The Folger welcomes students and teachers into a vibrant and growing community of learning. Building on decades of work with schools nationwide and shaped by ongoing collaboration with educators, our student programs are designed to meet the evolving needs of today’s learners—showcasing the power and utility of Shakespeare and the humanities. Drawing on the full depth of the Folger’s collections, we create rich, engaging experiences that build confidence, strengthen critical literacy, and equip students to participate in thoughtful civic discourse through literature, performance, and history.
Student Experiences
Student Experiences are Folger field trips tailored to your students and what you’re studying in class. Pair a guided tour with an interactive, up-on-your-feet Folger Method workshop— bringing Shakespeare’s language off the page and into action. Add a Collections Focus for an extended, up-close experience with materials from our collection.
Secondary School Shakespeare Festival
For more than 40 years, the Secondary School Shakespeare Festival has welcomed middle and high school students from across the DC metro area to take the Folger stage each March. Students perform scenes from Shakespeare for one another in a supportive, non-competitive environment that celebrates the joy of learning through performance.
Lily McKee High School Fellowship Program
Each spring, the Lily McKee High School Fellowship brings students from across the DC metro area to the Folger for an in-depth exploration of Shakespeare and the humanities. Through a competitive application process, two dozen high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors join this five-month program, running January through May. Across approximately 15 in-person sessions, fellows perform onstage, conduct research in the Reading Room, collaborate with scholars, and build a community grounded in the humanities— cultivating close reading, critical thinking, and collaborative inquiry.
Student Matinees
Student matinees at the Folger offer school groups the chance to attend select daytime performances of Shakespeare’s plays from the Folger Theatre season. In an intimate theater setting, students experience live performance that brings these texts to life beyond the classroom.
Related programs for families and teachers
Family workshops
The Folger welcomes families to participate together in engaging, performance-based workshops inspired by Shakespeare’s language and the Folger’s exhibitions. Offered on select Saturdays throughout the year, these free programs are designed for children ages 5-7 and 8-11 and the adults who join them. This program is on hiatus for June and July and will resume in August.
Professional development
Explore professional development from Folger Education, with both in-person and virtual programs designed for teachers. Available in the Washington, DC area and nationwide, these flexible options support the teaching of Shakespeare and the humanities.