Welcome to Penn Charter!
We are a pre-K to 12 Friends school that educates students to live lives that make a difference.
Founded in 1689 by William Penn and the Religious Society of Friends, Penn Charter, located on 47 acres in the vibrant East Falls section of Philadelphia, is the oldest Quaker school in the world.
Good instruction is better than riches.
William Penn
Quaker testimonies are a group of core values that reflect Quaker practices.
Often remembered by the acronym SPICES, these testimonies are simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality and stewardship—principles that guide how we learn, lead and live together.
Life at Penn Charter
Middle School science students build on foundational skills through hands-on discovery and inquiry.
A vibrant performing arts program allows students to grow in confidence, creativity and self-expression.
The Discovery Room is designed to provide our youngest learners in the Lower School with multi-sensory play and experiential education.
Middle School empowers grades 6–8 students to explore, take risks and learn in a supportive, safe environment.
PC athletics develop core values that reflect our Quaker beliefs and practices.
Using varied tools in the Lower School Idea Lab, students are encouraged to follow their imagination and see where it leads.
PC's curriculum is designed to develop a student's mind, body, heart and spirit.
Middle School musicians master the basics of their instruments while motivating and encouraging classmates.
Students in the Lower School thrive through a balance of collaboration and quiet reflection.
PC is part of the Inter-Academic League as well as one of the oldest prep school rivalries in the country.
Middle School artists create with charcoal, acrylic, watercolor, plaster, clay, paper maché.
The Lower School playground was thoughtfully designed for the social and physical growth of children.
Weekly Meeting for Worship is a time for quiet spiritual reflection—a deepening stillness—during which participants may feel moved to speak.
Mission
Quaker principles and practice guide William Penn Charter School.
Within a school community that honors difference, we seek that of God in each person. We value scholarship and inquiry. With excellence as our standard, we challenge students in a vigorous program of academics, arts and athletics. Through global connections, civic engagement and a focus on environmental sustainability, we inspire students to be thinkers, collaborators, innovators and leaders. We educate students to live lives that make a difference.
Quaker Education
Meeting for Worship
Each school division pauses midweek in the Meeting Room for a Meeting for Worship, where our community gathers for silent meditation and to listen to our inner voice, which Quakers believe comes from the Inner Light within each of us. Often, a person will share a query to guide the group's thoughts. Each person has the opportunity to rise, break the silence and share a message. It closes with a handshake and we return to the world, renewed in spirit.
Commitment to Community
As students progress through Penn Charter, we instill in them a sense of social responsibility toward others and the world by providing opportunities for service.
A well-known Quaker adage, “Let thy life speak,” drives discussion and action about doing good for others and our world because it represents the best of who we are and want to be. Service reminds students of the need to consider others and the powerful feelings that result. Students participate in school-wide events like Martin Luther King Day of Service and the Darryl Ford Day of Service, as well as various division, project-based and grade-level projects with partner organizations throughout the year.
Fast Facts
156
classroom teachers, 86% with advanced degrees
80+
advanced courses, certificate programs and independent studies
5:1
student-teacher ratio
1,000+
student enrollment
40%
students receiving need-based financial aid
100+
zip codes represented
37%
Students of Color
1/3
of Upper School students participate in both athletics and the arts