirming, and safe environment.
- The New Garden Friends School experience is defined by an experiential and hands-on curriculum, weekly school-wide participation in service, and shared practices that reflect an emphasis on community and equality. Students are challenged to both see themselves as agents of change and to actively engage in the needs of the world around them.
- Features of the program include outdoor education, from gardening to extensive, week-long, class level trips beginning in 3rd grade; service learning, from preschool through 12th grade; art education, including visual arts, drama, and music; and opportunities at the Upper School to take college classes beginning the junior year.
- Contact admissions@ngfs.org to learnmore and take a tour.
- Mission Statement: New Garden Friends School seeks to be an inclusive, innovative educational community guided by Quaker beliefs and committed to honoring and developing each person's gifts.
Source: Verified school update
Frequently Asked Questions
What sports does New Garden Friends School offer?
New Garden Friends School offers 8 interscholastic sports: Basketball, Cross Country, Flag Football, Golf, Soccer, Swimming, Tennis and Volleyball.
When is the application deadline for New Garden Friends School?
The application deadline for New Garden Friends School is rolling (applications are reviewed as they are received year-round).
School Reviews
5 11/30/2020
NGFS fosters a love of learning and community like no other school! The dedicated teachers; a curriculum grounded in reading, writing, and critical thinking; strong arts and athletic program; Dual - enrollment opportunities with Guilford College and the inclusive social curriculum are just some advantages it offers its students. My son, who graduated in 2018 and now attends a highly selective liberal arts college in Ohio, gained not only a strong foundation in academics but also a mastery of a violin, and he now plays in his community orchestra. My daughter also discovered her passion for the arts at NGFS by performing in the school's outstanding musical theater program and taking a dance class in middle school. She is now applying to study dance at the college level and has already been accepted at several schools with academic and artistic scholarships. But even more important, NGFS has taught my kids how to lead by example, to give back to their communities, and to be successful in life.
5 11/25/2020
New Garden Friends School has been such a blessing to my daughter and our family. Everything about the school embodies the word "community." The faculty and staff treat the students like their own kids. The students genuinely care about one another and look out for each other. They respect property, each other, themselves and the earth. The homework is manageable so she can spend time outside of school in her personal interests. They leave room for time during school to engage with the larger Greensboro community, the other divisions of the school, and even travel the world exploring and enriching their lives. Our daughter has been given room to grow into herself during a time of lots of changes (middle school).
5 1/15/2020
We chose NGFS because we wanted a school that provides a meaningful school experience and fosters excitement for learning; that is intentionally a respectful, inclusive, and welcoming community; and that cares about the well-being of its students and what kind of people they are becoming. After 5 years at NGFS, we can’t imagine our son being at any other school. At NGFS we feel he is being prepared for authentic success. That is, we want him to thrive not just in school, but in life. NGFS cares about the world its students are in now and in the future. At NGFS our son is influenced by the values that characterize Friends schools and that are embedded in the fabric of NGFS: respect,
simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, stewardship, and service. He is growing up surrounded by a faculty that exemplifies and models these values. He is encouraged to be himself while at the same time experiencing what it means to be a member of an interdependent community. We believe that, having integrated these influences, he will take them with him out into the world. An
NGFS education truly is like no other.
5 1/6/2020
We love NGFS preschool! The teachers are excellent.
5 11/2/2018
My daughter graduated from NGFS last year. I cannot thank the school enough for the great preparation for life that she gained at this school. We were worried that going from a small graduating class to a large university of 40,000 students would be overwhelming, but it turns out that she is thriving and doing well socially and academically in all of her classes. She says that learning to effectively communicate with teachers, to advocate for herself and to have had the opportunity to take classes at Guilford really prepared her for the challenges of college. My husband and I were very grateful for all of the college counseling. The staff worked with her through the whole process and we never had to read an essay- she was accepted to all the schools to which she applied. Thank you NGFS! Parent of Alumna- class of 2018
5 1/25/2018
It would be difficult to overstate the magnitude of the positive experience our family has had with this school. The teachers are highly experienced and do a stellar job in developing a thorough knowledge of each child allowing for an individualized approach to learning and development. In addition to an exemplary academic curriculum the school places a high priority on social/emotional learning with emphasis on such concepts as kindness, equality, self-advocacy, mutual respect, and stewardship. Having chaperoned some of the field trips, we can say that they are truly exceptional in providing the students with outstanding opportunities for experiential learning to augment the classroom lessons. One of the standout aspects of this school for our family has been the overall sense of community with an atmosphere of inclusion and a warm welcome for all. We wholeheartedly give NGFS our highest recommendation.
5 12/8/2017
New Garden Friends School is an extraordinary school. The programs are giving my daughter a wonderful cross section of art, music, language, learning about other cultures, fitness (yoga!), along with so many opportunities to help others. Both campuses are beautiful, and the faculty and parents are a wonderful community.
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