Fact Sheet
 
Olney Friends School, founded in 1837, is a co-educational boarding school for grades 9 through 12 located in Barnesville, Ohio, in the Appalachian foothills of Belmont County. Olney Friends School maintains its deep-rooted connection to Quaker values and educational practices, providing an exceptional educational experience for its students who come to Olney from across the United States and around the globe. The school, previously operated under the care of Ohio Yearly Meeting, is now operated by an alumni-based Board of Trustees with the day-to-day operation under the supervision of the Head of School.
Olney Friends School offers a challenging college preparatory curriculum where Advanced Placement classes in literature, physics, calculus and Spanish are standard fare for students in their junior and senior years. In addition, students are required to take courses in religion, fine arts and practical skills. With a teacher-student ratio of one- to-five, class sizes at Olney are small, allowing teachers to address the needs of each student.
One of Olney's most distinctive features is its small size. Maximum enrollment is 75 students, with dormitory space the determining factor. In January, 2008, the student body numbered 62 students. Of these, there are 24 seniors, the largest graduating class since 1979. As is the case for virtually all independent schools, maintaining and attracting a strong student body is a high priority at Olney. Particular focus is given to use of the Internet, the effective use of our strong alumni network and professionalization of our admissions office staff. Campaign priorities are also designed to enhance the attractiveness of Olney to potential students and parents. These priorities include renovation of campus facilities; construction of the campus activities center; faculty development opportunities; and increased financial aid for needy students made possible by both endowment growth and increased annual support.
Both the academic and co-curricular programs are designed to enhance student understanding of traditional Quaker values, including integrity, equality, peace, community and simplicity. Students participate in the school's work, sports and service programs. Through these programs students learn to care for themselves, serve others, work as a team and find joy in physical work and play.
In a world where knowledge of other cultures is of increasing importance, Olney provides a unique and exciting learning environment enriched by students drawn from more than 15 states in the U.S. and 10 countries around the world. In 2008, for example, the student body consists of young people from Bulgaria (1), China (3), Congo (1), Ecuador (2), Ethiopia (4), Japan (1), South Korea (3), Rwanda (5), Saudi Arabia (1), Taiwan (1), and Vietnam (7). This cultural diversity brings great richness to the classroom, broadens awareness of customs and cuisine at family-style daily meals, and deepens understanding through friendships and dorm roommates.
During a time of growing concern for the environment, Olney's academic program and campus life are greatly enriched by the school's small size and rural location. One unique feature of the school is its Sustainability Coordinator and courses in vegetable gardening. Hands-on farming experiences through coordinated Biology and Humanities classes for 9th grade students take advantage of the school's small flock of laying hens, herd of grass-fed beef and several goats. Students have the opportunity to pick apples in the school's orchard and plant and harvest vegetables in-season. Menus for school meals increasingly incorporate produce and meat from the school garden and farm.
Recent graduates of Olney Friends School have found academic success at a variety of colleges, including some of the country's most selective institutions. In 2008, five Olney graduates are enrolled at Haverford College, a school routinely rated as one of the ten most selective colleges in the country. All of our students are accepted to colleges and universities in order to graduate. A partial list of the schools attended by recent Olney graduates includes: Beloit College, Brevard College, Case Western Reserve University, Clark University, Earlham College, Guilford College, Haverford College, Manhattanville College, Miami University, New York School of Design, Ohio Wesleyan University, Rochester Institute of Technology, and St. John's College.
The School owns its 65-acre main campus, including the Main building, which houses classrooms, a multi-purpose room for all school events, administrative offices, a library, kitchen and dining facilities and a gymnasium; two separate dormitories, one built in 1968 and one built in 1910 and renovated in 1978; a greenhouse; a shop for maintenance; single family homes for faculty; a former dormitory, which now houses the school infirmary, faculty apartments, guest rooms and a ceramics studio.
Financial support for Olney has grown substantially since the reorganization of the school in 1999. In addition to successful completion of the $2.0 million Renewal from the Roots campaign in 2003, Olney has witnessed a two-fold increase in the number of donors to the Olney Annual Fund over the past decade and a 500% increase in annual support for the school increasing from $47,000 in 1998 to approximately $250,000 in 2008. Out of the thirty member schools in the Ohio Association of Independent Schools, Olney now ranks among the top 10% in terms of dollars raised annually per student.