Sandy Spring Friends School

Sandy Spring Friends Middle School describes a progressive, academically challenging, college-preparatory program infused with Quaker values, with learning structured to include in-depth discussion, hands-on work, and interdisciplinary/experiential teaching that leads to actionable learning. They emphasize a student-centered approach that encourages students to question ideas, reflect on inquiry and experience, and put learning into action, while also developing leadership, self-advocacy, and self-regulation with strong faculty support.

For Middle School (Grades 6–8), families start by submitting an online inquiry to create an account in SSFS’s Admission Portal, then complete the online application and pay a $75 fee (fee waivers are available in some cases, including for siblings of currently enrolled students). (ssfs.org) The application requires two confidential teacher recommendations (current Math and English teachers), submission of report cards/progress reports/transcripts from the current year plus the previous three school years (and any relevant 504/IEP/evaluation documentation, if applicable), and a virtual parent/guardian interview scheduled through the portal. (ssfs.org) Applicants must also attend a required half-day shadow visit that includes shadowing a student, an interview with a faculty member, and a short writing assignment. (ssfs.org) Key dates shown for the 2026–2027 cycle are: application available September 1, 2025; priority application deadline January 15, 2026; decisions released February 27, 2026; then rolling admissions March–summer 2026 (incomplete files after January 15 are considered on a space-available basis, with rolling decisions released monthly while space remains). (ssfs.org) The website content does not describe a waitlist process or specific waitlist rules, but it notes nondiscrimination and that “special consideration may be given to members of The Religious Society of Friends,” which is the only explicit priority category stated. (ssfs.org)