Crozet Gazette: Field School Breaks Ground on New Campus
By Lisa Martin
School and local officials took part in a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Field School “Aerie Campus” on Barracks Road. Photo: Ron Wade.
Field School of Charlottesville broke ground on July 16 for its new “Aerie Campus” on Barracks Road that will be home to the next generation of Field School Falcons. The all-boys school serving fifth through eighth graders is one of only three independent all-boys middle schools in the country, and operates under a mission “to develop well-rounded boys of character and accomplishment.”
Rendering of new Field School campus on Barracks Road near Charlottesville
Housed in leased space on Crozet Avenue across from Crozet Elementary for more than a decade, the school has outgrown the building and will construct its own $15 million campus on 22 acres closer to Charlottesville. “This groundbreaking is about more than a new campus—it’s about opening our doors to more boys who seek what Field School offers,” said Bo Perriello, Head of School. At the groundbreaking ceremony, he celebrated the vision of Field School’s founder, Todd Barnett, who was in attendance.
“More than twenty years ago, Todd saw a need in our community and had the courage to do something about it,” said Perriello. “He believed middle school boys deserved a school designed specifically for them—a place where every boy would be known, challenged, and inspired to become a young man of character and accomplishment. Everything we celebrate today began with that vision.”
Bo Perriello, Head of School. Photo: Ron Wade.
The new campus—“aerie” meaning the nest of a bird of prey, like a falcon—has been planned with boys in mind. “Field School has demonstrated that when boys are taught in an environment designed around how they learn best—with movement, purpose, challenge, meaningful relationships, and high expectations—they thrive,” said Perriello. The blueprints promise classrooms that open to the outdoors; fields, trails, and ropes courses to channel energy and growth; collaborative areas that blend natural beauty with modern resources; and an academic environment that cultivates resilience, teamwork and creativity.
The school’s leadership team also hopes to reach more families by moving to a location only minutes outside of Charlottesville, as Perriello lamented a nationwide trend of boys becoming disengaged from school and struggling academically, socially, and emotionally. “We believe one of the solutions begins with creating an educational environment that embraces how these boys learn, how they grow, and how they develop into confident, compassionate young men,” he said. “This campus gives us the opportunity to do that better than ever before.”
Rendering of new Field School campus on Barracks Road near Charlottesville
Barnett spoke after Perriello to add his perspective on the groundbreaking, expressing gratitude for those who had taken his vision and continued it. “So much of the work on this property took place a long time ago when there was no payoff,” he said. “It’s really gratifying to drive by and see this place being cleared.” Barnett named several people who were instrumental in finding the Barracks Road property, and also expressed gratitude to county Board of Supervisors member Ann Mallek, who was in attendance, for having “stuck her neck out for us so many times.”
The project’s timeline anticipates the site work and athletic fields to be completed by the first quarter of 2027, the main academic building to be finished in time for the new campus to open for the 2027-28 school year, and the gymnasium to be completed by the summer of 2028. For more information about this project and Field School, visit fieldschoolcv.org/new-campus.
Photo: Ron Wade.
