St. Margaret's School

St. Margaret's School has been a place for girls to learn, grow, and thrive for nearly 100 years. We believe in the power of all girls, value your uniqueness and respect your views. Each girl is given the individual support she needs to excel in the classroom and in all aspects of life.

We offer boarding and day programs for girls in grades 8–12 and a postgraduate program, THRIVE. Girls gain strong academic skills here, develop leadership ability, and build character to prepare them to be successful on whatever path they take. Grounded in Episcopal values, we provide a welcoming, inclusive experience for girls from across the country and around the world, including girls with autism who are capable of studying at grade level and plan to go to college.

At St. Margaret's, you will belong to a close community full of opportunities that promote competence and build confidence to help you overcome challenges, try new things, and become your personal best. Our programs are designed to enrich the lives of a diverse community of girls:

Academic Program: we know how to successfully teach girls to be life-long learners, to succeed in the classroom, in college, and in life.

International Program: girls from around the world find their second home at St. Margaret's as part of a community of supportive sisters. Our International Program is one of the most established among American boarding schools and our international students represent nearly 30% of our community.

Arts Program: creativity is nurtured here and girls are given the opportunity to explore new areas of expression and gain new skills through our visual and performing arts programs.

Athletics Program: girls develop character, work to become part of a team, and push to be skilled student-athletes in our Athletics Program that coaches them to Be St. Margaret's. A wide range of afternoon activities also provide opportunities for girls to focus on their overall fitness and well-being.

River Program: taking advantage of our beautiful riverfront campus, this program spans the curriculum, co-curriculum, and residential life by engaging girls in hands-on science, outdoor adventures, and volunteer service.

Minimester: students participate in a two-week winter term where they take enrichment courses or go on an educational trip. Seniors spend two weeks as an intern in a field of potential career interest through the Independent Study Program.

Wheat Learning Center: our innovative resource center provides services that foster a productive learning culture by supporting the needs of the individual student, including girls with autism who are studying at grade-level. Through the Wheat Center, we provide enrichment services and academic support, teach study and organization skills, and promote healthy curiosity, creativity, collaboration, and perseverance.

• Council for the Advancement and Support of Education
• Mid-Atlantic Episcopal School Association
• National Association of Episcopal Schools
• National Coalition of Girls' Schools
• Secondary Schools Admission Test Board
• Small Boarding Schools Association
• The Association of Boarding Schools
• Virginia Association of Fundraising Executives
• Virginia Association of Independent Schools

At a time when opportunities for high school education were rare in the rural South, the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia established St. Margaret's School in Tappahannock. Its primary purpose was to "meet the need in Tidewater of a standard school, at the least possible cost, for girls of character and ability."

Back then, students often arrived by steamboat, as there was no bridge linking Tappahannock with the Northern Neck and there was no government road to Richmond or easy way to reach a major metropolitan area, like Washington, DC.

“St. Margaret’s instilled into us that there was a right and there was a wrong, and all our lives we would have to make that choice and our characters were built by the choices we made.” -Nancy Berry '23, St. Margaret's first graduate.

St. Margaret's School provides a learning environment where girls know they belong, are challenged and supported to believe in themselves, and prepared to become their best. We inspire girls to reach their full potential and make a better world.

The world is a better place because of generations of St. Margaret's women who found their voice and made a difference in their communities. In a Christian environment, founded on the Episcopal tradition, girls develop honor and character, an appreciation for the uniqueness of each individual, and a desire to give to the world. Girls are challenged to be their best in all areas of their lives. By learning to meet these challenges, they develop confidence, resilience, and strength of character. In addition to learning academic and life skills, they become independent, creative, and morally courageous women who are effective communicators. St. Margaret's girls know who they are, what they can do, and how to do.

Both our mission and vision are expressed in three powerful words that stand for everything we do, and for what we hope to achieve in raising and educating girls: Belong. Believe. Become