The primary concern of the Upper School is to help students aged fourteen through eighteen face important academic and social challenges and meet high expectations in a friendly and supportive atmosphere. Based on the Quaker belief in the fundamental worth of the individual, the School's philosophy is a vital spirit manifested in every part of its program. The School affirms that the process of learning is as important as its product. 

Thus the School actively seeks a diverse group of students from different national, racial, social, and economic backgrounds, whose various talents and capabilities are woven each year into the School's program. The faculty is dedicated to bringing out the full potential in each individual with care and respect. Every element of the School is designed to help students not only to accumulate knowledge but also to apply that knowledge with thoughtfulness and responsibility. The Upper School's uniqueness was recognized by its 1984 citation as one of 60 “Exemplary Private Schools” in a nationwide study by the U.S. Department of Education.