Foxcroft School enjoys a wealth of traditions reaching back to the school’s founding in 1914 by Charlotte Haxall Noland. Foxcroft seems an ancient institution compared to the private schools that have cropped up in Northern Virginia in recent years, but Cathrine Wolf, Foxcroft’s director of communications, maintains the school balances history with staying current.

“We have a number of traditions that persist, but not in a fuddy-duddy way,” she said.

Foxcroft has long been known for its riding program and as home to the “Foxes and Hounds” competition. The Foxcroft campus features a stable with 60 stalls and indoor and outdoor arenas. Foxcroft girls regularly compete at national riding tournaments.

“Foxes and Hounds” is a school-wide, intramural athletic competition that started in the school’s second year.

New girls are assigned to be either a Fox or a Hound randomly (some girls do have a Fox or Hound legacy from their mother or another relative). The girls dress up in their group’s colors and sing traditional songs.

Fox/Hound competitions are student run and happen all year – including a field hockey “homecoming” match in the fall and a basketball competition in the winter.

“It’s a big rivalry and a big competition, but it’s not a nasty thing,” Wolf said. “It’s unique and special and helps build community.”

Building that sense of home has become more important lately as students increasingly come from outside Virginia.

Last year, students hailed from 21 states and 16 percent were from overseas. Though mainly a boarding school, nearly one-third of the students are day students. Even the day students have their own bed, however, and are encouraged to stay over at least twice a week. Nearly 80 percent of the faculty also lives on campus and Wolf believes this homey atmosphere has fostered Foxcroft’s academic success.

“The relationships and support that kids get from teachers out of the classroom is just tremendous,” Wolf said.
According to Wolf, this year’s graduating class of 52 girls was accepted into 115 schools nationwide, including elite schools like MIT, Princeton and Cornell, and earned nearly $2 million in merit scholarships.

Wolf understands why people focus on the Foxes and Hounds competition and the riding program. Wolf herself finds it hard not to talk about those things because the traditions are so unique and the riding facilities are so impressive. However, she maintains that Foxcroft is first a top-flight college prep school

“I’d hate to give the impression that we’re just a riding school, because we’re not,” Wolf said.