Tuition & Value
Education is an investment. At Sandy Spring Friends School, the returns are clear: we equip and empower our students to let their lives speak.
Our annual tuition is not based on what other independent schools charge, or on the notion of “what the market can bear.” We base our cost on what it takes for Sandy Spring Friends School to deliver on our promise of a top-quality Friends education.
Why is our tuition what it is?
8:1
Student-Teacher RatioFostering supportive and trusting relationships between students and teachers, who are leading and learning together
16
Average Class
SizeEach employing a dynamic, rigorous curriculum centered on real world questions
81%
Teaching Faculty with Advanced DegreesAnd 100% of our faculty are supported with continuing education and professional mentoring to remain at the top of their craft
140+
Acre
CampusIncluding an instructional organic farm, 2 gardens, 6 miles of cross-country trails, 3 athletic fields, and a swimming pond, all available for experience-based projects and programs
16
Miles from Washington D.C.Providing ample academic and civic engagement opportunities
1st
HS in the nation to be WELL Gold CertifiedThe 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
6
Months spent on a Senior Passion Project by selected studentsThe Senior Passion Project is a custom-designed project grounded in experiential and project-based learning which allows the senior to sample a potential career, serve the community, or explore a deep personal interest that culminates in a formal and reflective presentation
40
Student Clubs & CommitteesEvidence of the rich, co-curricular experiences available outside the classroom
12
Student Affinity GroupsAffinity groups help create a place of belonging by providing students a space for affirmation, emotional comfort, and community
6
Quaker
SPICESEvery aspect of our program is steeped in these guiding values: Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, Stewardship; they are intentionally developed in students to empower them to create positive change in the world
227
Top-quality, four-year colleges and universities our students have matriculated to in the last 4 yearsEach of these placements is the result of the highly-personalized and expert guidance of our College Counseling Department—learn more.
Affording a Transformative SSFS Education
At SSFS, our commitment to a supportive, inclusive learning environment guides the approach of our financial aid program. In keeping with the Quaker principles of equality and diversity, the School seeks a student body that represents varied economic backgrounds, and strives to be affordable, culturally competent, and inclusive. Through our need-based financial aid program, we aim to support all families for whom the cost of an SSFS education would be a hardship.
$5M
Awarded annually in financial aid
K-12
Grade levels eligible for grants applying to tuition, bus transportation, aftercare, and Upper School Intersession
40%
Percentage of Student Body That Receives Financial Aid
How do I apply for financial aid?
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Submit Admission Application to SSFS
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Apply for need-based financial aid through Clarity, which will use an industry-standard formula to determine your family’s estimated need and share that number with the School
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Submit required tax documents
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Receive Admission and Financial Aid decisions, which are communicated simultaneously through the enrollment contract
Ready to learn more? For all the details on SSFS' need-based financial aid program, including detailed application instructions, visit our financial aid page.
Hear From Our Community
We educate all aspects of a student so that their life—in all of its facets—can reveal the unique strengths within, and they are equipped and empowered to make a difference in the world. Hear from our alumni, faculty, students, and their families about the value of an SSFS education.
"I really found myself here. Sandy Spring Friends School let me learn to be myself, to speak up for what I need, and to share my concerns. And I’ve learned critical thinking here. I don’t think you could have this kind of experience anywhere else."
—Cody Xu '25
"At Sandy Spring, there’s a sense of lifting up everyone for who they fully are. I know other schools where this was stated in words, but in reality you needed to fit in a specific box, go to a specific type of college...the values didn’t align. Here, we intentionally create community, and recognize there’s not just one way to go forward and lead a successful life."
—Linda Garrettson ‘85, P ‘16, Fourth Grade Teacher
"In the first meeting we had with Mary Anne and Erin [Lower School teachers], after just a few days of our daughter being in class, they knew so much about her learning style. And in the very first conference, it was clear she felt so comfortable in their class and they were in tune with her."
—Calvin and Kerry-Ann Farmer P '27, '29
"There’s more to discover in the world than the classes you take in high school. I appreciate SSFS encouraging the mindset that if you're really passionate about something, you should go after it, and providing me with the opportunity. I don’t know if I’d be as involved in college if I hadn’t done the Senior Passion Project at SSFS."
—Mecca McCain '20
"SSFS has made me self-reflect a lot. How you feel about yourself impacts how you do in school. One of the greatest things about SSFS is that they care if you feel that you belong. They want to know how you're feeling and what you're thinking. I have a voice here. I know other schools aren’t like that."
—Enza Feder Di Toro ‘25
"Because my background is in human rights, I feel an obligation to encourage students to think about the world at a macro and a micro level—to think about their part in the world. I’m not the only teacher who thinks this way; as a school, we really strive to make sure our students leave not just thinking about college and getting a job, but how they can make change."
—Pinki Shah P ‘34, Middle School Humanities Teacher
"SSFS taught me how to search for—and be in—community, and these are important skills for life. The culture of SSFS—its traditions and opportunities—helped me learn the value of unity and togetherness at a very young age. I learned a lot about connecting with people, which has helped me build relationships and foster spaces of belonging in college."
—Michel Ruiz-Fuentes '20
"I love interacting with and supporting the students…of all my different roles, this is paramount. What I teach in BC Calc is not necessarily what’s going to be remembered—but how I make my students feel is going to carry with them long after they leave. This place is my family. When I’m here, I’m home."
—Kwame Darko ‘98 P ‘29, ‘31, Dean of Boarding, Faculty
"Transformative—it’s the word that is reflective of what is most important about an SSFS education. Students get a great academic education here—they’re prepared to go on to any higher education institution in the country with what we provide them. But it’s not just academics. Students tap into something they’ve discovered about themselves while they're here and that we’ve helped them dig into, explore, and develop, that allows them to further their education and move forward in their lives in a way they wouldn’t otherwise."
—David Hickson, Upper School Engineering and Woodworking Teacher, Former Assistant Head of School
What does an SSFS education cost?
Know the numbers! But, also know that our robust financial aid program seeks to make a transformative SSFS education possible for every qualified applicant. Learn more about applying for need-based financial aid.
