The Woodhall School

The mission of The Woodhall School is to provide an opportunity for success to young men of above-average intellectual ability in grades 9-12, who have had difficulties in traditional school environments. The school embraces an individualized approach that allows each student to realize his potential and to take accountability in all areas of his life.

The school’s individualized approach includes an interpersonal and intrapersonal component that permeates the four pillars of The Woodhall School: Academics, Athletics, Residential Life, and Communications. 35 years ago, my parents, Sally Campbell Woodhall and Jonathan A. Woodhall, a handful of dedicated educators, and friends of our family, shared a dream to create a different kind of school for boys: Where the mind, body, and soul of a boy is one; Where adult mentors and students dispense with labels, believing that ninety-nine percent of learning happens outside the classroom; Where an individualized approach addresses the needs of the whole boy: his intellectual, physical, moral, and spiritual growth.

Where other schools have said “no,” The Woodhall School has said “yes.” A generation of boys has become the Gentlemen of Woodhall, and the School continues to provide opportunities for success for bright young men, who for a variety of reasons, have yet to realize their full potential. The School’s motto, Soli Ipse Adesse, translates to “Be present to [the student] himself alone.” At Woodhall, we are present to the whole student. We meet the boy where he is rather than demand an expectation of where he should be. Woodhall is a unique and intimate boarding school that, like its students, defies categorization. Adult mentors and students work towards developing greater self-reflection, self-expression, and accountability for everyone in the community. The goal for a Woodhall graduate is to become a gentleman, in the fullest sense of the word, and to demonstrate the coping skills to face challenges in school and life.