At a Glance: The Covenant School in Charlottesville
- Founded: 1985
- Grades: Pre-K–12
- Campuses: Birdwood (Lower School) and Hickory (Middle & Upper School)
- Sports Offered: Baseball, basketball, cheerleading, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, track & field, volleyball, and wrestling
- Fine Arts: Band, choir, orchestra, theater, visual arts, drama
- Mascot: Eagles
- School Colors: Blue and White
Forty Years of The Covenant School in Charlottesville
Founded in 1985 with just 56 students, The Covenant School has grown into a pre-K through 12th-grade community. The school now serves more than 770 students across two campuses. Throughout its expansion, the school’s foundation has remained remarkably consistent.
“The Covenant School has always been deeply committed to partnering with families to provide an education that is academically excellent, biblically grounded, and centered on the development of the whole child,” says Director of Admissions Betsy Carter.
As The Covenant School celebrates its 40th anniversary, it is celebrating more than four decades of academic excellence. It is celebrating a vision: educating the whole student.
Mind, body, heart, and spirit are developed together because learning is about more than acquiring knowledge. It is formed through participation, relationships, service, creativity, challenge, and practice.
Carter says that vision has always extended “far beyond academic achievement.”
The goal, she explains, is not simply preparing students for college, but preparing them for lives of purpose, wisdom, and service. Every classroom, stage, athletic competition, and service project becomes an opportunity. Students stretch their abilities, form their gifts, and begin to understand how to contribute to something larger than themselves.
A Philosophy of Learning Through Action
Children have always learned by doing. They climb, run, invent games, and turn an open field into a whole world. As they do, kids discover confidence, creativity, friendship, and the first hints of who they’re becoming.
But the world around them has shifted. More of the day is spent seated: in cars, at screens, moving from one scheduled thing to the next. It leaves parents and educators asking: how do we help young people become confident, resilient, and compassionate adults in a world that so often encourages them to sit still?
For Covenant, the answer isn’t simply to increase physical activity. The school creates opportunities for students to engage fully with the world around them: intellectually, spiritually, creatively, physically, and relationally.
Movement is one expression of that larger philosophy. Students may be solving problems in science, performing on stage, serving the community, or competing on an athletic field. Across it all, they are learning through experience and action as much as instruction.
Knowledge may begin in the classroom, but wisdom is often formed when students practice what they are learning.
Athletics at Charlottesville’s Covenant School
One of the clearest examples of Covenant’s philosophy can be found in athletics. For many schools, sports exist alongside the academic program. At Covenant, athletics are woven into it.
Championships, victories, and athletic achievement are celebrated. But they have never been the ultimate goal. Instead, sports are viewed as one of the many ways young people learn the habits and character that prepare them for life beyond graduation.
Athletic Director Patrick Estes describes athletics as “another classroom.” It’s one where students learn lessons that reach beyond the final score. Through practices and competition, students develop discipline, resilience, humility, composure under pressure, and respect for teammates and opponents. Those lessons, he believes, stay with students long after the season has ended.
Covenant School Athletics by the Numbers
- 17 athletic programs
- 75%+ of students participate in sports
- 76 all-conference athletes
- 41 all-state athletes
- 14% of alumni in college athletics
- 6 conference players of the year
At Covenant, athletics serve as an extension of the school’s larger educational mission. Estes explains that the purpose of the athletic program is not simply to develop skilled competitors. Instead, it promotes the moral, intellectual, and physical development of student-athletes.
The field and court become places where students learn to respond when things don’t go according to plan. They learn to handle success without losing humility. They experience failure without losing confidence. Student athletes learn commitment, teamwork, responsibility, and perseverance. These are the same qualities Covenant seeks to cultivate throughout the entire educational experience.
Relationship Building at Charlottesville’s Covenant School
Covenant’s distinctive approach extends beyond programs. Dean of Faculty Colin Anderson believes the school’s greatest strength is found in its relationships.
“What makes Covenant distinctive is not simply our curriculum,” Anderson explains, “but the relationships through which that curriculum comes to life.”
Teachers know students personally. They challenge them thoughtfully. They model intellectual curiosity, faithful service, and Christian hope.
Education, Anderson says, is fundamentally personal. Students at Charlottesville’s Covenant School are not simply taught information. They are mentored by adults who see helping young people grow as both a privilege and a calling.
Helping Students Discover Their Purpose
Sometimes, the opportunities that shape a student appear in unexpected places.
Betsy Carter, the Director of Admissions, recalls a student, who was exceptionally gifted at math when he enrolled but sometimes struggled to connect socially. As a middle school student, he enrolled in a semester of theater with little enthusiasm. What began as a required class soon uncovered a passion he never knew he had.
Theater became the place where Charlie found his voice and discovered a new confidence. That confidence soon reached beyond the stage. He became a standout soccer player, participated in talent shows, and grew into a young man willing to step outside his comfort zone. By the time he graduated, he had decided to pursue not only mathematics in college, but also the passion for theater that first kickstarted a world of discovery at Covenant.
Covenant’s philosophy is that becoming rarely happens through information alone. It happens when students are invited to try something difficult and discover gifts they didn’t know they possessed. Whether that discovery happens in a classroom, on stage, on a service project, or on an athletic field matters less than the fact that it happens at all.
According to Carter, prospective families often arrive expecting strong academics and beautiful campuses. But what leaves the deepest impression is something less tangible: a community marked by joy and belonging.
Frequently Asked Questions: The Covenant School in Charlottesville, VA
How much is tuition at The Covenant School?
For the 2026-2027 school year, tuition at The Covenant School ranges from $17,120 for full-day PreK to $26,880 for 9th to 12th grades.
Can families apply for financial aid?
The Covenant School offers significant financial aid for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Financial aid awards are based on a variety of factors. Families seeking financial aid must apply by February 1st each year.
Is Charlottesville’s Covenant School religious?
The Covenant School in Charlottesville is a Christian day school.
Does the school offer sports and other extracurricular activities?
There are many sports available to students at the Covenant School. Teams include cross country, field hockey, soccer, volleyball, football, and tennis. Students also pursue arts extracurriculars, including theater, music, and visual arts.
How do I apply to The Covenant School?
Families can find information about applying to the Covenant School online. Admissions open in September for the following year, and applications must be received by January 31st.
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Marc Boston is a hospital chaplain, children’s book author, and longtime CharlottesvilleFamily contributor. His work explores how children become remarkable adults and how adults can reclaim the curiosity and creativity of childhood.