Private Schools near Charlottesville
Our area has grown by leaps and bounds over the years. For those who feel like they want their children to be in an atmosphere that offers the smaller class size not commonly seen these days in the public school systems – both city and county – there is a slew of Charlottesville private school options to fit any requirement.
Here is a complete list of private schools in the Charlottesville area, including pre-schools.
Below is a list of many of the more well-known offerings.
Blue Ridge School
The Blue Ridge Industrial School was founded in 1909 by the Reverend George Pickett Mayo. The School’s early mission was to provide a vocational education for boys and girls who otherwise would not have had the opportunity to realize their rich potential. The School opened to approximately 35 students in January 1910.
Today, it’s an all-boys, all-boarding college preparatory school for grades 9-12 that offers small classes, a structured and supportive environment and a strong sense of community, defined by an honor code and a host of strong traditions.
The school is located in St. George, not far from Stanardsville and Boonesville – for more info – 434-985-2811.
Charlottesville Catholic School
Located near Pen Park – the Charlottesville Catholic School was founded in 1996. It’s a nationally recognized school offering pre-K through eighth grade, and is welcoming to all faiths. It’s a regional Catholic School under the auspices of the Diocese of Richmond, serving the families of Charlottesville and the surrounding counties of Central Virginia.
It’s considered a regional inter-parochial school, which means it’s in a ministry of several parishes but receives less than 1% of its funding directly from those parishes. For more info – 434-964-0400.
Charlottesville Waldorf School
Located across the road from the Charlottesville Catholic School – just look for the red school building as its landmark – the Charlottesville Waldorf School is an independent private school that was founded in 1982 by a group of parents and grandparents determined to bring a Waldorf education to Central Virginia.
The school moved into its permanent Charlottesville campus and LEED-certified grade school in September 2007. The entire campus reflects CWS’ dedication to environmental awareness, from the dedicated green spaces to the holding ponds for storm water collection. It serves a vibrant student body, ages 3 to Eighth Grade.
The curriculum is rich in academic, artistic, practical, and physical activities in an inclusive and diverse environment. Its educational philosophy, based on Rudolf Steiner’s understanding of child development, cultivates the imagination, intellectual curiosity and social responsibility of our students. Please call (434) 973-4946 for more info.
Covenant School
The Covenant School has grown and now has two campuses: the Lower School in the old Mcintire School (its original location), which goes from preschool up to 6th grade, is just off the Rt 250 Bypass across from Mcintire Park; and the Upper School, opened in 2002, which covers 7th to 12th grade, is located off of Fifth Street Extended.
The school was founded in 1985 as an experiment in melding a rigorous academic environment with the guiding principles of a non-denominational Christian culture. Over the last 30 years, Covenant has grown from 45 students in lower elementary grades to more than 575 students from Pre-K through Grade 12, on two campuses just four miles apart.
The Covenant School is the first Christian school in Virginia to have been accredited by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools. For more – call 434-220-7309 (Lower School) or 434-220-7329 (Upper).
Free Union Country School
Founded in 1984 to nurture in each child a love of learning in a community that respects childhood from preschool through fifth grade, the Free Union County School’s campus is located in historic Free Union in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and is 15 minutes northwest of downtown Charlottesville. For more info – 434-978-1700.
Miller School
Located near Crozet, The Miller School of Albemarle was founded in 1878 with a bequest from Samuel Miller, who was raised in Batesville. The Last Will and Testament of Miller provided for the majority of his estate to be used for the establishment of a boarding school for girls and boys to be located on 1,600 acres near his birthplace in Albemarle County.
By 1874, following Mr. Miller’s 1869 death, architects and builders were ready to begin work in designing and constructing the school. This work culminated in August 1878, with a grand opening and dedication of the central portion of “Old Main”, an impressive Gothic-Victorian brick structure, around which much of MSA educational life still revolves.
In its 138+years, MSA has evolved to the coeducational college preparatory school for grades 8-12 that it is today. Today, MSA is home to over 185 girls and boys from around Virginia, around the nation, and around the world. For more info – 434-978-1700.
Mountaintop Montessori
Founded in 1982, Mountaintop Montessori, located right at Pantops, provides the community with an exceptional and authentic Montessori education, serving children and families from infancy through adolescence. The campus is home to year-round programming in which children thrive through experiential learning, interactions with the natural world, and collaborative discovery.
Mountaintop Montessori is fully accredited by both the American Montessori Society (AMS) and the Virginia Association of Independent Schools (VAIS). It’s committed to providing children from Toddler to the middle school years with an outstanding education that supports the development of the whole child. The curriculum is expanded with programs in art, music, Spanish, ecology, PE, and garden to table (cooking). For more info – (434) 979-8886.
Oakland School
Located in Troy, The Oakland School is a coed boarding and day school specializing in the education of children with dyslexia, difficulties with organization and study skills, or other learning disabilities. The school is ungraded, offering instruction from the early elementary school level through the eighth grade.
It was founded in 1950 by Margaret G. Shepherd as a summer camp and remedial school called the Oakland Farm Camp & School and located on her family’s farm. Shepherd offered a program that she had created, using phonics to teach reading and offering positive reinforcement to build students’ self-esteem.
In 1967 she expanded it to a year-round residential school program, and in 1968 the Virginia Board of Education certified the school as a private, non-profit learning disabilities school. Shepherd taught at Oakland School up to the time of her death at age 91. In 1974 her daughter, Joanne Dondero, succeeded her as school director, continuing in that role until 1993.
Carol Williams, who joined the school staff in 1978, is the school’s current head of school. For more info – 434-293-9059.
Peabody School
Founded in 1994, The Peabody School began with a vision for education that was unlike anything else that existed in the area. To fulfill that vision, educator Harriet Durling Kaplan and colleague Caroline Cunningham Eidson launched a one-room, nonprofit elementary school, specifically tailored to meet the often-overlooked educational needs of gifted learners — and to embody the philosophical belief that “education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”
Peabody is a Pre-K – 8th grade independent school located near Mill Creek, just off of Avon Street. It provides a differentiated learning experience through small class size (12-16 students) and expertly trained teachers who balance teacher-directed and student-initiated focus on inquiry and discovery. Accredited by the Southern Association of Independent Schools. For more info – 434-296-6901
Renaissance School
Located near Court Square in Downtown Charlottesville and founded in 1999, the Renaissance School covers grades 9-12 and offers a rigorous college preparatory curriculum for high ability students in the arts, sciences, and/or humanities. It’s a member of the National Association for Gifted Children and a member of the American Math Association. They can be reached at (434) 984-1952.
St. Anne’s-Belfield School
A co-ed, independent boarding and day school for pre-K through 12th grade, St. Anne’s-Belfield School is located on 49 acres near the campus of the UVA. The goal of its founders was to provide for their daughters the academic opportunities offered to their sons by UVA.
In 1910 the Reverend Henry B. Lee, Rector of Christ Episcopal Church, persuaded his vestry to purchase the Institute. Reopened as St. Anne’s School, it became part of the Episcopal Diocese system and continued at its downtown location until 1939, when it was moved to the present upper and middle school campus. In 1985 the school became independent of the diocese.
Like St. Anne’s, the coed elementary school’s origins were downtown, in 1911 Miss Nancy Gordon opened a primary school known first as Miss Nancy’s and then as Stonefield. After her death, it was merged with University Country Day School (the Bellair School) and renamed The Belfield School in 1957.
In 1975, after a five-year trial period, St. Anne’s and Belfield officially merged. It is accredited by the The Virginia Association of Independent Schools. For more info – (434) 296-5106.
Tandem Friends School
Tandem Friends School was founded in 1970 by John Howard and Duncan Alling. Both were familiar with the Charlottesville area, and felt there was a need for a school in the community which would present an alternative approach to education.
Initially, the school was located in a two-story brick house on the banks of the Rivanna River. In 1972, the school moved to “Hillcrest,” a large home dating from the mid-19th century, located on 23 acres of land (now at 31 acres). Tandem proudly became the first integrated independent school in the area.
In 1983, Tandem School opened a Middle School serving grades 5-8, and was accredited by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools. From 1982 to 1995, new programs were added in community service, physical education, music, and drama.
In 1995, Tandem School became the first school to formally adopt the philosophy and practices of Quaker education, renamed itself Tandem Friends School, and became a member of the Friends Council on Education.
Tandem Friends School offers a rigorous college preparatory curriculum in an environment built on Quaker values. It’s a coeducational day school serving students in grades 5 through 12. For more info – 434-296-1303.
