School Fit
Decide whether Sidwell fits your student
Look past selectivity to the daily life of a Quaker day school in Washington, DC.
Checked against Sidwell Friends's published admissions pages on November 5, 2026.
School fit
Is Sidwell a fit?
- The school
- Sidwell Friends is a Quaker day school in Washington, DC, with about 1,144 students.
- Quaker values
- The school describes itself as grounded in Quaker values, which it says form the foundation of its Upper School community.
- Middle School
- The Middle School describes exploration and discovery at its center, with 5/6 and 7/8 structures, a Minimester and 1:1 laptops.
- Upper School
- The Upper School says there is no single path for students to follow, and it encourages students to pursue their own passions.
- Departments
- Upper School departments include Arts, Classical and Modern Languages, Computer Science and Engineering, English, History, Math, Physical Education and Science.
- Size
- Typical enrollment is 350 students in the Middle School and 500 in the Upper School.
- Ratio
- The listed student-teacher ratio is 16:1 in Grades 5 to 8 and in Grades 9 to 12.
- School day
- Middle School runs 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Upper School runs 8:00 a.m. to 3:20 p.m. Both have early dismissal days.
- After school
- The Middle School After-School Program is available until 6:00 p.m.
- Sports
- Grades 7 and 8 play interscholastic sports in the last periods of the school day. Grades 9 to 12 play after school.
- Getting there
- Sidwell does not provide bus transportation to and from school. The Wisconsin Avenue campus is 0.7 miles from the Tenleytown/AU Metro station, and Metrobus lines 30, 31, 33, 96, H3 and H4 serve it.
- 01
Ask your student what kind of classroom they want, and let them answer honestly.
- 02
Visit on a tour or at the open house, and ask what a typical week looks like.
- 03
Plan the commute early, since Sidwell does not run buses.