Our Campus
We prepare students to create a sustainable future on one of the largest and most beautiful campuses in the region.
With 140 acres nestled between Washington D.C. and Baltimore, the serenity of Sandy Spring Friends School is amplified by the nearby bustle. Pastoral, light-filled, and functional, the forested SSFS campus includes academic and administrative buildings, the historic Meeting House, student housing, faculty residences, a state-of-the-art performing arts center, an athletics center (including a fitness center and climbing wall), sports fields, a swimming pond, and an aerial park.
For our students, this is an ideal setting for intellectual contemplation, athletic training, diverse extracurricular pursuits, outdoor exploration, urban excursion, and personal growth.
Campus Highlights
summer
60%
of the School's energy consumption is offset by our 2 solar fields
shoe
6
Miles of cross-country trails in our old-growth forest, plus 13 trails of varying difficulty at our adjacent aerial adventure park
apple
1600
Pounds of food grown on our educational farm, overseen by our own Farmer Educator
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1
The first high school in the nation to boast a WELL Building Certification Gold Status facility, for our gleaming Upper School Pen y Bryn Building, dedicated in 2022
Map and Directions
Our Community Speaks: The Campus Experience
"With 140 acres of woods, fields, and open skies, the campus invites the mirth and whimsy of a child’s imagination to run wild. This isn’t just a school—it’s a place where childhood is honored, curiosity is encouraged, and the wonder of learning comes alive every day."
"One day last year, there was a family of geese—two adults and about 8 goslings—walking beside the Middle School building on their way to the pond. I watched a crowd of our students gather and follow them from a distance until there were more humans than geese in their little caravan. Our students are so genuine in class, but observing the way that they feel free to be themselves during breaks on our beautiful campus is fulfilling."
"This beautiful campus has never been about the land or the buildings. It’s about the people inside those buildings—the talented, compassionate educators who create the sense of safety, joy, and belonging that our children need to truly thrive."
"My favorite spot on campus is the pond—it’s really calming."
"Ever since Kindergarten, I have loved the walk through the woods to the Art Barn. Some of my favorite memories have come from there, from making candles each winter in Lower School with the art teacher, Kate, to weaving a wall hanging on one of our looms in Upper School."
"It’s been a wonderful experience for me here. I love the nature on this campus…we’ve built shelters in the woods, walked by fields of flowers on the way to the Meeting House, enjoyed the sheep, and in second grade, we made maple syrup right here on campus."