Miller School of Albemarle

Miller School of Albemarle (MSA) is a coeducational and college preparatory day and boarding school for grades 8 to 12. Nestled in the rolling hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, MSA has been educating the Minds, Hands, and Hearts of students since 1878. With a visually stunning 1,600-acre campus, MSA offers its 175 students ample opportunity to broaden their intellectual horizons, while gaining life enhancing experience in a wide range of extracurricular activities.

MSA provides a challenging and structured curriculum through which students not only learn their subjects, but also develop a life-long love of learning. This curriculum includes sixteen AP course offerings, and special programs in applied engineering, humanities, and land management. MSA is known for combining academic understanding with practical hands-on experience, so that students gain know-how as well as knowledge. Students participate in year-long community service partnerships on campus and in Charlottesville. MSA offers a broad selection of athletics and afternoon activities. Average class size is ten students. Sixty percent of students are boarders. Miller School of Albemarle is located 12 miles west of Charlottesville, Virginia.

We understand and appreciate that every student has different ideas, interests and learning styles. Miller is a place where you can be yourself and learn the way you learn. Our teachers will meet you where you are while our small classes allow us to differentiate instruction. At Miller, we will focus on your strengths, while we challenge you to step out of your comfort zone. We create opportunities for discovery and reflection by engaging the minds, hands, and hearts of our students.

Service to the community through partnerships with local non-profits is a core value of the Miller School of Albemarle, where volunteerism is substantive and focused on long-term engagement rather than a simple accumulation of hours. This is accomplished through bi-weekly service days in which every MSA student participates, with many students maintaining sustained partnerships with local non-profit organizations and engaging in service activities that benefit a wide range of Albemarle County residents. At the beginning of each school year, students are assigned to an on- or off-campus service group that they will work with throughout the year, allowing for long-term involvement and investment.

Miller School of Albemarle offers a rigorous yet supportive college preparatory curriculum that includes ample hands-on learning experiences. Fifteen Advanced Placement courses and four Dual Enrollment courses are available, along with specialty tracks in Applied Engineering and Humanities. The faculty is comprised of a remarkable group of educators that includes published authors, award-winning artists, and professional athletes. Students benefit from teachers who meet them where they are, while challenging them to reach their full potential.

The curriculum at the Miller School of Albemarle combines rigorous coursework with individualized attention and support. Students are challenged to reach their full potential as learners, building not only content knowledge but also creativity, problem-solving abilities, and analytical skills. Our wireless campus and new laptop requirement enable us to stay on the cutting edge of technology education. A full spectrum of courses, including many honors sections and thirteen Advanced Placement options, provides the flexibility to meet each student’s individual needs while preparing all students for college success. For more information on individual courses, see the Course Descriptions below.

In keeping with our motto, “Mind, Hands, and Heart,” the Miller School of Albemarle curriculum includes many opportunities for hands-on learning, both through students’ traditional classes and through innovative courses such as Design/Build. For example, a student may use surveying equipment to determine the height of Caton Hall in geometry class, gather a water sample from Miller’s 12-acre lake in earth science, and build a scale model of his or her dream home in the woodworking portion of Design/Build. Over seventy percent of MSA teachers live on campus with their families. Students and faculty spend a lot of time together outside the classroom; as a result, teachers get to know students better, and students get to know their teachers better. These connections allow for more meaningful and relaxed classroom interactions.