Frank W Cox is an excellent high school on N Great Neck Road in Virginia Beach. My son is a…read moregraduate of the school, which excels in academics & sports. My connection to the school goes beyond my son's education. During the time period my stepdaughter attended, I served as PTA President. The Falcons were a perennial State Field Hockey Champion during that time period. Golf was also a sport in which Cox excelled. During recent years the football team has done quite well. The Cox Falcons can claim over 50 State Championships. Some of my close friends were teachers at the school. Most have now retired. I first met one of my lineage society friends during an Open House when my son was taking one of her classes. We've been delighted in the years since that our friendship began with her having taught my son at Cox. I'll never forget the time our family was dining at a Shore Drive restaurant. I didn't know that the bar was the Cox teachers after school hangout. My stepdaughter was shocked. I remember her horrified statement "Teachers!!" I guess she expected teachers to disappear into the sunset when school ended for the day. :) The administration has always been excellent. I had a wonderful relationship with the principal Emily Tilley during the time I was PTA President. The Assistant Principals were promoted to their own Principal positions. I love the building and its layout. I'm hoping that it doesn't fall prey to the School Boards current "tear down & replace with a Taj Mahal" practice. Traditions & memories are important. My son attended Cox in the morning for academics & the Governors School for the Arts in the afternoon. One story tells everything about their academic excellence. Governor's School students were still expected to complete the same homework as full day students even though they had classes & rehearsals at Governors School well into the evening. My son particularly would complain about the difficulty of homework required in Advanced Placement English Comp. When we attended orientation at University of Cincinnati they conducted testing for all incoming freshman to see if they tested out of Freshman English. Because of my son's extensive classwork at Cox he told me "Please, please don't let me test into a higher level course." Of course he did test out of freshman English. Later in the semester I remembered to ask him about the higher level English class. He said it was easy. So Cox's college prep courses were phenomenal for college success. I love to tell this story to my Cox teacher friends. They should be praised for academic excellence. In recent years I was saddened when the School Board rezoned Thoroughgood from Cox to Princess Ann High School. Although I no longer had a student in school it was sad to see the history of neighborhood connection lost. It was an easier drive to Cox. The neighborhood behind us still goes to Cox. In fact, since my house backs up to that neighborhood, my GPS from the back side of my house thinks I am in Church Point. I'm certain the current generation of young parents are happy with their school, having not experienced Cox. I can't help feeling sad since I have no connection to the new neighborhood school. Even worse, the main proponent of the zoning change was a School Board Member who was a member of my Thoroughgood Elementary PTA Board when her oldest child was in kindergarten. Her children were zoned for Bayside High School. Was it a jealousy rezoning? I'll never be convinced of anything else. Go Falcons! You will always hold a special place in my heart.

Cox High School has a reputation for academics and athletics, The student body excels at both. Many…read moreconsider it as one of the top H.S in Virginia Beach. The school is home to the Falcons and they are only one of two city schools that do not have an academy. My daughter now attends as a Freshman. Located just off Great Neck Rd. its one of the more accessible schools to get in and out. The building looks pretty blah industrial and boring brick. I think it was built in the early 80's. The campus out front is pretty with hundreds of tall trees. The interior is noticeably dated in the auditorium seating. Everything appeared well maintained. I attended a recent orientation at the school and found the faculty to be overall caring. However, it's the administration with Dr. Kelly's leadership as principal that impressed me the most. On the academic side they are always considered a top school. In the last few years their ranking has slipped a bit. Do your own research. Dr. Kelly did tout they had the highest math scores in the city which is huge! On the sports side Cox holds over 50 state championships. In the past they dominated football and swim. Overall they are good at everything and strike on championships at every sport. They recently were moved down to 5A which will help them better compete. Although Cox is my home zone school my daughter had a choice through the academy system. I'm delighted she chose to attend Cox is already plugged in several activities.

My journey at this school started in 2016 when I entered 6th grade. The year flew by, and by the…read moretime we all knew it, we were 7th graders. Class of 2023 was chaotic in its respective rights like every other class who had come before us and who has come after us. February 14th, 2018, it was any normal day for me until I walked into my home room of Mr.Grosz class and I saw somebody. A new student! He was talking to a group of girls that didn't like me so I gave up my chances. Just so happens that he has the exact same schedule as me as we ended the day by each other in English where we exchanged a few words. Days had went by when that boy had told his older brother about his crush, and his girlfriend overheard; who happened to by my neighbor. She gave him my phone number, and we became best friends. We were inseparable. After every fight we still found our way back to each other. And on December 12th, 2024, I married him. Were my 3 years here the best? Absolutely not. The administration is terrible. But did I find the love of my life? Yes, and for that, I am forever grateful. We will drive by the school from time to time and reminisce on stories from the track to the lockers. Thank you Corporate Landing for leading me to him. I have no idea where and who I would be without his presence and love in my life.

This school is actually bad ngl. The kids that got there are so rude. They bully people for no…read morereason and will start drama and fight for you saying "ok"

In the Spring of 2016 Old Donation School, formerly known as Kemps Landing and renamed Old Donation…read moreSchool Home of Brickell Academy moved into its new building on Independence Blvd in the Bayside area of Virginia Beach. It came in under time and under budget. My son attended three years under ODS middle. The school, staff and students are like no other at the beach. Rigorous testing is required for admittance and they take only 200 per grade level which is a recent increase. The school houses gifted elementary and middle 2nd grade to 8th grade. The building is spectacular in every way and specifically devoted to gifted learning. Every educator has an endorsement in gifted teaching. The administration led by Kelly Hedrick principal is one of VBS finest leaders. The building offers a big feature that no other elementary, or middle school does. The auditorium seats hundreds and is state of the art in every way. It is is true gem and the VBS system can thank Kelly Hedrick for fighting to have it in the budget. The auditorium is used throughout the district. Virginia Beach is lucky to have a strong gifted program. Many of the students graduate from 8th and move onto the academy system at the beach and are prepared for success in high school.

this school makes me genuinely upset so many kids are disrespectful to classmates and teachers and…read morethen get no repercussions. kids are threatening to do stuff every day like shoot up the school like.. what? and even if they get reported nothing happens. the teachers also VERY CLEARLY care about some students more than others and treat them VERY differently. the food is actually disgusting sometimes and just looking at it makes me want to throw up sometimes. the principals are usually around young girls and it doesnt seem right to me, more just creepy because its ALWAYS the girls. and that one sub/past stingray teacher is really weird. i had to tell him to stop touching my head (repeatedly) and had to hit his hand away to get him to stop. he also used to let kids look at scabs under a microscope, which, ew. but he had to keep the scab after (also gross). this kid tried to stab me and my friends with pencils, no repercussion. people told me to kms, and guess what? no repercussion. the teachers are usually hard on kids for no reason too. the amount of kids with a morale this school are probably very small. i know a whole bunch of kids who have been so stressed out to the point theyre sobbing or physically ill. please focus more on these kids mental health and how people are treating each other. its actually angering how much the staff/the students dont care about each other.

My adult son went to Independence Middle School when VBPS was transitioning from the Junior High to…read moreMiddle School model. He only went to 7th & 8th grades at IMS. Sixth grade was still elementary school. The school is conveniently located in my neighborhood. So it was an easy bike ride to school. My step daughter played on the then Junior High softball team. The ballpark is located adjacent to the school. During my son's time at Independence I served on the PTA Board & as volunteer pianist for the Chorus Teacher, making it easier for her to direct. The school is one that hasn't been replaced in the School Board's continuing project of replacing schools with glitzy new buildings. This makes me happy since replacement takes away the history one experienced in the former building. The sense of place is destroyed. Today my IMS Voting Precinct looks just as it did when my children attended. That makes me happy. The students that attend the school are from a mix of elementary schools. The children from Thoroughgood Elementary are split between Independence & Great Neck Middle. During my children's era those classmates were reunited at Cox High School. Since redistricting the children attend Princess Ann High School, as do most of their IMS classmates. Voting at the school brings back many memories. Those of us who are neighborhood old timers always run into someone we know at the polls. So I enjoyed my voting experience today for many reasons.

The best teachers. My daughter studied here, it's the best school. I am very grateful to the…read moreteachers of this school.

A wonderful school and great educational experience from my youth, I miss it every day as well as…read moremy classmates!!

Site of high school 5A girls volleyball playoffs. Plenty of parking, good indoor/outdoor signage…read moreand some friendly volunteers. Entry price of $10 per person (kids included) is robbery but not set by the site. Boys restroom was a tad untidy and smelled like stale urine, typical high school bathroom. Glad they had working faucets bc our home high school doesn't have this. Gymnasium was a good size; well lit and fairly clean. 2 working scoreboards help keep athletes and spectators informed. Plastic bleachers for seating aren't the most comfortable but certainly better than standing. A good facility for girls volleyball, just wished it wasn't over 30 minutes from home.

Kellam High School, is a brand new school with everything you could probably think of!!…read more With the capability of having many more students and with state of the art equipment for all activities. Also the awsome and huge gym and stadium will amaze you !!!

12th grade english teacher, Ms Martinez is easily the worst child educator of all time. She is…read moreteaching 17 and 18 year old kids telling them if they dont push their chairs in they dont get a lollipop.... are we in pre-K ????? Her teaching methods are her talking for 30 minutes about anything she wants to and then she gives us an assignment that never takes more than 10 minutes to complete and then we just sit there like sheep in a field until the bell. She doesn't understand how to speak to seniors in high school whatsoever she treats us like 5 year olds. I learned absolutely NOTHING in my time being in her class besides 3 things. 1. I HATE lollipops 2. ms martinez either needs to teach elementary school or grannys in a nursing home and if she isnt doing either of those she just needs to stop and 3. bangs r the ugliest hairstyle a woman could ever put on her head. Overall, Floyd E. Kellam High School is doing ALL of their STUDENTS a MASSIVE disservice letting Ms Martinez teach them english.

I graduated from here,Nice Teachers,good football team,swim team, baseball, basketball, and…read morevolleyball team women's and men; what the school is known for and there Medical Program this is the #1 School for the Medical or Medicine program at and for A high school level too get ahead of the game before college.

Beautiful high school located in the heart of Ghent. It is within walking distance to all the…read moreshops/restaurants on Colley and 21st Street. They have a huge field that is always kept green and it seems that they are big into sports. Surrounding the other side of this public high school is the residential neighborhood. If you and your family lives nearby, you have a great school right next door!

I attended the school during the Virginia High School League basketball playoffs for group 5A…read more They usually have it here at least this is our second year coming to the school for it... The parking is plentiful it's a bit of a walk from the parking lot to the door if you get there past the start time so bring a jacket or dress comfy. Getting in and out of the parking is not that bad. The restrooms were tidy. Great seating. My only side eye is the concessions. I would expect a bigger school with a lot of options... The event kicks off at 5:00 5:30 right after the majority of people work hours and we're hungry so we're looking for more than just a hot dog and nachos... Next time I'm packing a lunch ahead of the game and eat before entering. Next year... keep this in mind! Have fun and enjoy life :)

If you're lucky you might be a Dolphin too! This listing is for Ocean Lakes High School, home of…read morethe Dolphins. The location is in a residential neighborhood which makes it challenging to get in and out during peak AM/PM arrivals & dismissals. My child now attends the school as a Freshman. So I'm a bit at a learning curve for a detailed review of the school. Ocean Lakes is known as one of the best in the VBS system. Not only due to the fact it houses one of two academic academies, but because it's overall test scores are so high. Not to mention the school is well regarded for having a great student body as well as faculty. Also the school according to my student has a safe environment. He has yet to witness a disturbance in the hall. He has yet to see, or even hear of drug use. Is it perfect, no. Now speaking of their academy which my son is enrolled. Ocean Lakes houses the rigorous Math & Science Academy. Testing is done in the Winter for acceptance. The test runs three hours and is held on two dates affording flexibility to the student. Graduates from the program move onto some of the best colleges in the nation such as MIT and other top technical, engineering and medical programs. A great school that I'm so thrilled my child is a part of.