History
The founding
A Venture of Faith, 1921
In 1921, Bishop William Cabell Brown and the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia founded Christchurch School on the Eastman Farm in Middlesex County.
The simple intention of this venture of faith was to provide a comprehensive education at reasonable cost at a time when secondary education was not universally available to American children. On September 28, 1921, Christchurch School opened its doors with several local students and ten boarders.
The beauty of the Rappahannock Riverside location was, and remains, spectacular and unspoiled. Early on, the school was referred to as "the only country school for boys on Virginia's salt water." The setting was no accident. From the beginning, the river was understood to be not just a backdrop but a resource — educational, recreational, and spiritual.
"An effort should be made to develop the features and opportunities which are unique to Christchurch because of its location on the river and remote from any considerable town. Reference is specifically made to activities, educational and recreational … as field sports and water sports."
Christchurch School Board of Trustees, 1934 — a strategy for the school's future that reads as a blueprint for what it became
Key milestones
A century of intentional choices
1921
Christchurch School founded
Bishop William Cabell Brown and the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia open the school on the Eastman Farm in Middlesex County, Virginia, with ten boarding students.
1934
The river strategy is formalized
Church school trustees draft a strategy for the school's future centered on its unique riverside location — a document that shapes Christchurch's identity to this day.
1972
First female day students welcomed
Female day students join the Christchurch community, with the first female graduate completing her studies in 1975.
1983
Learning Skills Program established
Christchurch launches the first program of its kind at a Virginia boarding school, providing structured support for students with learning differences. Today, 100% of Learning Skills students go on to competitive colleges.
2010
Great Journeys curriculum launched
Christchurch introduces its signature place-based curriculum, using the Rappahannock River and historic Tidewater Virginia as a living classroom unlike any other in the country.
2012
First boarding girls welcomed
Christchurch becomes a fully coed boarding school, a conscious effort to better reflect the world its students will go on to lead.
2022
William J. Coyle named Head of School
Billy Coyle becomes the 18th Head of School, continuing a tradition of leadership rooted in the school's founding mission and its enduring connection to the river.
I am not sure why the Episcopal church chose this Middlesex County site … maybe God just said, trust me."
Arch Harrison ’43