Oscar F. Smith High School, Chesapeake, VA

At a glance

School district: Chesapeake City Public Schools
Grades served: 9-12
School type: Public
Principal: Paul A. Joseph
Established: 1954 · this campus 1994
Mascot & colors: Tigers · Royal Blue, Gold, White
Enrollment: 2,264 students (2024-2025)
Student–teacher ratio: 13:1
Classroom teachers: 178.01 FTE
Accreditation: Fully Accredited (2025-2026)
NCES school ID: 510081000303

Academic performance

SOL pass rates · 2024-2025

Reading

80%

Mathematics

88%

Science

75%

History & Social Sci.

58%

88%

On-time graduation (2024)

Dropout rate

41.4%

Earned an Advanced Diploma

College & career readiness

2024-2025

10.93%

Students in AP courses

2.12%

Dual-enrollment (college credit)

626

Career & technical credentials earned

CTE: 626 credentials earned; 555 students earned one or more. Advanced diplomas: 232 of 560 graduates.

Attendance

2024-2025

19.9% of students were chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days).

About Oscar F. Smith High School

Oscar F. Smith High School opened in 1954 and is named for Oscar Frommel Smith (1891-1950), a local fertilizer businessman whose widow donated funds toward the school's stadium. The school originally operated from a building on Rodgers Street in the South Norfolk area; when the campus relocated to its present site in 1994, the former building became Oscar F. Smith Middle School.

The current school sits on a roughly 43-acre campus in the Greenbrier West area of Chesapeake, Virginia, at 1994 Tiger Drive. It serves grades 9-12 within Chesapeake City Public Schools and is the largest of the city's comprehensive high schools by enrollment.

Athletics & activities

State athletic titles

Football state titles

Notable alumni

Kenny Easley· NFL safety (Seattle Seahawks); Pro Football Hall of Fame (2017); class of 1977Josh Sweat· NFL defensive end; class of 2015Cam Thomas· NBA guard (Brooklyn Nets)Michael Cherry· Olympic gold medalist sprinter; class of 2013Andrew Brown· NFL defensive tackle; class of 2014Steve DeLong· NFL defensive lineman; class of 1961Ed Beard· NFL linebacker (San Francisco 49ers); class of 1959

Contact

Phone: (757) 548-0696

Official school website ↗

Data sources

NCES Common Core of Data — NCES IDs, enrollment, grades, FTE teachers, student/teacher ratio, locale, district, free-lunch counts, address, phone2024-2025 link ↗
Virginia School Quality Profiles — Accreditation, SOL pass rates, demographics, graduation/dropout, advanced diplomas, chronic absenteeism, AP/dual enrollment, CTE credentials, principal, phone2024-2025 / 2025-2026 accreditation / Class of 2024 grad link ↗
Wikipedia - Oscar F. Smith High School — Founding history, naming, relocation, campus/neighborhood/acreage, mascot, colors, football state titles, notable alumni, websiteAccessed 2026-07 link ↗

Figures reflect the 2024-2025 (SOL, enrollment, demographics); 2025-2026 (accreditation); Class of 2024 (graduation) unless noted. School zoning, boundaries, and ratings change — verify with the school division before making housing decisions.

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