About Collegiate

OUr Mission

The mission of Collegiate School is to create a diverse and inclusive community of learners committed to a challenging and supportive educational experience that will foster the intellectual, moral, emotional, and physical development of each student.

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At Collegiate School, every student has the opportunity to grow, excel, and lead in a supportive and inspiring environment. We invite you to discover how Collegiate can help your child reach their full potential and become a confident, capable citizen of the world. Together, we shape the leaders of tomorrow.

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OUR VALUES

Collegiate School is a community with a continuing commitment to the following shared values. These values guide our philosophy, educational program, and daily interaction.

HONOR

Personal integrity and devotion to the truth, which make one trustworthy, forthright, responsible, and fair.

love of learning

A creative spirit that promotes intellectual and personal growth through exploration, inquiry, and openness to change.

Excellence

A sustained commitment to meeting high standards of character, achievement, and personal accountability.

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Respect

Fundamental regard for the dignity and worth of each individual.

Community

A commitment to responsive and compassionate citizenship and service on campus, in the local community, and in the broader world.

History of Collegiate

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Miss Helen Baker's initiative laid the foundation for a century of scholarship and citizenship that has inspired pride in the thousands of students who have followed in the footsteps of the first 75 girls who walked through the doors on Sept. 23, 1915. Strong leaders have expanded on Miss Baker's work and guided Collegiate through exponential growth.

The Collegiate experience is defined by relationships and lessons that make indelible marks on our lives. These intangible gifts shine on through our academic and professional achievements, lasting a lifetime. And the same spirit that inspired Miss Baker to advise our first graduating class to be good citizens of the world lives on in our hearts and informs all of our endeavors.

I hope you have learned many things … besides the very important facts outlined in various books … I would have you live for humanity's sake. I would have you [be] good citizens in the widest sense…

Helen Baker

Founder, Collegiate School

Fast Facts

Total Students

~1,700

Total Student Body Diversity

23%

Lower School (JK-4)

603

Student-Teacher Ratio

8:1

Middle School (5-8)

516

Total Faculty

229

Upper School (9-12)

570

Faculty Holding Advanced Degrees

71.1%

Mid-50% Range ACT composite

26-32

Mid-50% Range SAT score

1210-1420

Number of Performing Arts Ensembles

42

Total Number of Athletic Teams

81

Students Receiving National Merit Recognition (four-year span)

57

Percentage of graduates who enroll in colleges/universities in a typical year

100 the collegiate

`TIMELINE`

1915

Collegiate School for Girls, founded by Helen Baker with help from Mary Carter Anderson, opens on Sept. 23 at 1133 W. Franklin Street in downtown Richmond. Seventy-five students enroll.

1917

The School moves to 1619 Monument Avenue. The first edition of The Torch is published.

1928

Boys are first admitted to the Kindergarten.

1946

The first edition of the student newspaper, The Match, is printed by an 8th Grade English class.

1953

Cornerstone for Holliday Hall laid for the “school in the woods” on five acres on River Road given by Louis Reynolds. Collegiate Country Day School operates in tandem with the Town School on Monument Avenue.

1960

The Town School and Country Day School merge, operating on the campus off River and Mooreland roads. In a “coordinate” configuration, a Girls School is formed for Grades 5-12, led by former Town School Headmistress Catharine Flippen. The Boys School, also Grades 5-12, is led by new Headmaster Malcolm U. Pitt Jr. Elizabeth Burke heads up the coed Lower School. Our first capital campaign raises $1 million to build two classroom buildings, a gym, a science building, and a music building. Included in the funds raised is a donation by Mr. Reynolds of an additional 30 acres.

1963

The first boys graduate from Collegiate.

1984

The 40,000-square-foot athletic center, now named the Seal Athletic Center, opens with locker rooms, P.E. offices, and facilities for indoor soccer, batting practice, volleyball, weight training, gymnastics, dance, basketball, and wrestling.

1986

Collegiate restructures with Grades K-4 remaining coed, Grades 5-8 coordinate (boys and girls take classes separately, but in the same building), and Grades 9-12 coed.

1993

The fine arts building, now named the Hershey Center for the Arts, opens. It features a gallery, choral and recital rooms, art studios, a photography darkroom, and the 620-seat Oates Theater.

1999

The Watt Library/Technology Center, the Estes Multipurpose Building, the new Reynolds Hall, and the Weinstein Family Art and Music Wing all open on the Lower School campus. The school purchases 156 acres in nearby Goochland County to be used for athletic fields.

2000

The North Science Building, with state-of-the-art Upper School science classrooms and computer labs, is completed. An events pavilion, comprised of a filming/announcement tower and concession stand, is built adjacent to the Grover C. Jones Athletic Field. On the Goochland Campus, 12 playing fields are established for practice and play.

2001

The South Science Building opens with Middle School science classrooms and College Counseling offices. The rebuilt Lower School campus is complete with the opening of the new Nunnally Hall for 3rd and 4th Graders. A new rubberized track is dedicated to Coach Jim Hickey.

2002

The Alumni Association establishes the Collegiate Athletic Hall of Fame, and the first inductees are honored at the Collegiate-St. Christopher's football game.

2008

The Sam Newell Field, a baseball diamond with stadium and "green monster," and a softball field are complete at our Goochland Campus, newly renamed Robins Campus.

2009

A new athletics building at Robins Campus is complete. Features of the building include an indoor synthetic turf warm-up room, trainer's facilities, locker rooms, and a strength and conditioning room.

2010

Robins Campus is nearly complete with the opening of 13 tennis courts and a Tennis House overlooking a championship court.

2011

On the Mooreland Campus, a new traffic pattern is implemented and work begins on Lower School renovations and additions. A soccer field, to be named in honor of Coach Charlie Blair upon his eventual retirement, is completed at Robins Campus. Collegiate holds the International Emerging Leaders Conference, hosting representatives from 10 countries.

2013

The Sharp Academic Commons and the H2L2 Studios open on the Mooreland Campus.

2015

Collegiate celebrates its Centennial anniversary.

2017

A renovated McFall Hall, the Middle School and Upper School cafeteria, reopens.

2018

Oates Theater reopens after a nine-month renovation. The Stephen P. Adamson Jr. '92 Ropes Course opens on North Mooreland Road.

2019

The Institute for Responsible Citizenship is named in honor of the Powell family.

Heads of School Through the Years
Miss Helen Baker: 1915-1920 Miss Alice Bradford: 1920-1922 Miss Elizabeth Graeme Barbour: 1922-1924 Miss Van Greenleaf: 1924-1931 Miss Marianna P. Higgins: 1931-1933 Miss Elizabeth P. Gaines: 1933-1934 Miss Mary Denmead Ruffin: 1934-1937 Mrs. William T. Hodges: 1937-1940 Miss Catharine Stauffer (later Flippen): 1940-1972 Mr. Malcolm U. Pitt, Jr.: 1960-1987 Mrs. Julia A. Williams, Interim: 1987-1988 Mr. F. Robertson Hershey: 1988-1998 Dr. Beverly Sgro, Interim: 1998-1999 Mr. Keith A. Evans: 1999-2014 Mr. Stephen D. Hickman: 2014-2019 Mrs. Penny B. Evins: 2019-2022 Mr. Billy Peebles, Interim: 2022-2024 Mr. Jeffrey W. Mancabelli: 2024-

Heads of School Through the Years