Lower School

We believe that as our students experiment and explore, answering questions of real relevance, they develop skills of inquiry and reasoning, problem solving, and communication that serve them well for years to come.

We also recognize that children learn best by doing, by being engaged in activity; learning is enhanced as children engage their senses and interact with their environment.

Through a rich and varied experience in and beyond the classroom, our Lower School nurtures the intellectual, social, emotional, and physical growth of elementary school children in the first through fourth grade range. Informed by Quaker values, the curriculum draws on multiple developmental theories, and learning is also shaped by the individual interests of our students and teachers.

Recognizing that social, emotional, physical, and intellectual growth are all equally important in a child's total development, we focus on the unique worth of the individual, recognizing that each child grows in different dimensions and at different rates. 

Our Lower School Curriculum

Our Learning Spaces

Located on the main campus of Carolina Friends School, rooms in the Lower School are open, colorful, and designed for maximum flexibility, providing space for both independent study and group learning as well as for play. The large playground invites a variety of creative play activities, while the School's creek and wooded, rural setting offer an ideal environment for exploration and nature study.

Our Class Groupings

We have four classes in the Lower School.  Each class provides group identity and is taught by a collaborative team of teachers. Our youngest students enter the Lower School in either River or Sky class, mixed-aged classrooms for our 1st and 2nd year students. 3rd and 4th grade students transition to same-grade classrooms – Forest and Mountain. 

• This structure supports both our social-emotional and academic learning program and meets each ages’ developmental needs. 
• Our youngest learners benefit from peer mentorship and leadership when it best serves them, and grow academically in structures that support a strong foundation of learning
• Our older students benefit from expanded social groupings at a time when they are ready for it, and can dig deeper into grade-level curricular goals in a setting that can differentiate for both reinforcement and extension.

Students engage in foundational learning skills in smaller groups with approximately a 10:1 student to teacher ratio. There are times built into each school day and throughout the year when students engage in mixed age groupings, including our Interest Groups. These happen four to six times a year for three-week sessions, exploring special topics such as drama, carpentry, basketry, cooking, video production, sewing, screen printing, computers, animal care, rockets, creek life, and the universe. 

Research-Informed Design

Our program and curriculum have been intentionally built to allow for consistency and purpose while also providing flexibility to incorporate ever-changing understandings from neuroscience and behavioral research. Our education is focused on the ability to understand and transfer learning through emotional availability, motivational mindset, working memory and attention, background knowledge, and deliberate practice. 

EXPERIENTIAL Learning

Independent and group projects stand out among the primary elements of the Lower School curriculum, as students apply the skills and ideas they acquire and become practiced investigators. Interdisciplinary learning takes student learning beyond the four walls of the classroom, utilizing our 126 acre campus for hands-on projects and primary source research. Students explore problem-solving with carefully selected materials that inspire industrious/critical/creative thinking. 

Technology

Our integration of technology is both age appropriate and guided by continuing recommendations from leading researchers and scientific organizations. Technology in the classrooms is limited—both in frequency and duration—and when used is intentional, purposeful, and additive.

Engagement with technology is interactive whenever possible, and prioritizes use of larger screens, further away. Growing research supports that print reading, as opposed to digital reading, assists knowledge retention, recall, and transference as well as empathy and executive functioning. Teachers only use smaller screens when students are directly supervised, uses teacher-directed sites, and where teachers have line of sight for screens.

Daily Schedule

Each day begins with a few minutes of silence, as children Settle-In with their classmates. The Lower School day is structured around small group classes, with time as well for independent work and projects. There is a half-hour recess and time for snack as well as an hour-long recess at lunch. Older students are encouraged to assume responsibility for planning the use of some of their own time. They establish goals and evaluate their progress with a teacher frequently. Clean-up chores at the end of every day reinforce a sense of community as well as an awareness of responsibility for the environment in which students live and learn. The day concludes as it begins, with a brief, silent Settling-Out in each classroom.

Lower School FAQ

What ages or grade levels does the Lower School serve?

The Lower School at Carolina Friends School serves children ages 6 to 10, spanning what are called the First through Fourth Years (equivalent to 1st–4th grade). First and second grade students are placed into one of two mixed-age home classrooms, River or Sky. Our third grade classroom is called Forest, and our fourth grade classroom is Mountain. Each of these classes has a team of co-teachers. 

How large are the classes, and how many students are in the Lower School?

The Lower School averages around 124 students per year across four home classrooms. Academic skill groups are intentionally kept small — approximately 10-12 students per teacher — so that every child receives focused, individualized attention.

What subjects are taught in the Lower School?

The curriculum covers a broad range of subjects. Foundational learning includes Language Arts (reading and writing), Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. Specialized instruction is also provided in Spanish, Physical Education, Creative Movement/Dance, Music, and Visual Arts. Subjects are frequently integrated with one another, and learning is interactive and hands-on. Social-emotional learning is also a critical part of the Lower School program. 

How does Carolina Friends School approach reading and math instruction?

In the Lower School, reading is taught through a structured literacy approach grounded in evidence-based practices, including the Wilson Foundations program, which focuses on phonics, spelling patterns, fluency, and comprehension. Math instruction goes beyond computation — students are taught the "how" and "why" behind mathematical concepts using hands-on materials and visual tools, including resources from the Amplify Desmos curriculum, and they work in differentiated groups to match their individual readiness level.

Do you need to be Quaker to attend Carolina Friends School?

No. While the school's philosophy and values are deeply informed by Quaker principles — such as mutual respect, peaceful conflict resolution, and a search for truth — CFS is welcoming to families of all backgrounds, beliefs, and faith traditions. Quaker education aims not to inculcate a particular set of beliefs or doctrines, but rather to nurture a particular sort of personhood. The school does not discriminate based on religion or any other characteristic.

Is Spanish taught in the Lower School?

Yes. Spanish is offered twice a week throughout the Lower School years. Classes are primarily conversational and immersive, using games, stories, songs, hands-on activities, and discussions of culture and traditions from Spanish-speaking countries around the world.

What before- and after-school care options are available?

The school offers an Extended Day program as well as Student Enrichment opportunities after school. Lower School Extended Day is available on a drop-in or monthly basis with 4:15 and 5:45 pm pickup options. Monthly contracts can range from 2-5 days per week based on a family's needs. The drop-in rate is $10 for 4:15 pickup and $20 for 5:45. Monthly contracted rates vary by frequency and pick-up time, ranging from $75-$340 total per month. 

Do Carolina Friends School students take state End-of-Grade tests?

No, students do not take NC End-of-Grade tests. Carolina Friends School has an exemption from state-administered standardized tests based on the strengths of its curriculum and assessments. Its research-backed educational philosophy emphasizes the process of knowledge building rather than measuring simply by state-mandated outcomes. 

Do Lower School students use technology?

Carolina Friends School’s Lower School classrooms use technology minimally, and only when its purpose is additive. Print reading is emphasized heavily. Students are not assigned individual devices, but may use smaller screens when directly supervised, using teacher-directed sites and educational platforms. Older students receive instruction in typing as their intentional technology use begins to increase.

Do students spend their whole day in their classroom?

Outdoor learning is utilized whenever possible in the Lower School, allowing them to explore academic subjects and their roles as environmental stewards. While home classrooms provide a consistent and secure base for foundational learning, our Lower School students have morning and afternoon recess at the same time, allowing time to play and interact with students in other classrooms. There are also mixed-age groupings in three-week Interest Groups, which occur 4-6 times a year.