Episcopal High School (Alexandria, Virginia)

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Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox school/short descriptionScript error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for clobbered parameters".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Episcopal High School (also known as the High School, Episcopal and EHS), founded in 1839, is a boarding school located in Alexandria, Virginia. The Holy Hill Script error: No such module "convert". campus houses 440 students from 25 countries, 26 states, and the District of Columbia. The school is 100-percent boarding and is the only all-boarding school of its caliber located in a major metropolitan area.

History

Origins

Episcopal High School was founded in 1839 as the first high school in Virginia by the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia.[1][2] The neighboring Virginia Theological Seminary purchased Script error: No such module "convert". of land in the Seminary Hill neighborhood of Alexandria for $5000.[3][4]

The Rev. William N. Pendleton was appointed the first principal and the boarding facility opened on October 15 of that year. Pendleton, along with three assistant heads, taught 35 boys in the first year.[5][6] In 1840, Episcopal's student body tripled in size to accommodate more than 100 boys.[7]Template:Sfn

File:Episcopal High School Seminary, Va. LCCN2016826322.jpg
Hoxton House in 1918.

The school was interchangeably known as the Howard School, from its location at the site of an earlier school that ran from 1831 until 1834.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn[8] Episcopal became affectionately known throughout the South as "The High School" as it was the only high school around for another 30 years.[7][9] The central administration building, Hoxton House, dates to around 1805, built by Martha Washington's eldest granddaughter, Elizabeth Parke Custis Law.[10][11]

Episcopal continued to grow until the Civil War, when it closed immediately after Union Army forces occupied Alexandria in 1861.[12][13] Some 500 students served as soldiers in the war, many like Rev. Pendleton (who became a brigadier general) for the Confederacy, including 14 alumni who fought for the North.Template:Sfn The Pendleton Hall at Episcopal has a memorial to the 68 student/alumni who died fighting for the Confederacy.[5][14][15] For the next five years, school buildings served as part of a large hospital for Union troops. Poet Walt Whitman served as a nurse in the hospital.[10] The school reopened in 1866 under Principal William Fowler Gardner.[16]Template:Sfn

20th century

Under the direction of Launcelot Minor Blackford (principal, 1870–1913), the school initiated a modern academic curriculum as well as pioneered interscholastic team sports in the South, including football, baseball, and track. Recognizing the need to improve its facilities, the school also undertook an aggressive building program that formed the foundation for the present-day campus. In 1892, Episcopal enrolled its first international students from China.[17][18]

In 1888, Episcopal adopted black and blue as school colors, but after losing few games and the visitor claiming that "EHS had been beaten black and blue", the school changed colors to maroon and black.[19]Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

The school yearbook, Whispers, has been published annualy since 1903.Template:Sfn The first yearbook was published in 1891, but this was followed up irregularly.Template:Sfn

The Honor Code has served as a foundation of the EHS community since its inception. Episcopal instituted its Honor Code, one of the oldest among secondary schools.[20][21] A committee of students and faculty members promotes understanding of the code and handles violations.

E. Digby Baltzell's book The Protestant Establishment identified Episcopal as one of the "select sixteen" boarding schools in the United States.[22]

Integration and co-education

In September 1968, Episcopal began admitting African-American students under the presidency of Archibald R. Hoxton, Jr.[23][24] The school's first two African-American students enrolled thanks to the generosity of the Stouffer Foundation which assumed an active role in the recruitment and placement of African-American students in prep schools across the South.[23] The enrollment of Regi Burns '72 and Sam Paschall '72 fulfilled the board's 1965 resolution "Any and all applicants for admission shall be considered on an equal basis after giving due regard to their scholastic preparedness and their ability and desire to meet the standards of the school."Template:Sfn Since then, Episcopal has continually become more diverse and is consistently ahead of the national boarding school average for student diversity.[20]

In 1991, Episcopal began a transition to coeducation by enrolling its first 48 girls, a group commonly referred to as "The First 48".[25] The first coeducational class graduated in 1993.

More recent history

During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Episcopal opted not to receive loans under the Paycheck Protection Program, stating that it "should not seek this kind of support when others need it more."[26][27]

Campus

File:Callaway Chapel and the Baker Science Center, Episcopal High School Virginia.jpg
Callaway Chapel and the Baker Science Center, Episcopal High School Virginia

Episcopal's 130 acre hilltop campus has 26 buildings that include seven academic buildings, ten dormitories (five for boys and five for girls), performing arts buildings, faculty housing and athletic facilities. Of the 130-acres total land, 41-acres is forested area known as Laird Acres.[28]

In 1893, Baltimore-based architect James Crawford Neilson was commissioned to build the Liggett Hall and other building improvements.Template:Sfn[29] In 1910s, Episcopal commissioned architect Frederick H. Brooke to update the main hall, and expanded physically with addition of multiple buildings.[30]Template:Sfn

The Stewart Gymnasium was erected in 1913 at a cost of $30,000, replacing Episcopal's first gymnasium built in 1877.[3]Template:Sfn It was renovated in 2014.[31] The Centennial Gym was constructed in 1937 in anticipation of the schools centennial and was renovated in 2010.[3][32]

The 580-seat Callaway Chapel, built in 1990, is one of the few Episcopal churches in the United States named for a lay person. The chapel is named for Patrick Henry Callaway, who served as the member of the Episcopal faculty for 70 years, from 1916 until 1986.[33][34]Template:Sfn The postmodernist building was designed by the Walton Madden Cooper (WMCRP) architects of Maryland.[35] The north-facing Palladian facade leads to a curved entryway, semicircular wooden trusses, and to a giant, stained glass oculus window high behind the altar.[36]

The Hummel Learning Center (1970), the Hummel Bowl football stadium (1970), and the Hummel dorm (1995) are all named in memomry of Fred Hummel Jr., a former Episcopal student who was killed in the crash of his fighter jet at Nellis AFB in Nevada.[37] The Hummel and Maguire dorm-complex, built in 1995, was designed by the Bowie Gridley Architects.[36]

The Baker Science Center, built in 2005, is a LEED-certified, green building.[38]

Libraries

The Joseph Bryan library was the first school library. It built in 1927 with a gift of $35,000 from John Steward Bryan. As the Colonial Williamsburg restoration had begun around this time, the library was built in Georgian Revival style.Template:Sfn Renovated in 2007, it now holds the school archives and functions as a small meeting space.[3] Prior to the opening of this library, the students had access to magazines and book collections through the various literary societies on campus, which included the Pithonian (1839–1861), the Fairfax (1870), the Blackford (1874), and the Wilmer (1911).Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

The David H. March library serves as the main library of the school. It opened in 1990 in the Hummel Learning Center.

Organization and administration

From the beginning, Episcopal and the neighboring Virginia Theological Seminary were governed by the same board of trustees, appointed by the Diocese. The organizations were permitted to be incorporated in 1854 as the "Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary and High School in Virginia." In 1923, the school broke from the diocese and has been run by an independent board of trustees since then.[1][8]

Episcopal is a founding member of the Mid-Atlantic Boarding School Group (MABS).[39]

Endowment

since June 30, 2025Template:Dated maintenance category (articles)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"., Episcopal has an endowment of $382 million.[40][41] The School is a listed beneficiary in the will of Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans and receives annual grant from the independent Lettie Pate Evans Foundation.[42]

In 2025, Episcopal completed the Courage campaign. Launched in 2018, the seven-year campaign raised $157 Million.[40][43] Over the years the Episcopal has completed many fundraising campaigns, including the “EHS Building Fund” (1912), “Protecting the Way”(1924), “The Episcopal High School Fund” (1944), “Forward With Faith” (1964), “P.D.Q. Fund” (1970), “Sesquicentennial Fund” (1989), “Pillars of Strength” (2000), and “Courage: The Campaign for Episcopal” (2025).[44][45]

Academics

With 96 full time faculty members, a 4.6:1 student-faculty ratio, and an average class size of 11, Episcopal is able to offer 150+ courses, of which 75 are honors/advanced level. Episcopal no longer offers AP courses, but students may take AP exams if they take advanced classes.[46][39]

The school has eight academic departments and offers eight foreign languages. As part of the D.C. program, the school has built into daily schedule a 2.5 hour flex block (in afternoons & evenings) dedicated to class visits to the surrounding Washington area.[46]

McCain-Ravenel Center

File:McCain-Ravenel Center at EHS.png
McCain-Ravenel Center at EHS.

The McCain-Ravenel Center for Intellectual and Moral Courage, established in 2018, serves as the hub for experiential learning, externships, global programs, leadership, and service-learning. It is named for senator John McCain and his mentor at EHS, William Bee Ravenel III. The center helps connect students with the real-world experiences/opportunities in Washington D.C. and coordinates visiting speakers.

Enrollment and student body

since 2025Template:Dated maintenance category (articles)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"., the school has an enrollment of 440 students, half of whom are girls.[46] In the 2025–26 school year, Episcopal reported that 40% of its students identified as people of color. The student body represented 25 countries, 26 states, the District of Columbia.[46]

Tuition and financial aid

The comprehensive tuition fee for the 2025–2026 school year is $74,900 and includes tuition, room and board, and other expenses. In 2024–25, over 36 percent of the student body received financial assistance through over 100 endowed scholarship funds. Approximately $8 million in aid was awarded annually, with the average grant equaling about $54,619.[47][48]

Student life

Arts programs

Episcopal offers arts courses in instrumental music, vocal music, acting, dance, ceramics, photography, videography, drawing, painting, music theory, and music recording. Every year 61% of students take arts courses.[49] All students entering as freshmen are required complete two courses in the arts during their four years, and older students must complete one course in order to graduate.[50]

Arts courses take place in the 42,000 square-foot Ainslie Arts Center, named for former headmaster Lee S. Ainslie '56. The building opened in 2003 and includes a 540-seat William N. Pendleton auditorium (built 1950), 100-seat black box theater, and a 24-channel digital recording studio.[3]

The school regularly offers student and professional art shows, concerts and workshops. The National Chamber Players perform at the school several times each year, and student musicians often perform with the Youth Symphony Orchestra.[51]

Chapel and spiritual life

File:Michael Curry 2019.jpg
The Most Rev. Michael Curry speaking at Episcopal in 2019.

Students are required to attend a 15–20-minute chapel service three times a week and a monthly evening Vespers service. There is a voluntary church service each Sunday. Though the school is an Episcopal school, students of all religions are welcomed, and Episcopal strives to include traditions of all faith backgrounds in its services. The Chaplain's Office will also work with students to take them off-campus to attend various houses of worship in the area if they are interested, including other churches, synagogues, and mosques. Through its programs, Episcopal has brought to campus a number of notable leaders in spiritual life including Archbishop Desmond Tutu,[52] the Most Rev. Michael Curry,[53] Katharine Hayhoe,[54] and David Zahl.[55]

Athletics

Episcopal fields 52 boys' and girls' interscholastic teams in 19 sports: baseball, basketball, climbing, crew, cross county, field hockey, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, squash, swimming, tennis, track and field, ultimate frisbee, volleyball, and wrestling. Non-interscholastic programs, such as sports media, dance, cross training, and strength training, are also available.[56] There are varsity, junior varsity, and, for some sports, junior-level teams. Students are expected to complete three seasons of sports as freshmen, at least two as sophomores and juniors, and at least one as seniors. However, these requirements may be met by participation in non-interscholastic sports or by serving as managers for the scholastic sports teams.

Episcopal has sent 272 athletes to colleges since 2013.[46]

Conference affiliation

The boys' teams compete in the Interstate Athletic Conference (IAC). The school has won 48 IAC Championships since 1979 and seven Virginia Independent School State Championships since 1996. Episcopal's girls' teams compete in the Independent School League (ISL). They have won 41 ISL Championships since 1993.[56]

Episcopal won their first-ever Independent School League tournament championship in 2010 in field hockey. It was the first for Episcopal since joining the ISL 1993.[57]

Football

Episcopal competes against Woodberry Forest School in the longest-running consecutive high-school football rivalry in the South and one of the oldest in the United States.[58] Beginning in 1901, every fall the Maroon and the Woodberry Forest Tigers have competed on the football field. The location of the game alternates each year; it is either in Orange or Alexandria.[59]

The football team won back-to-back IAC Championships in 2015 and 2016 led by head coach Panos Voulgaris. The 2016 team was consistently ranked in the Washington Post Top 10 for the first time in over 25 years. During Voulgaris' tenure the program produced numerous college football players including multiple nationally ranked recruits.

Soccer

In the fall of 2008 the boys' varsity soccer team completed a perfect IAC season with a 23-0-0 record.[60] It went on to become the number one team in the state of Virginia by defeating NSCAA-nationally ranked #3 Norfolk Academy 4–0 in the VISAA Championship final.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". The team finished the season ranked as the #13 team in the country.[60] In the 2009 fall season the boys' varsity soccer team finished the year with a double overtime win over Collegiate School (Richmond, VA) which brought two consecutive state championship trophies back to Alexandria. Episcopal was also the 2009 IAC champion and was ranked as the number 3 team in the country.[60][61]

Athletic facilities

The Hoxton field and the Greenway fields were established in 1930s.Template:Sfn

Episcopal's soccer fields are often used by professional teams, either on a temporary basis or as a practice field.

Alexandria Reds of the National Premier Soccer League split their time between the Hummel Bowl on the campus of Episcopal High School, and Limerick Field, in eastern Alexandria.[62] The Washington Spirit of the National Women's Soccer League temporarily trained at Episcopal in 2021 due to disputes with D.C. United.[63]

In 2016, the United States women's national soccer team used the athletic facilities at Episcopal to train before departing for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil.[64] In July 2025, Episcopal served as a base camp for the Al Ain FC during the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and will serve as a base camp during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[65][66]

Notable alumni

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File:John Sidney McCain III Episcopal High School 1953.jpg
John McCain at Episcopal, 1953
File:Langhorne McCook Bond - Episcopal High - 1955.jpg
Langhorne Bond at Episcopal, 1955
File:Harry Klinefelter - Episcopal HS 1930.jpg
Harry Klinefelter at Episcopal, 1930

Notes

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References

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  75. ↑ McCain repeatedly noted in speeches that his high school days, and in particular the influence of William Bee Ravenel III was an important formative influence on his life. See McCain, John S. (April 1, 2008). Episcopal Offered Me a Home Template:Webarchive Text of speech at Episcopal High School (Alexandria, Virginia). Retrieved on 2008-05-04. Also see Ringle, Ken (May 12, 2008). A Hero's Life. The Weekly Standard Volume 013, Issue 33. Retrieved on 2008-05-04
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Bibliography

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External links

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