R-MA Admin Silent on Skepticism About Reasons Two Middle School Grades Being Dropped in Coming School Year

In the wake of Randolph-Macon Academy’s March 12 press release on its decision to discontinue its 6th and 7th grade-level middle school classes in the coming School Year 2025-26, as well as initial comments forwarded to Royal Examiner on the decision by an impacted student parent, Royal Examiner made a follow-up inquiry to Randolph-Macon Academy Vice-President & Director of Enrollment Management Sung Chu. It was Chu who sent Royal Examiner the March 12 Press Release on R-MA’s decision to eliminate the 6th and 7th grades next school year. And that release directed questions Chu’s way.

We also emailed R-MA President General David Wesley on the matter, receiving an auto-reply that he was away from campus until Monday, March 17.

If not this reporter directly, Royal Examiner was actually alerted to the altered R-MA School format announcement on March 11, a day prior to the formal Press Release announcement.

Onset of dusk photo of the main R-MA main campus building taken from Villa Avenue. R-MA has announced ‘dusk’ for middle school grades 6 and 7 in the coming school year 2025/26. Royal Examiner File Photo Roger Bianchini

Abrupt announcement

“This morning (03/11/25), R-MA abruptly announced closure of the middle school via email, starting in fall 2025 after already sending contracts out to parents and processing admissions for new students. Email sent to parents, teachers told they were losing their jobs while they were at school and the kids are there,” the message from an apparently unhappy middle school student’s parent, forwarded to this reporter the following day, read.

Okay, somewhat abrupt it would seem. And perhaps ill-conceived if accurately described in notifying middle school teachers their jobs were soon to become obsolete on the R-MA campus in front of their current students. Handed follow-up on the received message, among the questions initially asked of Mr. Chu were the number of students and staff impacted by the decision; if there were a reduced number of registrations or pre-registrations in the impacted grade levels that contributed to the decision.

And while we received timely responses to those emailed inquiries of March 12, those specific questions related to potentially contributing student class numbers and staffing results of the decision were not addressed. Rather, the overview of the press release as to an increased focus on the school’s high school grades “Character and Leadership Development Program” was reiterated.

R-MA enrollment numbers

With no specifics being received from R-MA Admin on student impact and enrollment numbers we searched  the “Private School Review” website. There we found a 10-count enrollment chart for the current R-MA school year from which we estimated the following class numbers for current school year 2024-25:

R-MA’s class registration chart for grades 6 thru 12 for the School Year 2024/25 from the ‘Private School Review’ website. It appears a total of 30 of the school’s 274 students were registered in 6th and 7th grades this school year.

6th grade – 11 students; 7th – 19 students; 8th – 28 students = Total of 58 students in R-MA Middle School, 30 total in grades 6 and 7 combined;

9th grade – 45 students; 10th – 58 students; 11th – 53 students; 12th – 60 students = High School total of 216 students.

Total R-MA student enrollment School Year 2024-25 was 274 students if our reading of the 10-count chart was precise, with as noted above, a total of just 30 of those 274 students in the soon-to-be-abandoned grades 6 and 7.

R-MA Press Release

For those who missed that R-MA press release, it states in part that: “Beginning in Fall 2025, the Academy will move rising 8th-grade students to the Upper School, integrating them into its renowned Character and Leadership Development Program (CLDP), currently offered to students in grades 9-12 and postgraduates.

“Additionally, R-MA will discontinue offering 6th and 7th grade classes to new and returning students for the upcoming 2025-2026 academic year. This strategic decision aims to deepen the school’s impact on Upper School students while ensuring that the Academy remains a strong academic and leadership training ground for future generations.

An aerial perspective of the main R-MA High School campus section from the school’s website. The middle school campus is out of frame to the right toward Kendrick Lane.

“ ‘With an impressive track record of college placements and scholarship awards, this shift allows us to further enhance our programs and achieve the goals outlined in Vision 2029,’ said Brigadier General David Wesley, USAF, Retired, President of Randolph-Macon Academy.”

The above sentence citing “an impressive track record of college placements and scholarship awards” led to our follow-up question to Mr. Chu’s initial reply: My question is if the “college placement” & “scholarship awards” track record is “IMPRESSIVE” under the existing Middle School and High School format is there a concern eliminating getting students in the earlier grades might detract from that existing track record? OR is there a statistic indicating that R-MA Middle School students in significant numbers don’t always continue at R-MA thru High School toward that next step the school admin wants to focus on in the future?

This question, like the earlier ones on potentially contributing factors, remains unanswered at publication. In fact, in our final communication with Mr. Chu on the matter received March 18, he alerted us that, “Beyond what has already been shared, we do not have additional details to provide at this time.”

Prior to that notice, Mr. Chu shared with us that, “As mentioned previously, the decision to discontinue 6th and 7th grades was made as part of an effort to focus our resources on those things R-MA does best: college placement and leadership and character training, to achieve the goals of Vision 2029. R-MA determined that a focused effort with grades 8 through PG (Post Graduate) was the best way to accomplish this. Our focus remains on providing an outstanding academic and leadership training environment while ensuring a smooth transition for students and faculty.”

Regarding faculty, one might wonder if it’s not a tad late to make that transition “smooth” if the above-described parent observation on those teachers receiving notification of lost jobs on the horizon during school hours on Tuesday, March 11.

And as to our question about the future of the 8th grade long term, Mr. Chu told us, “Regarding 8th grade, it will continue as part of the Upper School, and there are no  plans to phase it out.”

Skeptical perspectives

Seeking a broader perspective we asked several former R-MA associated people what they made of the decision to drop two middle school grades as a means of adding focus to development of the R-MA High School population’s leadership qualities. Two agreed to speak candidly on the condition of anonymity, which we will respect. Those responses were less than accepting of the stated rationale.

“Yes, it’s all nonsense in my view. I believe it is ongoing consequences,” one said with a reference to the lost Air Force ROTC certification, adding, “As well as incompetence in absence of leadership, both at the level of President, the Chair of the Board, and the rest of the board, whom in my view, are simply oblivious and just go along with whatever the school President tells them.

“From my perspective there are no checks and balances. Add to this the fact that neither the school President nor the Chairman of the Board have any experience in education, none! Sadly, it seems R-MA cannot get out of R-MA’s own way,” they concluded.

“The choice to close the Middle School truthfully is a wise decision though incredibly concerning to staff, educators and alumni,” our second former R-MA source began, before elaborating: “This happened due to the waning enrollment in R-MA, Middle and Upper, Schools. This is a cost-cutting measure that is sensible, if that is your main concern. The Middle School, designed as a feeder school for the Upper School, has not been used effectively, under the current administration.

“The Upper School has an empty fourth floor and other empty rooms from lack of students. All of this related directly to the R-MA administration and them operating the way they do. Therein, the whole institution is suffering,” they said of their overview of the situation, pretty much aligning with our original former R-MA source.

“The Board of Trustees has justified much of their misinformation on a 2029 goal of visions of grandeur for the school and how this closing fits their design. An incredible waste of planning, for an impossible project, is their dreamworld, expenses in the millions upon millions,” they forecast of the Vision 2029 rationale at the base of the class cutting decision.

“I have a most reliable source that assures me that the Middle School could continue with the support that exists financially among supporters of this school. But, a change in properly-qualified management is necessary. A team committed to the mentoring, supporting, caring of the younger students in their very formative years is essential.

“This is lacking from the Upper School Administrative Staff,” they asserted, adding, “The dismissal rate has greatly affected the enrollment. Treating students as if in a courtroom, result in convictions rather than correction with a compassionate attempt at teaching students the motto of character, leadership and discipline. The teachers are producing incredible students. But from my perspective the administration is greatly lacking in the operational know-how of a school and the teamwork needed.”

R-MA website photo of School President, General David Wesley, whose military background was in the Air Force’s legal department. Is that the proper background to take over operational control of a multi-level, co-ed, military-prep boarding school some have wondered.

So, there you have what is likely to remain an ongoing debate over the direction Randolph-Macon Academy has taken under its current leadership and operational oversight from its Board of Trustees. It is a school oversight board that our skeptical former R-MA sources reminded us has approved the school president’s salary in the $300,000-a-year range. Our understanding is that when previous R-MA President, Major General “Mac” Hobgood left in 2013 his salary range was in the area of $130,000 per year.