Linton Hall School is a Catholic day-school occupying an 120‑acre campus in Linton Hall, Virginia

Linton Hall, Virginia

Linton Hall is a census-designated place in Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 8,620 at the 2000 census....

, in Prince William County

Prince William County, Virginia

-National protected areas:* Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge* Manassas National Battlefield Park* Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge* Prince William Forest Park-Government and politics:...

 about 60 km (37.3 mi) west of Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

Early History

The early history of Linton Hall has its roots in the donation of land by Sister Baptista Linton for the education of poor boys and girls. The Benedictine Fathers established St. Maurus Boys’ School in 1893; the Benedictine Sisters established St. Edith’s Academy for girls in 1894.
After World War I, the enrollment of both schools began to decline. The Benedictine Fathers returned to their abbey in Belmont, North Carolina. In 1922, the Benedictine Sisters started two schools: St. Gertrude High School for girls in Richmond, Virginia, and Linton Hall School, a residential school for boys in Bristow.

Military School

Linton Hall began as a military school; however, the military program was discontinued for a few years. In 1932, the military program was firmly established, and the school became known as Linton Hall Military School. As the enrollment increased, the monastery building lacked adequate space for housing the academic and residential programs. In 1940, two floors of St. Ann’s Guest House were converted into dorms. In 1946, the first phase of the present building was completed and served as a residence hall for all the students. By 1951, the second and third floors and the classroom wing were completed. Physical education facilities included a gymnasium built in 1956, an outdoor swimming pool constructed in 1968, tennis courts, a primary grades Welker Memorial playground, various playing fields, and a playground purchased by the Parent School Guild.

Foreign Students

In 1951, students from Cuba and Mexico began to enroll at Linton Hall. Although there had not been any active recruitment in other countries, the number of foreign students continued to increase throughout the years. This opportunity for cultural exchange provided an added dimension to the program.
Although Linton Hall was established primarily as a boarding school, a day student program was begun in 1974 in order to provide more service to the local community and to offset declining enrollment. The number of day students increased steadily.

Boards

The Linton Hall Board of Visitors was founded in 1974 to assist the administration in forming policies concerning future growth, development, finances, public relations, and other areas of concern. The Board of Visitors was dissolved in 1991, giving way to the Advisory Board.
In the 1975-76 school year, a five-day resident program was offered to make the boarding facility available to more students. In addition to maintaining accreditation by the Virginia State Board of Education

Virginia State Board of Education

The Virginia State Board of Education is an independent board established by the state of Virginia in the United States which helps set state elementary and secondary educational policy, advocates within state government for elementary and secondary education, administers some state educational...

and membership in the National Catholic Education Association (NCEA), Linton Hall became a member of the Virginia Association of Independent Schools (VAIS) in 1977.

Summer Activities

For thirty-nine years Linton Hall operated a summer camp program which provided a variety of activities as well as summer classes. Beginning in 1990, Linton Hall focused on a day camp which served many of the children from the Extended Day Program. The summer camp of 1993 began a special inclusion of underprivileged children from the local community. The camp under the sponsorship of the Benedictine Sisters of Virginia ended in the summer of 1996. Since that time the facilities and grounds have been rented to other sports organizations for their use. Swimming lessons and a technology-based program are still provided by Linton Hall.

Discontinuation of the Military Program

During the early 1980’s, the Benedictine Sisters were rethinking the role of Linton Hall as a military school. The enrollment continued its downward trend, and finally, a consultant was hired in 1987 to direct an in-depth study of direction for change. Demographic studies showed the promise of growth and development in Prince William County. A series of meetings and studies among the Benedictine Sisters resulted in a decision to discontinue the military program.

Current

In 1988, Linton Hall School became a coeducational day school, serving students from kindergarten through eighth grade, and maintained its Catholic identity. The military program was discontinued, and the residential program was phased out gradually. The enrollment in the 1988-89 school year was 33 students. Beginning with the 1989-90 school year enrollment has steadily increased. With the addition of a pre-kindergarten in 2004, the enrollment reached 210 students.

External links

• Linton Hall School