Tallwood High School, Virginia Beach, VA

At a glance

School district: Virginia Beach City Public Schools
Grades served: 9-12
School type: Public
Principal: Dr. James Avila
Established: 1992
Mascot & colors: Lions · Purple, Gold, White, Silver
Enrollment: 1,890 students (2024-2025)
Student–teacher ratio: 16:1
Classroom teachers: 117.4 FTE
Accreditation: Fully Accredited (2025-2026)
NCES school ID: 510384000434

Academic performance

SOL pass rates · 2024-2025

Reading

89%

Mathematics

92%

Science

79%

History & Social Sci.

72%

99%

On-time graduation (2025)

Dropout rate

62%

Earned an Advanced Diploma

College & career readiness

2024-2025

37.6%

Students in AP courses

21.6%

Dual-enrollment (college credit)

AP enrollment approx. 714 students; dual enrollment approx. 410 students per Virginia School Quality Profiles.

Attendance

2024-2025

14.5% of students were chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days).

About Tallwood High School

Tallwood High School opened in 1992 as part of Virginia Beach City Public Schools, serving grades 9-12. It is named for the historic Tallwood plantation, on whose former site the school was built; the manor house that once stood there was known as Tallwood. The school's first principal was Bernard Morgan III, and it opened with roughly 1,748 students. The campus was remodeled during 2004-2005.

The school sits at 1668 Kempsville Road in the Kempsville area of southwest Virginia Beach. Since 2005 it has hosted the Global Studies and World Languages Academy, a citywide magnet program focused on global issues and foreign-language study. Tallwood's debate team won VHSL AAA state championships in 2000, 2001, 2003, and 2004.

Athletics & activities

Debate team VHSL AAA state championships

Notable alumni

Kelly Convirs-Fowler· Virginia House of Delegates memberAlex Askew· Virginia House of Delegates memberMichael Feggans· Virginia House of Delegates memberChad Hartigan· Film directorValerie LaPointe· Animator and film director

Contact

Phone: (757) 648-5700

Official school website ↗

Data sources

NCES Common Core of Data - Tallwood High — NCES School ID, address, phone, grades served, enrollment (1,890), FTE teachers (117.40), student/teacher ratio (16.10), locale (City, Large), charter status, free/reduced lunch counts2024-2025 link ↗
Virginia School Quality Profiles - Tallwood High — Accreditation status, SOL pass rates, on-time graduation rate, advanced diploma rate, dropout rate, chronic absenteeism, AP/dual enrollment, demographics2024-2025 / 2025-2026 link ↗
Tallwood High School official website — Principal, phone, mascot, colors, founding year (1992), history, Global Studies and World Languages Academy2026 link ↗
Wikipedia - Tallwood High School — Founding history, plantation naming, mascot/colors, debate & athletic championships, magnet program, notable alumni2026 link ↗

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

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