Organization Profile

Organization Overview

Located in downtown Waynesboro, Virginia, in the bucolic Shenandoah Valley 30 minutes from Charlottesville, Fishburne Military School is a private non-profit non-sectarian boarding school for boys in grades 7 – 12. Ideal enrollment is between 150 – 175 cadets comprised mostly of domestic boarders but also including day and international students. It is governed by an independent board of trustees comprised of alumni and past parents. Fishburne is the oldest military boarding school in Virginia (1879) and the board is committed to its small scale and all male mission. When founded, FMS was modeled after nearby Virginia Military Institute and Fishburne’s iconic barracks quadrangle reflects this. The relationship between the two schools remains close. As a non-sectarian school, the FMS Army JROTC program is part of US Army Cadet Command and rated an honor school of distinction. FMS is accredited by VAIS and is a member of NAIS and TABS.

Fishburne embraces its new brand … We see what’s great in you. The student body is comprised of a core of young men with an affinity for the military and a desire to get an early start on this career. Along with this group are many other boys who were overlooked in their previous settings and not growing to their potential. With its small scale and structure, individual attention, and dedicated faculty and military staff, all of whom understand leveraging relationships to develop young men; Fishburne excels at enabling its cadets to reach their full potential. FMS has a conventional college prep curriculum, but one which is evolving in new and exciting ways with community partners and to develop life skills in our boys. Required athletics and physical training produce not just resilient young men but several each year who go on to play collegiate sports. The vast majority of FMS graduates will go on to civilian higher education. A significant number each year do matriculate to one of the US Service Academies or military colleges. Some boys will elect military enlistment to obtain GI Bill benefits before going to college and still others may pursue specialized technical training.

FMS is a small close-knit community that feels like family and this is certainly true of the employees. Most FMS administrators, faculty, and staff are dedicated educators without military experience. The personnel of the Army JROTC Department and Commandant’s Office all possess military backgrounds and direct the Corps of Cadets. In the spirit of “bricks & mortar do not a school make”, these professionals are a great strength.