Tallwood High School, Virginia Beach, VA: Phone & Mascot

Tallwood High School phone, mascot & school colors

Phone: (757) 648-5700
Mascot: Lions
School colors: Purple, Gold, White, Silver
Principal: Dr. James Avila
Address: 1668 Kempsville Rd, Virginia Beach, VA 23464

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.

8.3 · Test scores

SOL pass rate of 86.2% across all subjects — 81th percentile statewide.

7.0 · College readiness

On-time graduation, AP participation, and college enrollment within 16 months — 67th percentile.

5.4 · Attendance

Chronic absenteeism of 16.6% — better attendance than 49% of peers statewide.

Year over year: 7.2 for 2025–26, compared with 7.8 for 2024–25 — down 0.6.

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

80%state 77%

Geometry

88%state 82%

Algebra I

91%state 86%

Algebra II

97%state 88%

English Reading

92%state 86%

English Writing

81%state 76%

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

College & career

Class of 2025 cohort of 501 students; AP and dual enrollment are 2025–26, unless noted.

97%

On-time graduation rate (class of 2025)

57%

Advanced Studies diplomas

59%

Enrolled in college within 16 months (class of 2022)

2.6%

Dropout rate

38.7%

Enrolled in AP courses

29.2%

Took an AP exam

29.4%

Dual enrollment (college credit)

764

Industry certifications earned (CTE)

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

Tallwood High School & its school zone

A public high school in Virginia Beach Public Schools, Tallwood High School anchors its attendance zone in Virginia Beach, VA 23464. Buyers searching homes for sale near Tallwood High School are typically shopping the Tallwood zone, one of the areas families compare when weighing Virginia Beach high school zones. On the VaHome School Score the school earns 7.2/10 — above the state average among Virginia's 321 public high schools, based on Virginia Department of Education data for 2025–26. That is down from 7.8 in 2024–25.

The school's overall SOL pass rate is 86.2%, with stronger-than-state results in Algebra II (97% vs an 88% state average) and English Reading (92% vs an 86% state average). 97% of the class of 2025 graduated on time, 57% of them with Advanced Studies diplomas. 59% of the school's 2022 graduates enrolled in college within 16 months. Program depth includes 39% AP course enrollment, 29% dual enrollment for college credit, 764 industry certifications through career and technical education. Chronic absenteeism is 16.6%, compared with the 16.4% state median for high schools.

For house hunters comparing Virginia Beach school zones, homes zoned to Tallwood High School sit in the Tallwood 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 Virginia Beach 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: Virginia Beach City Public Schools
Grades served: 9-12
School type: Public
Established: 1992
Enrollment: 1,859 students (2025-2026)
Student–teacher ratio: 16:1
Classroom teachers: 117.4 FTE
Accreditation: Fully Accredited (2025-2026)
NCES school ID: 510384000434

Academic performance

SOL pass rates · 2025-2026

Reading

92%

Mathematics

91%

Science

81%

History & Social Sci.

84%

97%

On-time graduation (Class of 2025)

2.6%

Dropout rate

57%

Earned an Advanced Diploma

College & career readiness

2025-2026

38.73%

Students in AP courses

29.37%

Dual-enrollment (college credit)

764

Career & technical credentials earned

AP course enrollment 38.73%; AP exams taken 29.21%; dual enrollment 29.37%; 764 industry certifications, per Virginia School Quality Profiles (2025-26).

Attendance

2025-2026

16.6% 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

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
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, demographicsSOL, attendance, enrollment & AP/dual 2025-2026; graduation Class of 2025; accreditation SY2025-2026
Tallwood High School official website ↗ — Principal, phone, mascot, colors, founding year (1992), history, Global Studies and World Languages Academy2026
Wikipedia - Tallwood High School ↗ — Founding history, plantation naming, mascot/colors, debate & athletic championships, magnet program, notable alumni2026

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.

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