Quaker school in Westampton to shut doors
Friends Academy of Westampton, a more-than-30-year-old Quaker school, will close its doors when this school year ends June 10. Declining enrollment and the accompanying financial difficulties were given as the reason.
Friends Academy of Westampton, a more-than-30-year-old Quaker school, will close its doors when this school year ends June 10.
Declining enrollment and the accompanying financial difficulties were given as the reason.
"Nobody's happy we're closing. Everyone is heartbroken," head of school Rosemary Magrann said Wednesday, a day after parents were told.
What started as an early childhood education program added a kindergarten of 14 students in the fall of 1983 at the Methodist church in Rancocas, Magrann said.
The student body grew, and in 2004, a multiple-acre campus opened at 315 Bridge St. in Westampton. The school, for pre-K through eighth grade, now occupies 15 acres.
The academy drew students from Willingboro, Burlington Township, Tabernacle, Voorhees, and other communities. Over the years, about 3,000 students have gone through the school, Magrann said.
In 2005, the school had nearly 190 students, but in recent years, enrollment declined. The school is now at 108 students, Magrann said.
The decline hurt financially; the academy is almost fully dependent on tuition, along with fund-raising, she said. Other Quaker schools are also supported by their monthly meetings.
"While we would much rather allow this great academic institution to continue, the economic realities forced our hands," school board clerk David Jones said in a statement. "But no one can doubt the wonderful history of Friends Academy and all the many lives it has impacted."
According to Jones, the school's board has begun discussions with area schools to help students find new spots. He said the academy is also committed to helping faculty and staff find jobs at other schools.
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