Courage, Humility and Largeness of Heart
Our Mission
Oldfields School’s mission is to embrace each girls’ authentic self, educate through collaboration, empower the individual voice, and inspire confidence and continual growth, leading to a life of purpose.
Established in 1867, Oldfields is an independent, non-sectarian college preparatory day and boarding school for girls in grades 8-12. Located in Baltimore County and situated on a bucolic campus of 130 acres, Oldfields seeks to provide a nurturing and supportive learning environment for each individual girl to experience personal success.
The Oldfields student body reflects the diversity of our world, with day students and boarding students hailing from as many as 15 states, 10 foreign countries, and the greater Baltimore area. A multiplicity of world views and personal perspectives add to the richness of every day life at Oldfields.
History of Oldfields
Anna Austen McCulloch established Oldfields in 1867 when she began educating her children, their cousins, and a few local children in her home. From the beginning, Anna McCulloch was described as a woman of “large humanity with the curiosity to know, an appreciation for excellence, sympathy for goodness, and charity for error.” Her curiosity and dedication to excellence led her to emphasize the sciences and physical vigor, long before many other girls’ schools. Oldfields has been ahead of its time since 1867. The culture of kindness, sense of family, mission and philosophy created by Mrs. McCulloch over 150 years ago, can still be felt today.
Living Our Mission: Instilling Social Responsibility
From it earliest days, Oldfields has always provided its students with opportunities to learn and practice social responsibility – for oneself, one’s school, and the larger community in which one lives. Oldfields seeks to instill a caring attitude towards self and others; a sense of control and competence; a recognition of basic human rights of self and others; the ability to be open to new ideas, experiences, and people; the acknowledgment, acceptance, and appreciation of individual and cultural diversity; and the development of leadership, communication, and social skills.
The adolescent capacity for self-reflection (and resulting self-consciousness) allows one to ask, “Who am I now?” “Who was I before?” “Who will I become?” The answers to these questions will influence choices about...what type of work one will do, where one will live, and what belief system one will embrace. Choices made in adolescence ripple throughout the life span.
Therefore, offering experiences that afford the lessons of being socially responsible is essential to the holistic development of our girls. That learning directly reflects Largeness of Heart, one of the cornerstones of the Oldfields School motto, and supports our mission statement which, in part, states: We seek to guide each student to grow in character, confidence, and knowledge by encouraging her to embrace the values of personal honesty, intellectual curiosity, and social responsibility.
School Timeline
1700s
The oldest building on the Oldfields campus, "Old House," was built.
1867
Anna Austen McCulloch founded Oldfields School in Glencoe, Maryland.
1868
Admission of the first four local students and four resident pupils from Memphis.
1870
Immanuel Episcopal Church, founded by Mrs. McCulloch and local families, was built adjacent to the school.
1904
Mrs. McCulloch passed away; her daughter Anna (Miss Nan) became Principal, and her son, Reverend Duncan McCulloch, became co-principal.
1912
A gym was built, one of the first at a girls' school south of the Mason-Dixon line.
1914
Miss Nan published the first catalog and launched the school's first recruitment campaign.
1917
Oldfields celebrates it's fiftieth anniversary.
This anniversary coincided with significant social changes, such as women gaining the right to vote and an increasing number of women entering the workforce.
1918
The first diploma was granted by Oldfields.
1932
Duncan McCulloch, Jr. becomes Head of School.
1939
Start of World War II; Mr. McCulloch encouraged student participation in the war effort.
1960
George S. Nevens, Jr. becomes the first Head of School from outside the founding family.
Significant building program that included a larger gymnasium, new dormitory, student center, head of schools house, and an academic building with a new library.
1971
The May Program was integrated into the course of study.
1976
Hawley Rogers becomes Head of School.
1980's-90's
Facilities were added to support the visual and performing arts, riding, and boarding programs.
1992
Oldfields celebrates its 125th anniversary.
2008
Taylor Smith becomes Head of School.
2017
Oldfields celebrates its 150th anniversary.
2023
Ansley Smithwick becomes Head of School.
Present Day
Maintenance of a low student-to-faculty ratio of 4:1, and ongoing commitment to academic excellence and a wide range of extracurricular activities.
