An Independent Elementary School Where Students Thrive United Friends School provides small classrooms with an average student-to-staff ratio of 10:1. UFS provides a learning environment where the focus is on catering to individual learning needs. Some of our classrooms are mixed-grade classrooms which provide educational benefits allowing younger students to be challenged while older learners can gain, and put into practice, leadership skills. Request Information Apply Today Elementary Curriculum The project-based curriculum equips students with the necessary knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time investigating authentic, engaging, and complex questions or systems. Asking questions, conducting interviews with experts, collecting information, and taking field trips make learning more meaningful for our students. Reading & Writing United Friends School students develop strong reading and writing skills using a comprehensive and inclusive Reader’s Workshop and Writer’s Workshop model. Teachers incorporate Handwriting Without Tears and Words Their Way into a blended approach that strengthens phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary. Literature circles give students the opportunity to read independently, analyze and gather meaning from the text. Students blossom from writing simple sentences phonetically to becoming authors who can write using a variety of genres. Students practice reviewing, editing, and publishing their work and celebrate becoming authors. Elementary Math, Science & Social Studies Teachers incorporate Bridges in Mathematics with the goal for students to develop a deep understanding of mathematical concepts with solid proficiency in recognizing number patterns and decoding to solve problems. The students deepen their knowledge through discussion while sharing methods and strategies with their peers. The environmental and life science program seeks to expose students to an interdisciplinary collection of subject matter that includes weather, biology, and geography, the natural environment and solutions to environmental problems. Social Studies seeks to create informed students on a global and local level to develop a sense of responsibility and power in upholding and applying the Quaker Testimonies in the world. The curriculum centers on five main pillars: economics, geography, history, service learning/citizenship, and culture. Outdoor Education The outdoor education program is a comprehensive program that nurtures our students’ love of the outdoors and gives them the tools to become true environmental stewards. Starting in Kindergarten, students take weekly visits to the Licking Run Creek where they are taught by UFS teachers and Master Watershed Steward volunteers. Students gather data to measure the health of the creek. Learn More about the outdoor education program at United Friends School. Request Information Apply Today