Cambridge Friends School welcomed 142 students on Wednesday, September 8 for the first day of school. This year, the CFS community comprises of 51% students of color, 7% LGBTQ+ families, and 3% Quaker families. In keeping with the School’s commitment to diversity, CFS serves 25 towns in the Greater Boston area, with 43% of families receiving financial aid – a total of $1,322,330!
The School has experienced a 26% increase in enrollment since school year 2020-2021. This is a reflection of CFS’s ability to safely and successfully reopen fully in-person last academic year, after swiftly pivoting within one day of mandated school closures due to COVID-19 to remote learning in the spring of school year 2019-2020.
CFS is one of the safest schools prioritizing health in the country after installing upper room Germicidal Ultraviolet Lighting (GUV). While there were two individual cases of COVID-19 last school year, transmission of the virus did not occur within the classrooms due to the safety layers in place. Absences among students for other health-related issues dropped dramatically. The school has also incorporated technology into the classroom to accommodate switching to remote learning should the need arise.
The surge in enrollment has led to an expansion of classrooms including additional second and fifth grades. The average class size is 11 to ensure low student to teacher ratios (6.5 to 1) for an optimal learning experience, while maintaining social distancing. With continued growth on the horizon, CFS is excited to consider further expansion while upholding its mission and evolving its differentiated and demanding curriculum.