Charlottesville area private school schools offer impressive options, with plenty of choices to meet the specialized needs of every child.
The following are descriptions— in their own words—of the philosophies and offerings of just a few of our impressive private schools to give parents and children an overview of the remarkable opportunities these institutions have to offer.
Blue Ridge School
Founded in 1909, Blue Ridge School is an all-boys, all-boarding college preparatory school for grades nine through twelve. We offer small classes, a structured and supportive environment and a strong sense of community, defined by an honor code and a host of strong traditions. We develop character by nurturing qualities such as integrity, courage, perseverance and empathy.
BRS enrolls 185 students, and the average class size is nine. Experienced, passionate and well-trained faculty provide students with academic programs geared specifically for boys based on the latest gender-specific educational research. A rich mixture of fine and performing arts, outdoor adventure programs and 20 team sports offers students a wide-range of activities and opportunities for success.
For more information visit www.blueridgeschool.com
Charlottesville Catholic School
The nationally recognized Charlottesville Catholic School (CCS) offers Pre-K through 8th grade curriculum. The school welcomes students of all faiths, believing that nurturing Christian values along with excellence in education fosters character and leadership development and inspires good citizenship.
With a focus on their three pillars, Christ, Community, and Scholars, CCS is dedicated to excellence in education and to the spiritual development of youth within the framework of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the tradition of the Catholic Church. Its fundamental task is educating the whole person, instilling in students a lifelong commitment to learning, to developing Christian virtues, and to fostering community service.
As a result of its strong academic performance and demonstrated dedication to learning, CCS was awarded the National Blue Ribbon for Academic Excellence in 2005 by the U.S. Department of Education. Continuing its tradition of excellence, the school was awarded the National Blue Ribbon for Academic Excellence for the second time in 2014. Looking to the future, Charlottesville Catholic School continues to innovate in its curriculum and instruction with hopes of being a third-time recipient of this award, when eligible again in two years.
CCS is thrilled to have opened a new STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) wing in the Fall of 2016. The new wing houses two science lab spaces for elementary and middle school students, a new space for the music room, a performance space, and an expanded kitchen.
CCS has the unique opportunity to incorporate religion into the STEAM programs through the incorporation of the Catholic faith and Christian values in everyday interactions of the students and faculty, which when interwoven into the daily curriculum, makes it a STREAM program.
Comprehensive information about CCS is available on the school website, www.cvillecatholic.org. For further information or to schedule a tour, contact the CCS Admissions Coordinator, Katrina Kuhn, at (434)964-0400 or email at admissions@cvillecatholic.org .
Charlottesville Day School
The motto of the Charlottesville Day School (CDS) is “Celebrate every child. Challenge every learner.” The two-hundred (200) students (ranging from two-year-olds to eighth graders) at CDS discover the joy of learning and embrace a growth mindset towards their intellectual, social, artistic and physical development. CDS’ outstanding faculty embraces these objectives and works as a collaborative team to serve each child.
Children at CDS develop the self-confidence, imagination and skills to live fulfilling lives and to realize their individual potential. CDS provides a supportive educational environment that fosters respect for others, develops well-rounded interests, rewards sportsmanship, and cultivates interpersonal skills.
Children at CDS are given repeated opportunities to learn content knowledge in authentic ways, through projects, experiments, performances, interactions with peers, and other real life experiences. CDS teachers not only are experts in their subject matters, but they know each student’s personality, skill level, and role in the classroom. With that knowledge, they motivate students by providing an individualized instructional program.
Teachers work as a team towards this common purpose. The school’s leaders recognize and capitalize on the individual differences of its members and welcome and embrace a diversity of learning styles and cultures. The ultimate goal at CDS is to create a positive environment, provide expert instruction, and nurture children to develop their self-esteem, thinking skills, and independence.
Visit www.cvilledayschool.org for more information.
Charlottesville Waldorf School
The Charlottesville Waldorf School offers a revolutionary notion: that in the midst of our high-speed world, children should be provided a timeless space in which to do their sacred work. We nurture the innate imagination, empathy, and will in each child as they learn with head, heart, and hands.
We hope you’ll join us to explore our newest Early Childhood Program geared towards 2 to 3.5 year-olds. Our Toddler Class (new for 2017-18) respects a small child’s desire for predictable rhythm. We mark the days, the weeks, and the seasons with warm, wholesome, daily snacks prepared together, open-ended indoor and outdoor play, the celebration of seasonal festivals, and interaction with different artistic and nature-oriented activities.
Our Early Childhood program supports the healthy growth of young minds and bodies by nurturing a sense of wonder while instilling reverence and joy for the goodness of life. The curriculum features a home-like and rhythmic atmosphere in which the children learn independence and creativity naturally through play and their love of activity. They enjoy rich sensory experiences such as bread baking, snack preparation, water color painting, and handwork projects such as knitting, and develop cognitive and linguistic skills through storytelling, poetry, song, and poetic recitation.
At the Elementary School level, the Charlottesville Waldorf School engages children in the world of traditional academics through an experiential, movement-based, multi-disciplinary approach that supports each child’s unique development. During these development times, speaking, writing, reading, and mathematics are all introduced and reinforced through imaginative, cultural stories including fairy tales, fables, myths, and legends. Strong work habits and positive social skills are developed and supported by a passionate and committed team of teachers who help round out the child’s education with subjects like Spanish, handwork, movement, orchestra and music, and engage the students in studies that encompass the animal kingdoms, grammar, cursive writing, geography and map-making, decimals and fractions, and the history of ancient civilizations, understood through powerful, imaginative, and practical experiences. The students’ experiences are further enriched through class trips, plays, and relevant activities, such as farming and gardening.
The Charlottesville Waldorf School’s Middle School program promotes a courageous exploration of the self and the community during the middle school grades, the phase of adolescence wherein students begin to understand themselves and their place in the world. The middle school student will experience a human centered and artistic approach to education investigating the explorations of western civilizations including biographies of writers, artists, and thinkers from Ancient Rome to modern times. They will refine observational skills and scientific thinking through the study of natural phenomena and strengthen abstract thinking through geometry, algebra, and other mathematical concepts. There is also a multi-faceted fine and practical arts program and varied sports opportunities.
Come and witness the future of education for yourself and set up a tour today!
Contact our Enrollment Coordinator (enrollment@cwaldorf.org or 434-973-4946 x102) to set up your tour today!
The Covenant School
Accredited by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, The Covenant School was founded in 1985 as a non-denominational Christian day school seeking to promote the moral, intellectual, and physical development of students in a stimulating and nurturing environment.
The Covenant School is a co-educational school enrolling students in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12. It provides formal education in traditional academic disciplines with a maximum of 18 students per class. Students benefit from a wide variety of performing and visual arts opportunities, as well as a broad physical education and sports program. A rigorous college preparatory curriculum taught within a Christian world-view creates an environment that is both supportive and challenging, seeking to inspire students to love God and to love learning. From the phonics foundation in Pre-Kindergarten, to the wide variety of Honors and Advanced Placement courses in high school, Covenant students are encouraged to become critical thinkers and problem solvers.
The Lower School (Pre-K – Grade 6) is conveniently located in a historic brick building near downtown Charlottesville. The Upper School is situated on a 23-acre campus in Albemarle County just south of Charlottesville. There, the middle and high school enjoy a 96,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art facility built in 2002, with a performing arts center, gymnasium, and several athletic fields. Covenant’s enrollment has grown over the past twenty-six years to nearly 600 students. To learn more, visit www.covenantschool.org
Field School
Field School, a middle school for boys, has a mission to “develop well-rounded boys of character and accomplishment.”
Field School offers a traditional, academically rigorous curriculum in English, social studies, math, science, Latin, Spanish, and arts and music, along with character and leadership development. Daily team sports participation emphasizes physical fitness, teamwork, fair play, and sportsmanship. The school features regular field trips to expand the classroom and to increase the vitality of learning experiences. Eighth Graders complete a year-long project culminating in a trip to Costa Rica.
In order to make the Crozet site more convenient to Charlottesville parents, the school provides a daily shuttle from several stops in Charlottesville and offers a daily lunch program.
For more information, visit www.fieldschoolcv.net.
Fork Union Military Academy
Fork Union Military Academy was founded in 1898 by Dr. William E. Hatcher in the village of Fork Union. Today it is one of the nation’s leading college preparatory military schools for boys in grades 7 to 12 and postgraduate. Nationally known for its emphasis on Christian values, top quality academics, and superior athletic programs, the school remains true to its motto of “Body, Mind and Spirit.”
FUMA offers a unique One Subject Plan of instruction. To make sure every cadet receives the individual attention he deserves, class size is kept small. The Academy teachers are dedicated to the challenge of helping young men achieve academic success—and their involvement doesn’t end in the classroom. FUMA’s faculty members are experts in helping young men learn responsibility and self-discipline in a structured boarding school environment. The Academy is accredited by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools.
For more information on FUMA visit their website at www.forkunion.com or contact the Admissions Office at 1-800-GO2-FUMA.
Free Union Country School
Who We Are
For more than 30 years, wonder and discovery, not tests and mandates, have driven the education of Free Union Country School students, preschool through fifth grade. Just 15 minutes from downtown Charlottesville, Free Union’s six acres allow plenty of room for kids to be kids. Small class sizes and personal relationships accord teachers the chance to deeply know their students and to encourage the intellectual, social, and physical growth appropriate to each child.
How Students Learn
At Free Union Country School, kids learn by doing and questioning and expressing themselves—powerful forces for learning. Free Union students don’t just read about Colonial America, they become colonists, stage their own Boston Tea Party-style protest, and craft a Declaration of Independence. Doing is reflected in students’ independent research projects, work in the school garden, maintaining stats on favorite teams, or monitoring the school’s energy efficiency. Each day there is ample time for kids to play (“the work of childhood,” according to philosopher Jean Piaget), an often-undervalued yet indispensable ingredient in early problem solving, creativity, self-discipline, emotional balance, and an ability to get along with others.
You Will Find
- Parents who appreciate that their children are valued
- Students who speak publicly with confidence to audiences of adults and peers
- Plenty of outdoor space to play, explore, and learn—with stream and nature trail
- An understanding that service to community and world is important for all
- Children who are excited by what they learn, every day.
For more information visit www.freeunioncountryschool.org or call us at 434-978-1700.
Miller School of Albemarle
Miller School of Albemarle, is a boarding and day college preparatory school for girls and boys in grades 8 – 12. Miller School is a community to nearly 185 girls and boys from across Virginia, eight states, and throughout the world.
Proud of its comprehensive program with small classes, Miller boasts an excellent faculty (with advanced degrees), a vigorous academic college preparatory program and a unique “mind, hands, and heart” curriculum. With sixteen AP course offerings (including an applied-engineering certificate program) and individual attention and rigorous academics, there is also an emphasis on year-long community service partnerships, and a broad selection of athletics. This includes recognized programs for boys baseball, girls and boys basketball, boys lacrosse, girls volleyball, girls and boys endurance and mountain biking, and an equestrian program. Average class size is ten students; 60-percent of students are five and seven day boarders.
The school is located 12 miles west of Charlottesville, Virginia on a 1,600 acre campus. Start your adventure at www.millerschool.org.
Oakland School
Oakland School is a specialized learning environment appropriate for both traditional learners and those who have learning differences. Boys and girls ages 6-13 at admission are welcome. Typically, students return to a traditional school after 2-3 years of individualized and intense instruction in Reading, Math, English and Study Skills. Students are in small classes with an overall teacher to student ratio of 1 to 5. Students receive a daily one-to-one with their main teacher.
Founded in 1950, Oakland is located in Fluvanna County on 450 acres. Recreational activities include team and intramural sports, art and music, nature activities, horseback riding, and much more. The Pillars of Character are stressed throughout the program and community service is an important part of our curriculum. Both day and boarding options are offered. A five-week summer camp is part of the school year, but may also be attended as a separate session.
Oakland is known for its nurturing environment and professional and experienced staff. It is a unique environment that blends tradition with technology to create an ideal learning space for all. Included in the tuition are books, materials, and supplies, an after-school activity program, weekly horseback riding lessons, a freshly prepared nutritious lunch every day, and much more!
Visit oaklandschool.net for more information.
The Peabody School
Founded in 1994, Peabody School serves 200+ gifted and academically advanced students in Pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade with a differentiated educational program.
Peabody offers a rich and challenging curriculum that allows teachers and students to form partnerships to nurture learning, cultivating independent thought and deeper understanding through true intellectual exploration. In addition to five core classes (Language Arts, Science, Math, History and World Language), students take a number of specials classes, including Art, Drama, Music, Technology and Physical Education.
The Pre-Kindergarten program focuses on children ages 3 – 5 years old and is an academically oriented program designed to prepare students for Kindergarten. The curriculum is developmentally supportive and allows plenty of time for creative play and cultivation of social and cooperative skills.
Peabody’s Lower School serves children in grades K-5, and teachers take into account students’ learning styles, readiness, interests, and motivation when planning and teaching differentiated lessons. Classes are small, so that teachers can provide individual and small group instruction with an emphasis on social and emotional needs. Students recognize that they are responsible for their own learning, that they learn as much from each other as from the teacher, and that there are many paths to an answer. Students exhibit a love of learning and a curiosity about the world around them that is nurtured throughout the years. When students move into the Middle School, they are well on their way to being lifelong learners.
The Peabody Middle School equips each student with the skills required for academic and social success in high school. In grades 6-8, differentiated instruction and a variety of teaching approaches offer all students in the middle school the necessary tools to be successful and comfortable in the ninth grade in any school. Students earn up to six high school credits, including Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Biology, Spanish I & II and French I & II. After graduation, 95 percent of students transition into the accelerated academic tracks at area public high schools, while the remainder attend rigorous independent day or boarding schools.
Peabody School is accredited by the Southern Association of Independent Schools and serves the areas of Charlottesville, Albemarle, and surrounding counties in Central Virginia, Peabody invites families to discover for themselves the difference it makes when “education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” www.peabodyschool.org
Renaissance School
Renaissance School is an independent, coeducational college preparatory high school (grades 9-12) for high ability students in the arts, sciences, and/or humanities. It emphasizes both broad and deep learning through a balanced program equally strong in the arts and academics. Renaissance School embraces the whole student through differentiated and experiential learning and emphasizes creativity, critical thinking and collaboration.
Students and faculty alike are a friendly community of independent thinkers and learners. There is a mutual respect and appreciation between students, faculty, the parent council, and Board of Directors. This support carries into special traditions including Ninth Week, Arts Practicum, and our two-year Independent Study program. You can learn more about these compelling programs by exploring the school’s website.
Renaissance has had a 100 percent college acceptance rate for graduating seniors, ranging from Brown University to Berklee College of Music. The average in grant and scholarship offers per applying student for classes 2008-present is $125,000 with some receiving full-tuition scholarships at the college of their choice.
Renaissance School offers a remarkable high school experience to students who want to be engaged in life to the fullest. Courses are intellectually stimulating, rich in content, and highly interactive. Classes are small, and students are viewed as individuals. The faculty is committed to providing each student the support he or she needs to work toward his or her full potential, academically, socially, and artistically. The comprehensive curriculum weaves together the intellectual, artistic, social, and humanitarian fabric to establish a strong foundation for the maturing adolescent’s lifelong interest in learning.
Renaissance School is located in beautiful historic downtown Charlottesville, Virginia. Its central location enables it to have a campus that includes the Jefferson Madison Regional Library, the McGuffey Art Center, Light House Studio, Music Resource Center, ACAC Fitness and Wellness, local galleries, great cafes and restaurants, convenient bus access to UVA and PVCC campuses, and so much more that Charlottesville has to offer.
Renaissance School is currently accepting applications for the upcoming academic year. To arrange a visit, please call Renaissance School at (434) 984-1952, and for additional information, visit our website at www.renaissanceschool.org.
St. Anne’s-Belfield School
The St. Anne’s-Belfield School philosophy is that the transmission of knowledge, the encouragement of curiosity, the development of rational thought, and the cultivation of responsible, honorable behavior are the great ends of education. In asking students to master a specific body of knowledge, they seek not to impart knowledge alone, but to instill the lifelong habit of learning. Although they expect graduates to be prepared for the nation’s finest colleges and universities, their true purpose is to create a challenging yet charitable atmosphere where students gain skills necessary for both creative and disciplined thought, where they have opportunities to achieve in athletic and artistic endeavors, where they understand their responsibility as a member of a community, and where high expectations for both their personal and intellectual lives are complemented by the School’s commitment to nurturing students in the spiritual dimension of life.
St. Anne’s-Belfield is a co-ed school with an enrollment last year of 900 students in Pre-School through grade 12, and with 17 countries represented in the student body.
Approximately 80 percent of the faculty hold advanced degrees, and students enjoy an overall student/teacher ratio of 7:1. Approximately $5 million is given to 40 percent of the student body in financial aid per year.
On two campuses totaling nearly 50 acres, the school enjoys state-of-the-art resources and infrastructure. Recent additions include a LEED-certified, 105,000 square-foot Learning Village to serve students in Kindergarten through eighth grade, a new Pre-School building, an Upper School Auditorium seating more than 400, a five court squash complex, and two turf fields.
In the summer of 2017, more than 1,000 solar panels were added to three different buildings on the Belfield Campus. Forty-five school sports teams compete against public schools and in independent school leagues, and about eighty percent of Upper School students participate in interscholastic sports. In addition, 78 percent of the student body participates in fine or performing arts with approximately 25 musical and theatrical performances held each year.
For more information on St. Anne’s-Belfield School, go to www.stab.org
Tandem Friends School
Tandem School was founded in 1970 by educators John Howard and Duncan Alling. Their philosophy, which continues to define the essence of a Tandem Friends education, was based on the conviction that learning thrives in an environment where faculty and students enjoy close, trusting relationships, values and ideas are freely examined, and decision making involves the whole school community. They envisioned an economically and racially diverse school dedicated to academic rigor in the context of a curriculum embracing the arts, environmental stewardship, and community service.
In 1995, Tandem formally adopted the philosophy and practices of Quaker education and became Tandem Friends School, now serving up to 230 students in grades 5-12. The school’s mission statement best summarizes its goals:
Rooted in Quaker values, Tandem Friends School prepares young
people for higher education and fulfilling lives of integrity, creative
expression, and service.
The school’s unofficial mottoes capture the Tandem philosophy: “Freedom with Responsibility” and “Kindness and Wisdom.”
Tandem has a no-cut sports policy and is a member of the Delaney Athletic Conference. A strong arts program features visual arts, music, and drama as well as an award-winning digital film program. The faculty/ student ratio is 1:7 with classroom sizes ranging from 12-18 students. Tandem Friends is accredited by the National Association of Independent Schools, the Virginia Association of Independent Schools and is affiliated with the Friends Council on Education.
Find out more at www.tandemfs.org. Call Brandon Edwards, Director of Admissions, at 434-951-9314 to schedule a tour or visit.
Woodberry Forest School
Woodberry Forest School, an independent, all-boarding community located just minutes from Charlottesville in Madison County, is committed to offering boys what they need for the future. Thousands of families have trusted Woodberry Forest with their boys in grades 9 through 12 over the years. We’ve honored that trust through our time-honored approach to an academic rigor and intellectual thoroughness, blending traditional values with the latest knowledge about how boys mature intellectually, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. At Woodberry, boys become men of honor.
Every boy at Woodberry is chosen for his potential to grow as a future leader. Our students come to us from across the country and around the globe, gaining the type of cultural fluency they will need to be successful adults.
Central to Woodberry is the boarding experience. Our residential character extends far beyond the extraordinary facilities on our stunning, 1,200-acre campus. It influences every aspect of life here, fostering common experiences in our dorms, on our athletic fields, and during whole-campus meals and weekly chapel services. Our exceptional teachers live with their families on campus, where they can participate fully in the life of the school—and the lives of the boys.
Woodberry is fully committed to single-sex education. Free from the distractions of a coeducational setting, a Woodberry boy gains the confidence to attempt new things—sports, artistic endeavors, a school play. He doesn’t see himself as girls see him. Instead, he learns to see the man he is becoming.
But nothing embodies Woodberry quite like our student-written honor system, which prohibits lying, cheating, or stealing. Established in 1899, the honor system upholds Woodberry as a community of trust in which everyone is safe, supported, and treated with respect. It’s truly a place like no other.
Our alumni are among the most supportive and deeply involved independent-school graduates in the country. They are dedicated to seeing Woodberry continue to thrive. And, as our boys move on to college and beyond, a built-in network of Woodberry men is ready and willing to lend them a hand.
We invite you to come and experience Woodberry for yourself so you can see why it is one of the leading boarding schools in the nation. Meet with a member of our admissions staff. Tour our campus with a student guide. Check out our dorms and athletic facilities. You’ll begin to understand why Woodberry is the best school to launch a boy on his lifetime journey.
Visit our website at www.woodberry.org or call our Admissions Office at 888.798.9371 to learn more.