Skip to main content
VaHome.com
Home›Chesapeake›Western Branch High School
Western Branch High School building

Chesapeake City Public Schools · High School · Grades 9-12

Western Branch High School

1968 Bruin Place, Chesapeake, VA 23321 · Home of the Bruins

✓ Fully Accredited · 2025-2026
This year · 2025–26
6.3/10
Around state average
Last year · 2024–25
6.2/10
Around state average
▲ Up 0.1 from 2024–25
VaHome School Score

Rating: VaHome School Score, computed from Virginia Department of Education data (2025–26) — methodology on this page. Profile data: NCES & Virginia DOE. School boundaries can change — verify zoning with the district before relying on it.

Western Branch High School phone, mascot & school colors

Phone
(757) 638-7900
Mascot
Bruins
School colors
Navy Blue, Gold
Principal
John Close
Address
1968 Bruin Place, Chesapeake, VA 23321
Official school website ↗

Score breakdown

Compared against all 321 Virginia public high schools. 1–4 is below the state average, 5–6 around it, 7–10 above it.

7.3 · Test scores

SOL pass rate of 82.8% across all subjects — 70th percentile statewide.

5.2 · College readiness

On-time graduation, AP participation, and college enrollment within 16 months — 46th percentile.

6.4 · Attendance

Chronic absenteeism of 14.4% — better attendance than 60% of peers statewide.

Year over year: 6.3 for 2025–26, compared with 6.2 for 2024–25 — up 0.1.

Test scores by subject

Percent of students passing Virginia SOL tests, 2025–26. High school reading and writing compare end-of-course tests with the statewide end-of-course result.

This school Virginia average
Biology
84%state 77%
Geometry
78%state 82%
Algebra I
86%state 86%
Algebra II
95%state 88%
Earth Science
72%state 72%
English Reading
89%state 86%
English Writing
82%state 76%
World History I
85%state 71%
World History II
41%state 41%
VA and US History
44%state 38%

Source: Virginia Department of Education, School Quality Profiles — SOL pass rates, 2025–26.

College & career

Class of 2025 cohort of 539 students; AP and dual enrollment are 2025–26, unless noted.

94.6%
On-time graduation rate (class of 2025)
47%
Advanced Studies diplomas
62%
Enrolled in college within 16 months (class of 2022)
1.9%
Dropout rate
13.8%
Enrolled in AP courses
9.8%
Took an AP exam
5.6%
Dual enrollment (college credit)
666
Industry certifications earned (CTE)

Source: Virginia Department of Education — Graduation, Diplomas, Advanced Programs, Postsecondary Enrollment, and CTE datasets.

Western Branch High School & its school zone

Western Branch High School serves Chesapeake, VA 23321 students as a public high school in Chesapeake Public Schools. Buyers searching homes for sale near Western Branch High School are typically shopping the Western Branch zone, one of the areas families compare when weighing Chesapeake high school zones. On the VaHome School Score the school earns 6.3/10 — around the state average among Virginia's 321 public high schools, based on Virginia Department of Education data for 2025–26. That is up from 6.2 in 2024–25.

The school's overall SOL pass rate is 82.8%, with standout results in World History I (85% vs a 71% state average). 94.6% of the class of 2025 graduated on time, 47% of them with Advanced Studies diplomas. 62% of the school's 2022 graduates enrolled in college within 16 months. Program depth includes 14% AP course enrollment, 6% dual enrollment for college credit, 666 industry certifications through career and technical education. Chronic absenteeism is 14.4%, better than the 16.4% state median for high schools.

For house hunters comparing Chesapeake school zones, homes zoned to Western Branch High School sit in the Western Branch attendance area — use the listings on this page to see every active REIN MLS home in the zone. School zoning and attendance boundaries can change between school years — always verify a specific address's assignment directly with Chesapeake Public Schools before making a housing decision based on school zone.

How the VaHome School Score works

  • Test scores (40%): the school's SOL pass rate across all subjects, ranked against every Virginia public school of the same level.
  • College readiness (40%): average statewide rank in on-time graduation rate, AP course enrollment, and college enrollment within 16 months of graduation.
  • Attendance (20%): chronic absenteeism, ranked statewide (lower is better).
  • What changed for 2025–26: Virginia retired the accreditation “combined rate” we used for academic progress in 2024–25, so progress now uses the state's student growth rates. Virginia publishes no growth measure for high schools, so their 20% now goes to attendance. The year-over-year comparison at the top uses the score we published for 2024–25; part of a school's change can come from this method update.
  • The weighted statewide percentile maps to a score from 1.0 to 10.0: score = 1 + 9 × percentile. 1–4 is below the state average, 5–6 around it, 7–10 above it.
  • Every input is public data from the Virginia Department of Education, refreshed each school year. No opinions, no black box — you can check our math.

Data: Virginia Department of Education School Quality Profiles (2025–26) · NCES. VaHome is not affiliated with VDOE, NCES, or GreatSchools.

At a glance

School district
Chesapeake City Public Schools
Grades served
9-12
School type
Public
Established
1968
Enrollment
2,144 students (2025-2026)
Student–teacher ratio
15:1
Classroom teachers
147.26 FTE
Accreditation
Fully Accredited (2025-2026)
NCES school ID
510081000312

Academic performance

SOL pass rates · 2025-2026
Reading
89%
Mathematics
85%
Science
82%
History & Social Sci.
77%
94.6%
On-time graduation (Class of 2025)
1.9%
Dropout rate
47%
Earned an Advanced Diploma

College & career readiness

2025-2026
13.85%
Students in AP courses
5.64%
Dual-enrollment (college credit)
666
Career & technical credentials earned

AP course enrollment 13.85%; AP exams taken 9.75%; dual enrollment 5.64%; 666 industry certifications, per Virginia School Quality Profiles (2025-26).

Attendance

2025-2026

14.4% of students were chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days).

About Western Branch High School

Western Branch High School opened in 1968 and serves grades 9-12 in the Western Branch section of Chesapeake, Virginia, as part of Chesapeake City Public Schools. Its athletic teams are known as the Bruins, competing in the Virginia High School League's Class 6, Region A, and the school's colors are navy blue and gold. A roughly $40 million modernization completed around 2010-2011 added a two-story wing and brought additional natural lighting along with renovations to the existing building.

The campus sits at 1968 Bruin Place, a suburban area of western Chesapeake near the Suffolk city line and the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River. Notable graduates include musician Randy Blythe of Lamb of God, composer Mac Quayle, former NFL cornerback Dre Bly, NASA astronaut Andre Douglas, and Major League Baseball pitcher Colin Selby.

Notable alumni

Randy Blythe· Lead singer of the metal band Lamb of God (Class of 1989)Mac Quayle· Emmy-winning composer (Class of 1987)Dre Bly· Former NFL All-Pro cornerback and coach (Class of 1995)Andre Douglas· NASA astronaut selected for the Artemis program (Class of 2004)Colin Selby· Major League Baseball pitcher (Class of 2015)

Data sources

Photo: Western Branch High School by Faithlessthewonderboy, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons., CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Figures reflect the 2025-2026 (Virginia DOE SOL, attendance, enrollment, AP & dual enrollment); Class of 2025 (graduation); 2024-2025 (NCES staffing); accreditation SY2025-2026 unless noted. School zoning, boundaries, and ratings change — verify with the school division before making housing decisions.

See all homes zoned to Western Branch High School→

Be first to new homes near Western Branch High School

Get new Chesapeake listings emailed as they hit the REIN MLS — free, unsubscribe anytime.

Free new-listing alerts from Tom & Dariya Milan. No spam — unsubscribe anytime.

Other schools in Chesapeake