A Place of Belonging:
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at SSFS

39% European American, 20% African American, 7% Asian, 4% Latino, 12% Multiracial, 1% Middle Eastern, 1% Pacific Islander, 2% Undisclosed, and 14% International (boarding and host family students represent 21 different countries across the globe).

Approximately a third of our students receive need-based financial aid. See the Financial Aid FAQs for more information about how families' needs are determined.

Our international residential life program provides a unique and rich cross-cultural experience for both the American and International Students. The ISP enriches the diversity we have on campus both ethnically and culturally. The ISP includes students from across the globe; in 2018-19, our international student population includes students from Albania, Bhutan, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, Gambia, Ghana, Honduras, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Mexico, Nigeria, South Korea, Spain, Ukraine, and Vietnam.

The School admits students of any race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and qualified candidates with a disability and accord to them all the rights and privileges, programs, and activities generally offered or made available to students at the School. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or as a result of a person's status as a qualified candidate with a disability in administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship programs, staff hiring and other School-administered programs.

RESOLUTION
Approved by the SSFS Board of Trustees June 23, 2020

The pandemic of racism that has plagued the United States from its inception to the present day is antithetical to the values of Sandy Spring Friends School and to the fundamental nature of a Quaker education. 

Our Mission Statement includes the School’s commitment to provide a welcoming and nurturing learning community. The School cherishes the worth and dignity of each individual because we embrace the Quaker belief that there is that of God in every person. We strive to develop caring and effective citizens of the world.

The Board of Trustees endorses the peaceful activism of the Black Lives Matter movement. We refuse to accept the suffering by any of our students, parents, faculty, staff and persons of color and indigenous people in our greater community who are regularly confronted with violent reminders that their lives are not protected from the consequences of hatred and brutality. 

We reaffirm our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we pledge to act with a concern for eradicating race-based injustices and inequities, whether they appear within or outside our School. 

We will act to ensure that our School is a place where all people of color will feel safe, secure, and respected—a comfort to which everyone is entitled. 

We will perceive injustice to one as injustice to all, and will respond, not with silence, but by speaking truth to power. 

We will continue our work to ensure that Sandy Spring Friends School is not an impediment to, but an advocate for, equality and justice within our own community and around the world. 

• Each grade introduces and honors diversity through comparisons and differences among classmates and families;
• Instructional materials, books, and toys are selected to reflect different genders, ethnicities, foods, and geography backgrounds;
• Holidays are used as opportunities to celebrate and learn about various cultural traditions;
• Music, art, and physical education activities reflect classroom curriculum themes;
• Starting in first grade, the social studies program focuses on specific cultures.

• Advisory group programs include diversity topics throughout the year;
• Middle School Diversity Committee meets weekly and organizes ongoing diversity discussions on topics selected by the students;
• Students who self-identify as black meet monthly as an affinity group with adult mentors;
• Black History Month programs are organized with parent involvement;
• Seasonal celebrations of different ethnic groups are organized by students and faculty, and are supported by parent involvement;
• The language teachers organize a number of activities around typical Spanish- and French-speaking countries' holidays or observances;
• SSFS hosts the Middle School Diversity Leadership Conference run by EastEd. The conference is open to schools throughout the east coast and is attended by over 700 students annually.

• An Upper School diversity committee comprise of faculty/staff members addresses the ways diverse populations are recognized, included, and celebrated at SSFS;
• The 9th grade participates in the National Coalition Building training in the winter;
• A two-day NCBI training is conducted for upper grade student leaders before the 9th grade NCBI event;
• A group of Upper School students and faculty members attends the national People of Color conference held annually;
• Student-initiated clubs such as the Black Student Union (BSU), the Sexuality and Gender Alliance Club, and the World Wide Culture Club organize campus activities and events throughout the year;
• Diversity assemblies include an annual Martin Luther King observance, an international assembly, and others with varying cultural and international themes;
• Cultural competence and multicultural activities occur regularly in the advisory curriculum.