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About
Our Location Makes Us Special

Nestled at the corner of the James River and Forest Hill Park, GSES capitalizes on learning in the community.

Where Inspiration Meets Community

Our curriculum maximizes the use of our community and inspires our students to serve our neighbors and learn typical subjects in compelling and thought-provoking new ways.
Admissions
Call for a Tour
The best way to learn if GSES is the right place for your family is to visit. Please call the school at 804-231-1452 to arrange a personal tour.

Visits
Throughout the school year, GSES will provide opportunities for prospective families to visit for group tours and information sessions. Our open houses and visit days are the perfect opportunities for prospective students to get a taste of life in a GSES classroom.
Academics
Small Classes Allow for Big Experiences

Our small size provides big opportunities for learning. With a student to teacher ratio of 8:1, students receive the personalized attention to grow at their own pace and learn about subjects that matter to them in addition to the core academic subjects.

Innovative Learning
Our supportive environment allows students to take risks in their learning. Building a catapult that doesn't work teaches far more than a catapult that does. Feeling safe to try new things, while being carefully guided through challenging subjects, encourages our students to thrive.
Programs
We LOVE the Outdoors
Our outdoor education program takes advantage of our location near the James River and Forest Hill Park. Lessons often take students on adventures such as searching for local quarry stone in the neighborhood, measuring the velocity of student-built boats as they float down the James River, or collecting native pawpaws to use in cooking.
Community
Community Cleanup
Our families show up for GSES. Each August, our students and their families help clean the school grounds in preparation for the new school year. This is just one of the many ways we work together to create a united and close community.
Support
Supporting GSES
As GSES approaches its 50th year, families, alumni, and friends loyally provide support for the school's academic programs, as well as capital improvements to school facilities. Over the past few years, funds from generous donors have provided for library and Parish Hall renovations, as well as classroom enhancements and special programming.

In This Section

Team Sports

Good Shepherd Episcopal School offers several team sport options for its students. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some sports may not be available during the 2020-21 school year.

SOCCER

Youth soccer is offered for Grades 2-8 in the fall and Grades 1-8 in the spring. In the past, we have fielded both a varsity and junior varsity team. GSES teams compete with other area private school teams. Practices typically run on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Junior Varsity games are on Thursdays and Varsity games are on Fridays.

BASKETBALL

Youth basketball is offered for Grades 5-8 from November – March. The GSES basketball team competes with other area private school teams.

MOUNTAIN BIKE TEAM

The Good Shepherd Racing Rams mountain bike team competes against Virginia area school teams. Open to students in Grades 5-8, the sport engenders respect, camaraderie, and physical and mental fitness. Students have positive attitudes and are interested in taking good care of themselves, and because it is such a demanding endurance sport, it leaves little room for unhealthy behaviors.

Lower school basketball players cheering on team

“Our daughter has had an amazing experience on the mountain biking team. While the team is typically only open to grades 3-8, our 1st grader bravely asked the coach if she would be allowed to try out. Now, she is its youngest member and the experience has given her a great deal of self-confidence. It’s easy to see how this shy little girl finds the courage to assuredly interact with adults and older children when you consider she is constantly and bravely hurling herself down a steep biking trail in front of all her teammates! The experience has also created a means of bringing her caring nature forward. This is evident every time she slows down to cheer on those who lag behind, or when she offers to help push them up the hill—even when they are twice her size.”

— CHRIS HARRIS