Western Branch High School, Chesapeake, VA

At a glance

School district: Chesapeake City Public Schools
Grades served: 9-12
School type: Public
Principal: John Close
Established: 1968
Mascot & colors: Bruins · Navy Blue, Gold
Enrollment: 2,138 students (2024-2025)
Student–teacher ratio: 15:1
Classroom teachers: 147.26 FTE
Accreditation: Fully Accredited (2025-2026)
NCES school ID: 510081000312

Academic performance

SOL pass rates · 2024-2025

Reading

88%

Mathematics

89%

Science

86%

History & Social Sci.

43%

93%

On-time graduation (2025)

Dropout rate

College & career readiness

2024-2025

13.99%

Students in AP courses

4.24%

Dual-enrollment (college credit)

770

Career & technical credentials earned

770 CTE credentials earned by 670 students; AP enrollment 300 of 2,145 students; dual enrollment 91 students.

Attendance

2024-2025

16.1% 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)

Contact

Phone: (757) 638-7900

Official school website ↗

Data sources

NCES Common Core of Data - Western Branch High — NCES ID, address, phone, grades, total enrollment and by-grade, FTE teachers, student/teacher ratio, locale, free-lunch eligibility, race/ethnicity counts2024-2025 link ↗
Virginia School Quality Profiles - Western Branch High — Accreditation, SOL pass rates, on-time graduation rate, dropout rate, advanced diploma count, chronic absenteeism, AP/dual enrollment, CTE credentials, demographics (%), principal2024-2025 (accreditation 2025-2026) link ↗
Wikipedia - Western Branch High School — Founding year, history/modernization, mascot, colors, VHSL classification, notable alumnin/a link ↗
Wikimedia Commons - File:Western Branch HS 1.jpg — Freely-licensed building photo (CC BY-SA 4.0)2007 link ↗
Chesapeake Public Schools - Western Branch High official site — Official website URL, principal2026 link ↗

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 2024-2025 (academic/demographic); 2025-2026 (accreditation) unless noted. School zoning, boundaries, and ratings change — verify with the school division before making housing decisions.

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