Western Branch Middle School, Chesapeake, VA: Phone & Mascot

Western Branch Middle School phone & mascot

Phone: (757) 638-7920
Mascot: Bruins
Principal: Mrs. Helen (Beth) Pallister
Address: 4201 Hawksley Drive, Chesapeake, VA 23321

Official school website ↗

Score breakdown

Compared against all 337 Virginia public middle schools. 1–4 is below the state average, 5–6 around it, 7–10 above it.

6.9 · Test scores

SOL pass rate of 76.0% across all subjects — 66th percentile statewide.

6.7 · Academic progress

84% of students showed growth in reading and 79% in math — 64th percentile.

6.7 · Attendance

Chronic absenteeism of 10.0% — better attendance than 63% of peers statewide.

Year over year: 6.8 for 2025–26, compared with 6.7 for 2024–25 — up 0.1.

Test scores by subject

Percent of students passing Virginia SOL tests, 2025–26.

This school Virginia average

Geometry

100%state 82%

Algebra I

100%state 86%

Civics & Econ

67%state 73%

Grade 8 Science

78%state 66%

Grade 6 Mathematics

68%state 66%

Grade 7 Mathematics

70%state 60%

Grade 8 Mathematics

74%state 62%

Grade 6 English Reading

79%state 73%

Grade 7 English Reading

83%state 73%

Grade 8 English Reading

78%state 74%

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

Western Branch Middle School & its school zone

Western Branch Middle School serves Chesapeake, VA 23321 students as a public middle school in Chesapeake Public Schools. Buyers searching homes for sale near Western Branch Middle School are shopping this Chesapeake school zone, one of the areas families compare when weighing Chesapeake middle school zones. On the VaHome School Score the school earns 6.8/10 — above the state average among Virginia's 337 public middle schools, based on Virginia Department of Education data for 2025–26. That is up from 6.7 in 2024–25.

The school's overall SOL pass rate is 76.0%, with standout results in Algebra I (100% vs an 86% state average) and Grade 8 Mathematics (74% vs a 62% state average). On Virginia's 2025–26 growth measures, 84% of students showed growth in English reading and 79% in math. Chronic absenteeism is 10.0%, better than the 11.9% state median for middle schools.

For house hunters comparing Chesapeake school zones, the listings on this page show active REIN MLS homes near Western Branch Middle School. 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 (50%): the school's SOL pass rate across all subjects, ranked against every Virginia public school of the same level.
Academic progress (30%): Virginia's growth rates — the share of students who showed year-over-year growth in English reading and in math — ranked statewide.
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: 6-8
School type: Regular public school (non-charter)
Enrollment: 864 students (2025-2026)
Student–teacher ratio: 13:1
Classroom teachers: 68 FTE
Accreditation: Fully Accredited (2025-2026)
NCES school ID: 510081000313

Academic performance

SOL pass rates · 2025-2026

Reading

80%

Mathematics

74%

Science

78%

History & Social Sci.

67%

Attendance

2025-2026

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

About Western Branch Middle School

Western Branch Middle School is a public middle school serving grades 6-8 in the Western Branch area of Chesapeake, Virginia, at 4201 Hawksley Drive. It is one of the middle schools operated by Chesapeake City Public Schools and its athletic teams are known as the Bruins.

The school sits in the western portion of Chesapeake near the Portsmouth and Suffolk borders, a largely residential, suburban section of the city. In the 2024-2025 school year it enrolled roughly 855 students and, per the Virginia School Quality Profiles, held Fully Accredited status for 2025-2026.

Data sources

NCES Common Core of Data - Western Branch Middle ↗ — NCES School ID, state ID, district, address, phone, grades, enrollment (855, 2024-25), enrollment by grade, teachers FTE (68.0), student/teacher ratio (12.57), locale, school type, racial/ethnic counts, free-lunch counts2024-2025
Virginia School Quality Profiles - Western Branch Middle ↗ — SOL pass rates (Reading 79, Math 72, Science 79, History/Social Science 71), accreditation (Fully Accredited SY2025-26), demographics (% econ disadvantaged/EL/SWD, race/ethnicity), chronic absenteeism 11.2%, principal, enrollmentSOL, attendance & enrollment 2025-2026; accreditation SY2025-2026
Chesapeake Public Schools - Western Branch Middle official site ↗ — Official website, principal, mascot (Bruins), district affiliation2026

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

Western Branch Middle School