Sidwell Friends School

Posted: April 15, 2024

As an first gen immigrant who went to Sidwell from fifth to twelfth grade, I have to say that it was a pretty great experience. While the academics are challenging, it's somewhat my fault considering I took all of the advanced classes which were offered in the upper school. Playing on the varsity tennis team was a great experience, and some of the teachers, such as Mr. Sotela and Mr. V in the MS were great in all aspects. I highly recommend that you send your child if you think a rigorous but rewarding education is what they require to flourish.

Posted: April 15, 2024

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Posted: May 17, 2023

Awesome, cool school. Great for learning and stuff.

Posted: May 17, 2023

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Posted: April 4, 2023

While I appreciate the quality of education I have received at Sidwell Friends School, I have noticed some areas of concern. There have been instances of bullying among students that I believe the school could have handled better. Additionally, there have been times when I feel that some teachers are not adequately prepared for their lessons, leading to confusion and frustration in the classroom. Also, I've noticed a Principals spend the budget for themself, not for the school. While I believe the school has many positive aspects, I hope these issues can be addressed to improve students' overall experience.

Posted: April 4, 2023

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Posted: May 27, 2021

For 80% of the student body the school is adequate and they are guided toward expensive smaller colleges, often smaller and regional institutions. The top 20% typically are admitted to highly selective institutions. After sending three children to the school, we now find ourselves in a stressful position with little saved for retirement and children with student loans. For us in retrospect, it was not worth sending our children to Sidwell.

Posted: May 27, 2021

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Posted: September 14, 2020

$597,000 = the cost of sending a child to SF K-12, plus expected donations, plus technology fees, plus athletic fees, etc.

Posted: September 14, 2020

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Posted: August 29, 2017

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Posted: August 29, 2017

Our own experiences have been very good.

Posted: June 2, 2015

Posted: June 2, 2015

My son is super smart, and always did well at Sidwell. He was there for six years, but we decided to leave the school before he entered the Upper School for several reasons: 1) The school never conveyed any sense of individual care for him despite the low student-teacher ratio. My son did fine academically, but he couldn't get his groove socially, and the teachers were totally oblivious to his difficulty. 2) The academics are strong, but they are also very old-fashioned. For all their attempt to show interest in technology, the school leadership are complete Luddites in their understanding of how technology and learning can work well together. 3) For all the tuition dollars, I would have expected much, much more individualized attention from the teachers and staff. The curriculum and approach to education is very top-down and dogmatic. They talk a lot about diversity, but there is no room for diversity of opinions at this school. There is much more to say, but bottom line: save your money for a great college. When we let the school know we were leaving, there was no follow-up or interest in what motivated the departure. They could not have been more indifferent, which was extremely disappointing after 6 years.

Posted: June 2, 2015

Some teachers are great. Others make you want to shake your head at the grammar errors in their communication, if you are lucky to get anything from them. For a school with Sidwell's reputation, this just isn't acceptable.

Posted: June 2, 2015

Much homework was assigned that seemed to be make-work. The school talks a lot about allowing students down-time, and yet the administration and teachers do everything to fill the student's after-school time with pointless homework. I did not see the value of two hours of homework after an already 10-hour day at school. My son left the house at 7 am, and only got home at 5 pm. He then had an additional 2-3 hours of homework.

Posted: April 19, 2013

Sidwell is a great school for a lot of kids. It is great for very smart kids who want to go on to do great things. But if your child has some learning disabilities or seriously is thinking about being a professional athlete, this is probably not the best school for them. It is an extremely academically challenging school. But the athletics don't do so well and the theater is just okay. It is a great school for a lot of kids but not for everybody.

Posted: February 10, 2013

Very challenging academics. Students will have already experienced college level academics by the time they graduate from Sidwell. Lots of high achievers. NO grade inflation here. Not for everyone but a great school.

Posted: March 6, 2012

A great school with challenging and engaging academics and a wide choice of athletics, arts, and extracurriculars.

Posted: June 15, 2011

This school is a very, very special place. All the lessons learned really do last a lifetime.