Churchland High School, Portsmouth, VA

At a glance

School district: Portsmouth City Public Schools
Grades served: 9-12
School type: Regular public high school; designated a magnet school for the visual and performing arts
Principal: Brandi Smedley
Established: 1840 · this campus 1992
Mascot & colors: Truckers · Black, Orange
Enrollment: 1,453 students (2024-2025)
Student–teacher ratio: 15:1
Classroom teachers: 98 FTE
Accreditation: Fully Accredited (2025-2026)
NCES school ID: 510300000375

Academic performance

SOL pass rates · 2024-2025

Reading

95%

Mathematics

87%

Science

85%

History & Social Sci.

94%

93%

On-time graduation (2025)

Dropout rate

48%

Earned an Advanced Diploma

College & career readiness

2024-2025

Students in AP courses

16%

Dual-enrollment (college credit)

AP course enrollment 60 students (4%); dual enrollment 235 students (16%); Governor's School 16 students (1%). CTE credential count not found.

Attendance

2024-2025

14% of students were chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days).

About Churchland High School

Churchland High School is a public high school serving grades 9-12 in the Churchland section of Portsmouth, Virginia, part of Portsmouth City Public Schools. The Churchland community historically centered on truck farming, and its athletic teams took the nickname 'Truckers' in the 1920s-30s in honor of the area's truck farmers; the school colors are black and orange. Churchland became part of Portsmouth Public Schools in 1968 following the annexation of part of the former Western Branch District of Norfolk County. Construction on the current building at 4301 Cedar Lane began in 1990, and the campus was occupied in January 1992.

The school is designated a magnet program for the visual and performing arts, offering dance, chorus, orchestra, band, drama, and visual arts. It enrolls roughly 1,450 students on the west side of Portsmouth near the Western Branch of the Elizabeth River.

Notable alumni

Richard Thomas Shea· Medal of Honor recipient (Korean War, posthumous 1953); Virginia Tech track starW. Nathaniel 'Nat' Howell· U.S. State Department Foreign Service officer and former U.S. ambassador to KuwaitL. Glenn Perry· First Chief Accountant of the SEC's Division of EnforcementDenny Riddleberger· Former Major League Baseball pitcherRyan Glynn· Former Major League Baseball pitcherArthur Moats· NFL linebackerDa'Quan Felton· NFL wide receiverCharles Grant· NFL offensive tackle

Contact

Phone: (757) 686-2500

Official school website ↗

Data sources

NCES Common Core of Data - Churchland High — NCES ID, address, phone, grades, enrollment, FTE teachers, student/teacher ratio, locale, school type, race/ethnicity counts2024-2025 link ↗
Virginia School Quality Profiles - Churchland High — Accreditation, SOL pass rates, graduation/dropout, advanced diploma, chronic absenteeism, demographics, AP/dual enrollment, principal2024-2025 metrics; 2025-2026 accreditation link ↗
Churchland High School official website — Official website URL2026 link ↗
Wikipedia - Churchland High School — History, mascot, colors, magnet designation, notable alumni, founding date2026 link ↗
Wikimedia Commons - File:Churchland HS 1.jpg — Freely-licensed building photo (CC BY-SA 4.0)2007 link ↗

Figures reflect the NCES CCD 2024-2025; Virginia School Quality Profiles metrics 2024-2025 with 2025-2026 accreditation unless noted. School zoning, boundaries, and ratings change — verify with the school division before making housing decisions.

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