Middleburg Academy Announces Closure
Middleburg, Virginia – June 17, 2020
It is with great sadness that the Middleburg Academy Board of Trustees has announced the closure of the school after a 55-year history of educating students. The decision was necessitated due to declining enrollment, an increase in financial aid requests, and the impact of COVID-19 and the uncertainty of its impact this coming fall.
“As stewards of the school, we each feel a deep, personal responsibility to our community, and this has been an extremely difficult decision,” said Michael Hoover, Chairman, on behalf of the Board of Trustees. “We are particularly sorry for the returning students who will not have the opportunity to graduate from Middleburg Academy. We are also saddened for the loss of a passionate and very talented faculty and staff, whom we will continue to support as they transition to new opportunities.”
Middleburg Academy was originally founded in 1965 as Notre Dame Academy, an all-girls Catholic boarding school. The campus was developed on the former Hitt family estate, incorporating the historic, early 20th century buildings into a school campus that included a new academic building and athletic facilities.
In the 1990s, the school transitioned to a co-educational day school while retaining its Catholic identity. Since 2009, at which time it became Middleburg Academy, it has been an independent, co-educational day school, developing young people into leaders in the classroom and in life. Its graduates have attended a wide variety of colleges and universities across the United States and abroad. Approximately two thousand students have graduated from Notre Dame Academy/Middleburg Academy.
As the Board considers the future use of the property, they prefer it would remain a school. As they consider inquiries from interested parties, the Board is hopeful an educational use will emerge; however, it is unknown what the future may present.
“While this decision has been very difficult for all of us, we are hopeful that everyone’s lasting memories of the Middleburg Academy community can be of the joyous moments, personal growth, and enduring friendships,” said Mr. Hoover.