About the Boys Home of VA

A School Built on a Simple Idea: Every Young Man Deserves a Real Chance.

For more than a century, Boys Home of Virginia has provided young men with the structure, support, and opportunity they need to build a meaningful future. We are a tuition-free residential school, and we have been doing this work since 1906.

Our Story

Boys Home was founded in 1906 as an outreach of the Episcopal Church, created to serve young men in rural Covington, Virginia who needed greater support than their circumstances allowed. In the decades since, Boys Home has grown into a full residential school community, serving thousands of young men along the way. Today, Boys Home is a tuition-free residential school. We provide academics, trades training, residential life, and a genuine community where young men are known, challenged, and supported. Our funding comes almost entirely from private donors and partners, which means a family’s financial situation is never a barrier to enrollment.

Our Campus

Boys Home is located on a 1,400-acre campus in the Alleghany Highlands of western Virginia. The campus includes:

Eight residential cottages, each home to a small group of young men and their Residential Life Mentors
A fully accredited education center with small classrooms
An applied trades center
A newly renovated gymnasium and student center
A dining hall and chapel
Working farmland and an equine program
Trails, waterways, and outdoor spaces used daily

The campus itself is part of the program. Young men fish, hike, kayak, and work on the farm as part of daily life, not as occasional extras.

Our Approach

Small Classes

Every student is known by name. Small class sizes let teachers meet each young man where he is academically, whether he needs to catch up, stay on track, or be pushed further.

Hands-On Trades

Our applied trades program gives students real skills and real confidence. Whether a student goes on to college, a trade career, or military service, he leaves Boys Home with practical experience most of his peers don’t have.

Residential Mentorship

Residential Life Mentors live alongside students and invest in their daily lives. This is not a job that ends at 5 pm. The adults at Boys Home show up consistently, hold students accountable with care, and model what it looks like to be a responsible person.

Leadership Development

Students take on real responsibilities, earn privileges, mentor younger classmates, and grow into young men who make a difference in whatever community they join.

Spiritual Life

Establishing a Strong Foundation

At Boys Home, we believe developing the whole person, mind, body, and spirit, is central to our work. Our spiritual life is grounded in the Episcopal tradition, which values respect for every individual, thoughtful reflection, service to others, and a commitment to living with integrity.

As a member of the National Association of Episcopal Schools (NAES), we welcome students from all backgrounds and faith traditions. Each young man is encouraged to explore his own beliefs while learning to respect the perspectives of others.

Through chapel, mentorship, and daily community life, students have time and space to reflect, ask questions, and develop a deeper sense of purpose.

Mission:

To help each student become a successful man by fully developing his spiritual, intellectual, physical, and social potential.

Vision:

A community where every young man discovers what he is capable of.

I wouldn't be here for 10 years if I didn't truly believe in this place and what we do for the kids

Jessica Hine, Residential Life Mentor

My job is to get them ready to leave. If I do my job correctly, they're going to be able to leave and be okay.

Kelly Westfall, Residential Life Mentor

The most important thing is getting students outdoors, getting their hands busy in a constructive way, and helping them take pride in what they can grow and accomplish.

Linda Angle, Farm Manager and Equine Instructor

The direction of my life was shaped by great coaches, mentors, and teachers who believed in me, challenged me, and helped me grow into the person I am today. I am at Boys Home because I want to provide that same encouragement, structure, and opportunity for young men who need someone to believe in them and help them discover their potential.

Head of School Chris Doyle

You'll know everybody here. And everybody will know you. / Life in the cottages builds real friendships – the kind that last past graduation.

There's nothing like this at your old school. / Fishing, the farm, the mountains – your afternoons here are different.

Learn a skill that actually pays. / Our trades program gives you something real to build on before you even graduate.

Afternoons here are different. / Paintball. Basketball. Kayaking. Minimester week. This place keeps moving.

Here, the teacher actually knows your name. / Small classes mean real attention and a real shot at reaching your potential.

College. A trade. The military. You decide. / We're here to open doors and then get out of your way.

Come See It for Yourself

The best way to understand Boys Home is to visit. Reach out to us directly and we will set up a time for you to see the campus, meet the staff, and get a real picture of what life here looks like.