5501 Samuelson Ct
Virginia Beach, VA 23464

This is a great school, from what we have experienced so far. As the parent of a 10th grader who came into the Global Studies Academy in 9th grade, we were nervous about what the experience would be. I had heard rave reviews of the teachers and staff, and I have been pleasantly surprised about how true that has been. Despite some of the negative reviews, a student’s success depends on the classes they’re in. This is true for every high school out there. If a kid is in lower level classes, chances are there will be more issues with behaviors. So, I’d take the negatives with a grain of salt. For us, the teachers are highly responsive and proactive with communication. This is not the case for every school in Virginia Beach. We appreciate this so much.

The teachers and staff are great, but the principal that’s a different story. She thinks she can talk to some parents any way she wants. She’s very moody. The principal before her was nice though.

My child has witnessed a couple of physical fights this year, one was 2 girls in the lunch room. The aggressor approached the other girl and began to violently punch her in face and head then slamming her face on table until the girl’s nose and mouth was bleeding. No notice was sent out regarding incident but they send messages regarding potential fights- but an actual fight - no. This is traumatic for kids to witness and they swept it under the rug. For the most part, many of the teachers are great with the exception of a certain algebra teacher who just assigns the work without teaching the kids. Many of the students transfered out to another class per their parents request. In addition, most of the office staff are nice except the main admin/secretary who has a nasty and rude attitude. She’s so miserable it’s appalling considering she works in a school setting. She thinks she can talk to parents anyway she wants. You would think this school would have higher rating because of the location but the employees make a big difference in the ratings.