We enrolled our daughter at Virginia Beach Friends School for her 6th grade year, drawn in by the…read morepromise of small class sizes, individualized attention, and a school culture built on kindness. Sadly, our experience fell far short of those promises, and we made the difficult decision to withdraw her mid-year. Small Class Size Individualized Attention Our daughter's class had only six students -- something we believed would mean more personalized instruction and closer teacher-student relationships. In practice, that was not the case. Teachers were not proactively communicating with us about our daughter's academic performance or classroom participation, despite the fact that there were only five other students in her entire grade. A Serious Bullying Situation That Was Never Communicated to Us: The only other girl in our daughter's class made daily threats -- including saying she wanted to break our daughter's spine and throw her out of a window. This same peer also openly discussed self-harm in the classroom. These are not minor social conflicts. They are serious, ongoing threats that any school should be obligated to communicate to parents immediately. Our daughter started the year strong, finishing Q1 with all A's and B's. As the bullying continued, her grades began to slip in Q2. It wasn't until we proactively reached out that a meeting was arranged with the head of school, the educational director and the admissions director. During that two-hour meeting, we learned that the school had already been aware of this student's behavior, had met with her family, and had issued consequences such as silent lunch -- multiple times. We were well into late January and had never received a single call, email, or notification about any of this. That meeting produced a clear action plan: teachers would make a greater effort to connect with our daughter, and the educational director would meet with her individually each week to help get her academics back on track. Neither of these commitments was ever followed through on by the school. In the weeks after that meeting -- and after we informed the school we would not be re-enrolling for the following year -- our daughter began receiving write-ups for minor infractions: breaking a pencil, tearing up a piece of paper, not asking for help. We also received her Q2 report card, which included a D in PE. Not once had her PE teacher reached out to share any concerns about her performance or participation. In a class of six children, there is simply no excuse for that lack of communication. The pattern of events that followed our meeting, combined with our decision not to re-enroll, felt deeply retaliatory rather than supportive. We ultimately pulled our daughter from Virginia Beach Friends School mid-week and transitioned her to a public school to complete the remaining 2.5 months of the school year. It was not a decision we made lightly, but it was the right one for her wellbeing. TLDR: Virginia Beach Friends School markets itself as a place where children feel safe being uniquely themselves, and where kindness is the school's number one value. Based on our family's experience, those values did not translate into action. Our daughter did not feel supported, seen, or protected for a single day she attended. If you are considering this school for your child, we strongly encourage you to ask hard questions about how they handle bullying, how they communicate with parents, and how they follow through on commitments -- before you make your commitment.

We're in the middle of our second year at VBFS. Our daughter is thriving! She loves going to school…read moreevery morning, and is sad to leave each afternoon. The teachers and staff are all fully engaged and committed, and it shows. The teacher/student ratio is fantastic, with lots of individual attention. The only drawback for us is that there is no dedicated drama teacher or yoga this year. Our daughter loved the plays last year, and the yoga instruction, and misses both this year. But she has LOVES music, art, technology, P.E., square dancing, and Spanish, as well as her regular academics. We look forward to continuing at Friends School.

While, I have never stepped one foot inside of this school, I have visited the football field…read moretwice now. My dear and I love VHSL sports and we fully support this league. Well our high school team did not make it pass the second round in the playoffs, but other local teams did so. One of those teams, Lake Taylor! We checked out the Titans two Saturdays ago and enjoyed the game so much, we returned again this past Saturday to watch the Mighty Titans compete for a State Championship. Well the Titans fell short, but tried to make a comeback. Nevertheless, this football is constructed well. The restrooms were tidy and plentiful. While no concessions were available, my dear and I still enjoyed our time at the field. Fall Football is around the corner, so I am sure this will not be our last time visiting this campus. Have fun and enjoy life :)

About to be a senior here. If you have the right teachers it can be great, but we all have at least…read more2 bad teachers every year. It's not terrible but its not amazing. No trips hardly and struggle to find funds to do things for groups like orchestra and other things that prove beneficial to academics. For standardized testing their goal is passing , like 400 for SOLs and a 3 for Ap tests, when really thats not adequate for college apps, you must be responsible for your self. Nobody is going to guide you or hold your hand.

This schools has been a light in my life and the place where I've created the most memorable…read morememories. Shout out to the Marching Marlins! A caring and resilient group of people that once you join, immediately feels like home!

We are pleased academically which is the main reason our child continously attending the Catholic…read moreHigh School - Virginia Beach besides the fact that our child has been attending Catholic schools for 14 years now. However, their Girls Varsity Basketball program is not that great. Their main focus is typically on specific player(s) to grow. If your child was not getting playing time in public school bring them here and if you are a type of parent who has time to be in coaches' face all the time, then your child will be awarded a "consolation" playing time. This is a perfect place for your child and your family. But if sports TRULY matters to your child while attending high school, then, you may want to consider exploring different school where she can grow, develop, and be successful! As of right now, their Boys Varsity Basketball program is excellent - from players' development to training to coaching! This is the best time to join your athlete student!

I have two children, one graduated from CHS and one is currently enrolled. The school curriculum…read moreis amazing. Not only did/does it prepare them for their next adventure at college, it offers a multitude of after school clubs and sports which makes the students well rounded. The faculty and staff are top notch!

Great stop off for the Growler Norfolk Relay! Plenty of crowd support from passersby honking and…read morecheering!

My kids go to school here and everything seems very clean and organized. The security is very…read moretight, which I appreciate as a parent. They have great email communication between the school and the parents.

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.

He helped me fight bullies and i like the teachers also ots cool how the school is pretty big im…read morenot gonna lie i HATE the math teacher you should fire her

This school is horrible is not amazing at all i would not want to go back there and be there with…read morethem but they have to be in a place of their choice and not just in their home and not in the way that I would want to be in a relationship W and I would be so sad if I didn't

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"