Fishburne Military School, Virginia, USA

Fishburne Military School, founded in 1879, is Virginia’s oldest private military school. The school is proudly located in historic Waynesboro, Virginia. It is Virginia’s most senior and smallest military school for boys. Its college-prep curriculum is based on the structure of an Army JROTC program. FMS has had a 100% college acceptance rate for the past ten years and has been designated a JROTC Honor Unit with Distinction.

Qualified candidates may be nominated to the United States Service Academies. Fishburne has one of only four Summer JROTC programs in the country that the United States Army Cadet Command accredits.

Fishburne Military School’s mission is to provide each cadet with a solid academic foundation, a healthy mental and physical environment, and leadership training to help them understand the obligations of honor, citizenship, and self-discipline.

The Fishburne Military School in Virginia, U.S.A.

From when Professor Fishburne founded the military school for boys until now, the faculty, staff, and administration have worked to maintain the high ideals and traditional values required to provide quality instruction to our Corps of Cadets. We offer a nurturing, structured environment that fosters personal development.

With approximately 200 students in grades 7 through 12, we provide non-boarding education to qualified residents. The Fishburne Military School cadets are supervised 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and may request and be granted weekend passes and leave. Academic emphasis, an 8:1 student-teacher ratio, and structure all contribute to Fishburne Military School being a rewarding student life experience.

The FMS Mission permeates every aspect of a Fishburne Cadet’s experience, from matriculating until he strides proudly across the graduation stage. The Fishburne Mission benefits academic achievement, athletic participation, attention to detail, time management development, personal accomplishment, and pride.

Prestige Fishburne takes pride in maintaining the U.S. Army JROTC Honor Unit with Distinction status for 90 years. The Gothic revival style barracks are also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These barracks are triangular and have a central opening. They house boys’ rooms as well as staff and faculty offices.

History of Fishburne Military School, VA

In 1879, James A. Fishburne, a student, and protégé of Robert E. Lee established the coed Waynesboro High School. Only in 1881 did the school become male, and a series of name changes ensued: Fishburne Home School in 1882, Fishburne School in 1883, and finally, Fishburne Military School in 1886, two years after the school adopted a military program. Since 1924, the school has been designated an Army JROTC Honor Unit on the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps charter. The Fishburne-Hudgins Educational Foundation, Inc. was established as a Virginia non-profit in 1951 and has owned and operated the school ever since.

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Student Profile

The all-male school provides students with the option of boarding or day attendance. Aside from its well-regarded academic program, the school has a Raider Team, two drill teams, and over ten athletic programs.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Virginia Association of Independent Schools accredit the school. The school adheres to the U.S. Army JROTC program.

Fishburne accepts students in grades 7 through 12 and has a postgraduate program for those who want to improve their grades and SAT scores before starting college.

Academic Structure of Fishburne Military School

The Caisson, the school’s mascot, represents everything they try to instill in their students. This is demonstrated by graduates’ 100% college acceptance rate. The school is dedicated to each student, with an astonishingly low student-teacher ratio and advisors assigned to each student.

The Raider Team was invited to compete in the JROTC 4th Brigades 2013 Best of the Best Raider competition, and the school is best known for its military performance.

Also Read: United States Military Academy, West Point – History, Admission, & Noble Graduates

Campus Structure of Fishburne Military School

T.J. Collins, a Staunton architect, designed the 1916 Gothic Revival barracks, which were added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 4, 1984. As it sits on a hill overlooking the school’s parade and athletic field, it is the focal point of the Fishburne campus and dominates downtown Waynesboro. 

The barracks building is a three-story open rectangle with cadet rooms, some offices, and most classrooms facing the open Quadrangle. A wing attached to the barracks houses the chapel above the mess hall and swimming pool.

The administrative/gym building is connected to the barracks via a breezeway. Hobby-Hudgins Hall, located on the southeast corner of campus, combines a modern computer center and library with physical education facilities such as locker rooms and a weight room.

FAQs on Fishburne Military School.

Is Fishburne Military School for Purely Boarders?

To be a full-time student at Fishburne, you do not have to live on campus. You attend all scheduled school activities, including lunch formation and physical training, as a Day Student and then go home at night. This option is only available to students in Waynesboro and the surrounding area.

How Much is Fishburne Military Tuition?

For boarding students, the yearly tuition is approximately $ 38,000, for day students $18,000, and $45,000 for international students.