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Westtown School

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Coordinates: 39°56′58″N 75°32′16″W / 39.9494°N 75.5379°W / 39.9494; -75.5379
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Westtown School
Location
Map
Westtown Township
,
PA

USA
Information
TypePrivate
Religious affiliation(s)Quaker
Established1799 C.E.
Head of schoolJohn Baird
Faculty80
Enrollment638
Average class size15 students
Campus size600 acres
Color(s)Brown and white
Athletics21 Varsity Teams
MascotMoose
RivalGeorge School
PublicationWestonian
NewspaperBrown and White
YearbookAmicus
Websitewww.westtown.edu

Westtown School is a Quaker, coeducational, college preparatory day and boarding school for students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade, located in eastern Pennsylvania.

About Westtown School

Founded in 1799 by the Religious Society of Friends, Westtown’s Campus is located in Chester County, PA, 25 miles west of Philadelphia.

Westtown is a Quaker school affiliated with the Friends General Conference branch of the Religious Society of Friends. All students are required to attend Meeting for Worship together with adults in the community who voluntarily attend (boarding students are required to attend Westtown Monthly Meeting on Sundays as well). Westtown uses the traditional Quaker practice of coming to unity in making some high-level decisions.

Westtown has been a coeducational school since its founding in 1799. Students come from many states and foreign countries.

History

Westtown School first opened in May 1799. It was founded by Philadelphia Quakers who raised the money to build a boarding school and purchased land a full day’s carriage ride from Philadelphia—where they could provide a “guarded education in a healthy environment" away from the secular influences of the city. For many years, Westtown was nearly self-sufficient, with the campus providing raw materials used in the construction of its buildings and food for the people who lived and worked at the school.

Boys and girls had separate classes until about 1870. Boys learned useful skills such as woodshop, surveying, and bookkeeping, and girls had classes like sewing. However, Westtown eventually recognized that students of both genders should know basic academic subjects such as reading, penmanship, grammar, mathematics, geography, and science.

The 1880s brought physical changes to Westtown. The main building was replaced with a structure designed by architect Addison Hutton, which was completed in 1888 and is still in use today. During the 20th century, the student body and the curriculum both became more diverse. Visual and performing arts were added, for example, and non-Quakers, African-American, and international students were finally admitted.

Westtown’s Esther Duke Archives is a facility dedicated to collecting and maintaining materials relating to the people and history of the school. Students and historians alike use the Archives for historical research.

Westtown's Campus

Westtown is located on a campus in southern Pennsylvania. The campus is 600 acres.

Notable alumni

  • The Westtown campus is surrounded by several acres of woods.
    The Westtown campus is surrounded by several acres of woods.
  • Campus trees.
    Campus trees.
  • Geese flying over Main Hall.
    Geese flying over Main Hall.

References



39°56′58″N 75°32′16″W / 39.9494°N 75.5379°W / 39.9494; -75.5379

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