Photo: Smash the Iron Cage · CC BY-SA 4.0Newport News’s public schools score below 68% of Virginia districts on tests and graduation
34% of students in Newport News’s public schools are proficient in math, below the Virginia average (54%). The grade covers the public school district serving Newport News, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests and graduation. Each state writes its own tests, so this is the one TownRatings grade compared within Virginia, not nationally.
From Virginia state tests taken in spring 2021, when nearly all of students in the tested grades sat them, and the class of 2023’s four-year graduation rate, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education.
Newport News’s schools, in brief
Against towns with similar incomes
Among the 216 Virginia towns with household incomes within a quarter of Newport News’s, its schools beat 24%, lower than their 32% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓
Spending, and where it came from
The district spent $17,926 per student in FY2024, against $17,169 across Virginia. 21% of its revenue that year was federal (Virginia 10%), in the last year of pandemic relief. Districts ↓
25 elementary schools, then eight middle and six high schools
Which school depends on the address at every step. See the path ↓
Choice beyond the district
Hampton Roads Academy (private), Our Lady of Mount Carmel (private), Peninsula Catholic High School (private), Denbigh Baptist Christian School (private), Hampton Roads International Montessori School (private), Trinity Lutheran School (private), Denbigh Christian Academy (private), Peninsula School at the Faison Center (private), East End Academy (private), Warwick Kids Academy (private) and Calvary Seventh-Day Adventist School (private) are in town. Every school ↓
Written from the figures on this page. Tests are from 2020–21, graduation from the class of 2023; each school’s own letter uses 2020–21 results.
What’s behind Newport News’s grade
C: better than 32% of Virginia school districts, #223 of 250 Virginia towns. Graduation is above the Virginia average; test scores are below it.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Newport News, with each school’s own grade.
Newport News’s public schools are run by Newport News City Public Schools. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.
The district
Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.
How students score
Newport News vs. its neighbors
Schools grades for the Virginia towns that share Newport News’s borders.
| Town | Schools | Main districts |
|---|---|---|
| Newport News | C | Newport News City |
| Hampton | B+ | Hampton City |
| Suffolk | C | Suffolk City |
| Portsmouth | D | Portsmouth City |
Every school in Newport News
51 schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Virginia’s other public schools (the newest school-level results we have).
Left off: 8 public programs with fewer than 25 students (New Horizons Woodside Campus, Center for Autism, Newport Academy, Newport News Juvenile Detention Home, Enterprise Academy/Newport News City, Point Option Alternative School, Newport News & York County Governor's Health Science Academy and Heritage High School Governor's STEM Academy). 1 duplicate private-school records merged.
Questions about Newport News’s schools
Are Newport News’s schools good?
On Virginia’s tests they score below most of the state: the public schools Newport News children attend score below 68% of Virginia’s school districts on tests and graduation, a C Schools grade, #223 of 250 Virginia towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 24%. Tests are from 2020–21, graduation from the class of 2023.
What school district is Newport News in?
Newport News City Public Schools, which runs grades PK–12 and enrolls 25,882 students in 40 schools (2024–25).
Where do Newport News kids go to high school?
One of 6 high schools, depending on your address: Woodside High, Menchville High, Warwick High, Denbigh High, Heritage High and Achievable Dream Middle/High.
What is Newport News’s graduation rate?
91% of the class of 2023 in Newport News City Public Schools graduated in four years, against 89% across Virginia.
How much does Newport News spend per student?
$17,926 in Newport News City Public Schools (FY2024), against $17,169 across Virginia. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.
Are there private schools in Newport News?
Yes: Hampton Roads Academy (nonsectarian, grades PK–12, 614 students), Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Catholic, grades PK–8, 369 students), Peninsula Catholic High School (Catholic, grades 8–12, 260 students), Denbigh Baptist Christian School (religious, grades K–12, 245 students), Hampton Roads International Montessori School (nonsectarian, grades PK–7, 155 students), Trinity Lutheran School (religious, grades PK–8, 152 students), Denbigh Christian Academy (religious, grades PK–K, 100 students), Peninsula School at the Faison Center (special education, grades K–12, 70 students), East End Academy (nonsectarian, grades K–12, 49 students), Warwick Kids Academy (religious, grades PK–K, 36 students) and Calvary Seventh-Day Adventist School (religious, grades PK–8, 24 students).
Parents talk
What Newport News families are saying about school.
Looking for colleges? Colleges near Newport News → They have their own page.
School data: state test results (2020–21, with participation) and four-year graduation rates (class of 2023) reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express); each school’s own letter uses its 2020–21 results (EDFacts via the Urban Institute); schools and enrollment from NCES (2024–25; private schools 2023–24); spending from the Census Bureau’s school finance survey (FY2024). The School Grade is our own summary, graded within Virginia. Stars are from neighbors.