About Us

A Small and Special Enclave

Pursue your greatest potential

An intentionally small co-ed boarding school set in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, our supportive community is a place where all are known and valued. In their time on our campus, students develop strong character and essential life skills through a rigorous academic curriculum and robust co-curricular offerings. They leave here ready to shape a changing world.

Asheville School

Our Story

Asheville School is for those who dare to be extraordinary.

For those who are unable to pack themselves into neat boxes or stay in their lane. Those who pursue a higher life with limitless possibilities.

We cannot predict your future, just as we could not predict the futures of other great thinkers and doers and creators who have found themselves on our campus. So, we will teach you all we know to be true. You will learn about classic literature and chemistry. Art, music, and physics. The sweet alchemy of a banana and sugar. The twisting trails and towering trees that frame our campus. The constellations over Mount Pisgah.

The power of friendship. The rewards of being curious and receptive and open. To believe that you belong here—just as you belong everywhere.

It is a privilege to learn and live in this small and special enclave among ancient mountains, and your role in our community is vital. You will graduate a truer, braver, wiser version of yourself. And what you share with others will be something unique. It will be you.

In four years, you will teach us more than we could have imagined. You will say the same of us.

1900

Asheville School is founded as a school for boys with 53 students spanning grades 5 through 12.

1903

The campus’ second building, known simply as “The School,” (Mitchell Hall today) is built. It contains all classrooms and laboratories, administrative offices, a large study hall, and a theater.

1918

Students create the Pisgah Challenge as a way to challenge themselves during the height of the Spanish Flu epidemic.

1926

Asheville School is sold to Pittsburg industrialist Walter P. Fraser.

1930

Alumni are able to buy back the school and operate it as a nonprofit institution.

1960

The Asheville School banana makes its first appearance and becomes a dessert staple and rite of passage.

1968

First students of color are enrolled.

1972

Asheville School becomes coeducational, with girls admitted as day students.

1986

Girls are offered on-campus housing as boarders.

1990

The first girls’ dormitory, Kehaya House, is dedicated.

1996

Asheville School is named to the National Register of Historic Places.

2000

Asheville School celebrates its centennial.

2018

Recognized as an Apple Distinguished School for integration of technology into the curriculum through 1:1 MacBook Air program.

2019

Newly built Athletics stadium is dedicated to Mr. J. Flint McNaughton, ’82.

2020

Winterim Program created and offered to provide students and faculty the opportunity to explore interests not offered during the traditional academic program.

To Be a Part of This Place

A set of essential experiences and rites of passage anchor our community. They unify students as each generation enlivens them, carries them forward, and makes them their own.

Blue vs. White | When students converge on campus each fall, they are sorted into two teams: Blue and White. Spirited competitions throughout the year provide opportunities for scoring points. In the end, one team will reign supreme—earning bragging rights and eternal recognition by banner embroidery.

The Banana | The campus icon began as a distinctly Asheville School delicacy of banana, lemon, and sugar. Today, the banana has transcended from a sweet snack to our beloved campus mascot known as Blue.

Seated Meals | We will forever believe in the power of analog connection. The tradition of gathering for seated meals has remained steadfast across decades as a cornerstone of our campus experience. Because through conversation over dinner, with all devices stowed away, we forge bonds that will last lifetimes.

Third-Form Wilderness Trip | Our feet are planted in one of the world’s most ancient and biodiverse locales. This place–our backyard, our classroom—is pure magic. Freshmen (or third formers) kick off their journey with a night under the stars, enveloped by the enduring peace, calm, and wonder of the landscape we’re fortunate to call home.

Mount Pisgah Challenge | Students created this trek to the summit of Mt. Pisgah and back—some 40 miles with vertical ascent of 3,500-plus feet—during the Spanish Flu epidemic. Some hundred years later, another generation of students facing a global pandemic have taken to the trail once again. Will you join them?

Senior Demonstration | Asheville School students will not only graduate as their most authentic selves, but as eager and adaptable lifelong learners. In this academic capstone of senior year, students read three books of their choosing, write two papers analyzing them, and take part in an oral presentation and defense.

Christ School Rivalry | Asheville School’s cross-town rivalry with Christ School is the oldest among prep schools in the Carolinas. The Blues and the Greenies have clashed in high-spirited football games annually since 1933.

Spirit Bonfire | Each fall, mountaineering program students construct a massive bonfire that Asheville School seniors light with torches before joining together to chant our fight song around the mighty flames.

Paint the Rock | Every spring, a large campus rock is cast in a renewed splash of color as Asheville School seniors celebrate the end of their academic classes with paint brushes and an array of bright hues in hand.

Senior Banquet | In their final year as Blues, Sixth Formers join our Head of School for a special evening to commemorate their time on our campus. A gift—a blue and white striped tie or pendant necklace engraved with our school seal—will forever keep the years they spent amid rugged mountains close to heart.

Our Vision

A global community pursuing lives of meaning and service.

Our Mission

Asheville School is a diverse and nurturing community that challenges and supports the mind, body, and spirit of our students by developing their resilience, intellect, and character.

Our Values

Personal Excellence

Excellence is striving for personal growth, a desire to discover and explore possibilities, and the courage to see opportunities in challenges. We foster critical and creative thinking skills in diligent pursuit of personal excellence in academics, the arts, athletics, mountaineering, and service. We challenge students to continually seek to understand how their decisions and actions impact their own lives and the lives of others.

Inclusive Community

We intentionally seek different perspectives and foster equity. Our community is stronger when each individual’s voice is a valued and respected part of the conversation. We grow through exploration, understanding, and respect for the differences and similarities that are the foundation of the most essential piece of the Asheville School experience – our community.

Perseverance and Resilience

Success involves hard work, dedication, and the courage to overcome barriers. Students learn to handle disappointment with grace and flexibility and move forward with renewed focus and fortitude.

Life-Long Curiosity

A life-long love of learning is rooted in curiosity. We collaborate and challenge one another to discover different ways of thinking, to pursue interests, and to explore opportunities to develop our mind, body, and spirit. We encourage a hunger for learning, enduring curiosity, and a profound interest in the people and world around us.

Spiritual Reflection

Spiritual reflection opens the door to a greater understanding and appreciation of oneself, others, and the connection to something greater. Rooted in our nondenominational Christian heritage, we welcome students of all faiths and beliefs and encourage everyone to explore spiritual connection through multiple pathways, striving to embark on a meaningful and life-long spiritual journey.

Our Head of School

Making his return to campus, our ninth Head of School Dr. Anthony Sgro (’84) is excited to propel the school forward while keeping sight of our mission.

Prior to his assuming this position, he was Head of School at Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School from 2011 to 2019. Located in Rabun Gap, Georgia, the school is a co-educational boarding and day school enrolling students in grades PK-12 for a total school enrollment of over 600.

From 1999-2011, Dr. Sgro served on the faculty of Woodberry Forest School in Woodberry Forest, Virginia. He ended his tenure at the school serving as Assistant Headmaster and Dean of Students. He served as Director of External Relations, teacher, coach, advisor and residential master during his term at the school.

Dr. Sgro worked for decade in public policy before he chose to pursue a career in education. From 1993-1997, he was Deputy Director of Policy in the Governor’s Office in the Commonwealth of Virginia. He developed and coordinated the dissemination of the Governor’s policy message from eight cabinet secretaries. He was also responsible for lobbying the legislature on behalf of the Governor. From 1997-1999, Dr. Sgro taught capstone classes as a lecturer in the Hampden-Sydney College Government department.

Dr. Sgro currently serves on the boards of The Association of Boarding Schools, Spoleto Study Abroad (chair), and The Heads Network. He has served on the boards of the Wilson Center for Public Service at Hampden-Sydney College, St. Andrew’s School Development Committee, the Virginia Israel Commission and the Development Committee of the College of Architecture and Public Affairs at Virginia Tech. He is a member of the Cum Laude Society and Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

Dr. Sgro currently serves on the boards of North Carolina Association of Independent schools and Spoleto Study Abroad (chair) He has served on the boards of The Association of Boarding Schools, The Head’s Network, Wilson Center for Public Service at Hampden-Sydney College, St. Andrew’s School Development Committee, Habitat for Humanity, the Virginia Israel Commission, and the Development Committee of the College of Architecture and Public Affairs at Virginia Tech. He is a member of the Cum Laude Society and Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

He is a graduate of the Diaconal Formation Institute of the Diocese of Virginia. He was ordained to the diaconate in the Diocese of Atlanta of the Episcopal Church.

Dr. Sgro is married to Faulkner Bagley Sgro, a graduate of the Collegiate Schools (VA) and Vanderbilt University. They have three children: Huston, Bagley, and Grazia.

In Conversation with Dr. Sgro

Leadership

Our leadership team is committed to challenging, supporting, and championing students during their time at Asheville School.