November 11, 2026

Parties Agree to Settle Dispute Involving St. Margaret’s School

TAPPAHANNOCK, Va. — The Foundation for St. Margaret’s School (FSMS) and Episcopal Church Schools in the Diocese of Virginia (CSDV) have agreed to settle a legal dispute that dates back more than a year.

The resolution is especially timely for FSMS, which has founded a microschool in Tappahannock for female students. Its first class began classes on Sept. 9 in The Phillips House on Water Lane. The microschool’s educational mission centers on classical principles, Christian community and whole-person instruction in an all-girls setting.

Brett Glymph, FSMS Board President, stated, “FSMS welcomes the opportunity to resolve this matter so we can keep our focus on educating young women. We are honored to follow in the St. Margaret’s tradition through our microschool in Tappahannock. Just as important, we hope to sustain the St. Margaret’s alumnae community and sisterhood, helping past students to stay connected, celebrate one another’s lives and work, and pass the mission forward with confidence.”

“For more than a century, St. Margaret’s School educated girls from Tappahannock and the Northern Neck alongside boarding students from around the world. The school had deep roots in the Episcopal tradition and a transformative impact on its graduates,” said Henry R. Broaddus, CSDV president. “We wish the new microschool well with its beginning, one inspired by the spirit of historic St. Margaret’s and led by several of its alumnae and former board members.”

The settlement concludes the conflict over St. Margaret’s School, which CSDV founded in 1921 as a boarding school for girls. The school moved to Water Lane in 1927 when the 18th-century Brockenbrough House on the Rappahannock River was purchased to serve as a campus.

Last July, CSDV decided not to reopen St. Margaret’s for the 2025-2026 school year, saying the school was financially unsustainable. Enrollment deposits and other advance tuition payments were refunded. Donations made in 2025 to support the school were returned upon request.

The plaintiffs disputed CSDV’s claim that the school was financially unsustainable. Litigation ensued, which has led to the current settlement.

While terms of the agreement are confidential, they settle the disposition of assets belonging to St. Margaret’s School and the St. Margaret’s School Foundation, which had raised funds to support the school. (The latter entity is distinct from the Foundation for St. Margaret’s School, which formed in 2025.)

Broaddus said the historic school campus, across Water Lane from the microschool, and its athletic complex off Sycamore Drive remain CSDV’s property under the settlement. Both are closed to the public.

FSMS and CSDV also agreed to dismiss all legal claims relating to St. Margaret’s closure.

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