In this second part of our series on schools in Central Virginia, we’re focusing on some of the outstanding private schools in the area. 

Blue Ridge School 

www.blueridgeschool.com

Founded in 1909, Blue Ridge School is an independent, all-boys, all-boarding college preparatory school. It is located 20 miles northwest of Charlottesville on nearly 800 acres abutting Shenandoah National Park. 

The school’s mission is to help its student body, consisting of approximately 190 young men in grades 9-12, reach their potential through personalized, structured, innovative learning practices. With 30 faculty members, the student/faculty ratio is 6:1 with an average class size of nine. The school boasts an impressive record of 100% of its graduating students being accepted to four-year colleges. 

The Blue Ridge School offers an extensive Outdoor Program with academic and recreational components that takes advantage of its mountain location while encouraging nontraditional activities, teamwork, personal challenges, and a respect for the natural world. 

Blue Ridge School seeks boys who respond well to personalized instruction; are willing to grow and who are open to joining the Blue Ridge family; are honest and respectful of other people and their property; will strive to fulfill their potential as learners and as leaders; and will flourish in an academic environment that focuses on learning to use one's mind well.

Charlottesville Catholic School

www.cvillecatholic.org

The nationally recognized Charlottesville Catholic School (CCS) offers Pre-K through 8th grade curriculum, with standardized test scores ranking among the highest in the country. 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.

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 the faith community, CCS achieved initial accreditation by the Virginia Private Education Association in 2000. Continuing its tradition of excellence, the school was awarded re-accreditation with "exemplary" status in the spring of 2006 by the Virginia Private Education Association and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

The Covenant School

www.covenantschool.org

Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Virginia Association of Independent 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 co-educational and enrolls students in pre-kindergarten through grade 12. It provides formal education in traditional academic disciplines and fine arts, and offers a broad and varied program of physical education and sports. 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 laid in pre-K to the 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 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 to more than 550 students.

Charlottesville Waldorf School 

www.cwaldorf.org

Waldorf schools strive to educate not only the intellect, but also the child's full and essential humanity—his or her ability to feel and to do, as well as to think. The Waldorf curriculum also recognizes that our common humanity develops in clear, predictable, and understandable stages, which should be honored.

Charlottesville Waldorf School (CWS) opened its doors as Crossroads Waldorf School in September 1982, in a farmhouse in southern Albemarle County. In 1991, the school moved to Crozet, where it rented the old elementary public school until 2007. During this period, the school also maintained an early childhood center in Charlottesville. 

Throughout its history, CWS has sought to establish a permanent location that embodies its mission. In the spring of 2002, a group of parents, grandparents, and friends of the school purchased a 13-acre property on Rio Road for the school’s permanent home. In the fall of 2007, the school consolidated its two branches on its Rio Road property, housing its grade school in an environmentally designed building that is a “LEED-registered project” and is anticipating a rating of LEED-Certified. 

On June 5, groundbreaking began on its phase-two LEED building that will provide the campus with a state-of-the-art library that will hold a collection of over 10,000 books, a large pavilion for festivals and covered outdoor play, music room, specialty classroom, administration office, basketball courts, farm garden, and a paved driveway. 

With the help of the Charlottesville Waldorf Foundation, the school’s vision of being the "Greenest School in America" is well on its way to reality.

The Field School

www.fieldschoolcv.net

The Field School, a middle school for boys, has a mission to “develop well-rounded boys of character and accomplishment.” Founded in 2007, 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. Although a small school, it has consistent and deeply held values—honesty, compassion, trust, respect, fairness, courage, and responsibility. 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. In 2009, Field School is moving into the Old Crozet School with approximately 11,000 square feet of space including six classrooms, a gymnasium, and a kitchen as well excellent outdoor field space. In order to make the site more convenient to Charlottesville parents, the school provides a daily shuttle from several stops in Charlottesville.

Fork Union Military Academy 

www.forkunion.com

Fork Union Military Academy is one of the nation’s leading college preparatory military schools for boys in grades 6 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.”

The school was founded in 1898 by Dr. William E. Hatcher in the village of Fork Union. In 1913, the school began receiving support from the Baptist General Association of Virginia and maintains the partnership to this day.

The academy is accredited by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools and is a member of The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS). FUMA offers a unique One Subject Plan of instruction in its upper school and offers the middle school the traditional plan of study. 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.

Miller School

www.millerschool.org

Miller School, a coeducational day and boarding college preparatory school for students in grades 8-PG, first opened its doors in 1878 with 33 students. Girls first enrolled in 1884, making Miller School one of the nation's oldest coeducational boarding schools. Today Miller School is home to nearly 150 boys and girls from around Virginia, the nation, and the world. 

Proud of being a small school with small classes, Miller boasts a vigorous academic college preparatory program and a unique “mind, hands, and heart” curriculum. There is an emphasis on character, honor, and individual responsibility; arts education; community service; and athletics for both boys and girls. Average class size at the Miller School is 10; 60% of students are boarders; 40% are day students.

The school is situated 12 miles west of Charlottesville on a gently rolling campus of 1,600 scenic acres.

Montessori Community School--Pantops Mountain

www.montessoripantops.org

Montessori Community School (MCS) is fully accredited by both the American Montessori Society and the Virginia Association of Independent Schools. Montessori promotes the development of the whole child balancing social, emotional, intellectual, physical, and spiritual growth. MCS serves 200 children in 9 classrooms staffed by Montessori-trained teachers and outfitted with Montessori materials for these age groups: Montessori Mornings (6-24 months with an adult); Toddler Community (18 months-3 years); Children’s House (PreK and K); Elementary (grades 1-3 and 4-6); and Middle School (grades 7 & 8). The 9-acre campus is recognized as a wildlife sanctuary by Audubon International and the National Wildlife Federation and is also home to a greenhouse and music, drama, and art studios staffed by faculty trained in those subjects. Spanish, physical education, and community service round out the students’ experience at MCS.

Renaissance School 

www.renaissanceschool.org

Renaissance School, an independent, coeducational college preparatory school for grades 9 through 12, celebrated in 2009 the tenth anniversary of its first graduating class. The school’s success has enabled it to move from its original location on the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville to a larger facility on Historic Court Square.

Renaissance has had a 100% college acceptance rate for graduating seniors, ranging from the University of Virginia to the Rhode Island School of Design. Five graduating seniors who applied received over $460,000 in scholarship money, 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. Students are guided to take responsibility for their own development. 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.

St. Anne’s-Belfield School

www.stab.org

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. 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.

A co-ed school with last year’s enrollment of 841 students in pre-school through grade 12, the average class size is 12 students. Approximately 80% of the faculty hold advanced degrees, and students enjoy a student/teacher ratio of nearly 8:1. The median SAT for the Class of 2008 was 580 verbal, 620 math.

Two campuses totaling 49 acres include 97 classrooms (including three computer labs and eight science labs), three libraries, and three gymnasiums. Recent additions include a 32,000-square-foot Athletic and Convocation Center, a Student Activities Center, a baseball field, a softball field, and six tennis courts. Thirty varsity and junior varsity teams compete against public schools and in independent school leagues. About 80% of upper school students participate in interscholastic sports. 

In addition, 78% of the student body participates in fine or performing arts, with five performance orchestras and four choirs.

Tandem Friends School 

www.tandemfs.org

Tandem School was founded in 1970 by John Howard and Duncan Alling. Their philosophy, which continues to capture the essence of a Tandem 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 240 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 also capture the Tandem philosophy: “Freedom with Responsibility” and “Kindness and Wisdom.”

Tandem is a member of the Delaney Athletic Conference, fielding 18 teams. A strong arts program features visual arts, music, and performing arts 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 is accredited by the National Association of Independent Schools, the Virginia Association of Independent Schools, and is affiliated with the Friends Council on Education.

Village School 

www.villageschool.us

Village School is a private middle school for girls located in downtown Charlottesville, which provides an avenue for young women to find their own voices as learners. The school believes that effective self-expression and self-confidence arise out of the mastery of skills. As a member within its learning community, each student acquires the skills of making judgments and defending them.

A fine arts program is an integral part of the Village School curriculum. The use of computer technology figures prominently in daily life, where a ratio of one computer for every two students is maintained.

Physical education and development are also stressed. The girls play on citywide field hockey and lacrosse leagues, as well as participate in soccer, swimming, and other sports. Also, four Village School basketball teams play in the county YMCA league each year.

The school believes strongly in the advantages gained through an awareness and understanding of others. Consequently, community service is an integral part of the school, and being downtown provides many community service opportunities.