As documented on the school's website, it gives preference in admissions decisions to members of the Religious Society of Friends but otherwise does not discriminate on the basis of religion.

Thomas Sidwell started a "Friends' Select School" in 1883 on I Street in downtown Washington, four blocks from the White House.

Initially, the new property was used for athletic fields—and, with the central campus's downtown location—meant students had to shuttle between the two sites by streetcar.

[8] In 2016, students led a change to the dress code to ban clothing with the Washington Redskins (currently the Commanders) football team name and logo.

[4][11] In the decades following integration, problems faced by black students lead to the creation of two parent groups outside the school, which sought to alleviate covert prejudice.

[5] In April 2020, the school received $5.2 million in federally backed small business loans as part of the Paycheck Protection Program.

In addition to this, all freshmen must take a full year Ninth Grade Studies course that involves a service project.

No charges were filed against the teen, and the school installed more security cameras to deter future assaults.

[20] Former Sidwell psychologist and sex ed teacher James Huntington was the target of a 2013 lawsuit for his affair with the parent of a student he was counseling.

In 1996, the parents of Sara Lawson, a student at the Fountain Valley High School, filed a police report that detailed multiple incidences[spelling?]

In a letter Sidwell's Head of School Bryan Garman sent to parents, he stated that "A former administrator ... was aware that Michael’s departure from his previous employer had been precipitated by his inappropriate conduct, but had no knowledge of the severity of the allegations as they now stand.

The Quakers completed an undefeated season from 2021 to 2022 and were ranked the #1 best girls' basketball team in the nation by recruiting website MaxPreps as well as by ESPN.