Field School of Charlottesville, a private, all-boys middle school currently located in Crozet, announced that its goal of a new Barracks Road campus is one step closer to reality thanks to a matching grant of $1.5 million from an anonymous benefactor.
The school described the grant as “transformative” in a September 24 press release. “[It] underscores a shared commitment to promoting excellence in education and nurturing the development of well-rounded boys of character and accomplishment.”
Field School of Charlottesville was founded by Dr. Todd Barnett in 2007, at the suggestion of parents whose children attended his popular Charlottesville-area summer camp for middle-school boys. With the help of area educators, the camp’s programming was expanded into an all-boys middle school, with 27 students the first year, when classes were held in the activities building at Claudius Crozet Park. Two years later, Field School moved to its current location in the historic Old Crozet School.
Vito “Bo” Perriello, head of school since 2023, says the school’s focus is on making the most of the vital years between elementary and high school for its students.
“The school’s vision has centered around a mission to ‘develop well-rounded boys of character and accomplishment’ in a model structured on rigorous traditional academics mixed with outdoor education,” he says. “Current enrollment is 88 students. The new campus project would allow us to expand our enrollment by at least 20 percent.”
Perriello says that while the current campus has its advantages, such as “historic charm” and access to playing fields, the school is renting the facilities from Albemarle County and sharing the space with Crozet Arts.
“It is for these reasons, as well as access to a larger outdoor space, and to a larger catchment of Charlottesville-area citizens, that the school is now working to move to their purpose-built Aerie Campus off of Barracks Road,” Perriello says. “The campus will include both indoor and outdoor learning spaces, playing fields, a state-of-the-art mountain biking course, hiking trails, a ropes course and paddling/water sports.”
A matching grant is one that doubles either currently raised funds or funds that will be raised by the recipient in the future. Perriello says the school’s fundraising is ongoing.
“We have seen a strong outpouring of support from current families, alumni families, and the larger Charlottesville community that supports the social, emotional, and academic growth of our local boys,” he says. “Thanks to this generous grant, any gifts received up to $1.5 million dollars will have double the impact on our project and overall community.”
The donor, whose identity has not been released by the school, shared a statement in the September 24 press release.
“We are excited to partner with the Field School on this relocation project, which we believe will provide greater access to an outstanding all-boys middle school educational experience in Charlottesville,” the statement read.
When asked why the donor did not want to be identified publicly, Perriello says they wanted the focus to remain on the school.
“I cannot speak for the donor,” he says, “but [I] feel they recognized both the need for an all-boys middle school in Charlottesville and the desire to help deliver more positive outcomes for local area boys at a time young boys are struggling. In remaining anonymous they feel the focus remains on the school, the project, and the mission of developing well-rounded boys of character and accomplishment.”
According to its website, Field School has planned for a campus of its own from the beginning. In fact, the new site was actually purchased five years ago, with plans to move estimated at two or three years from now.
“The 25-acre property includes a five-acre pond that will afford both recreational and educational opportunities for the boys,” Perriello says. “The property was originally slated to be part of the bypass project, and we were incredibly fortunate to purchase the land when those plans fell through.”
The groundbreaking ceremony is slated for summer of 2025, according to Perriello.