5385 Blackwater Rd
Virginia Beach, VA 23457

I'll fist say that I'm not sure where some of these other reviews are having their experience with teachers --- parents however is quite a different story. Neither myself nor my husband are from this area. The staff and administration (minus our new atrocious principal) have all been wonderful. We really could not have asked for better experiences for either of our very children who are on completely different ends of the learning spectrum. The parents can be cliquey. It is a rural area with deep roots and families that have been living here since before the mid 1800's (to the point where there are streets named after them) but unless you really have a need to insert yourselves into these cliques everyone is polite enough to converse with at school functions, athletics, and play dates without issue. The issues I see other parents having a lot is when they don't have realistic expectations for their child's capabilities or realistic expectations for how teachers should deal with them. Little Johnny and Susie don't deserve praise when they aren't doing a good job, to doubt that they aren't getting extra attention though seems a far reach. My child who frequently under performs as a student is always given the 1:1 time he needs and teachers communicate what work needs to be done at home to improve. Praising another student and recognizing their hard work means your student needs to work harder to receive that praise.. Sorry, guess I was just raised to earn what you feel like you deserve?

I’m astonished that the grade for this school is a 7/10; the reasoning is as follows:The graduation rate at this school is over 99%, even with the Juvenile Detention Center (Juvenile Jail) statistics diminishing the actual number of 99.8%. The number of students earning honor roll status (3.0 GPA or higher) is over 90%.In the 2023-2024 school year, Kellam HS (KLHS) will be improving its partnership with TCC from 6 on-site(At KLHS) college credit classes to over 20; this number will increase for the 2024-2025 school year. Essentially, granting students an associate degree and an HS diploma at graduation without having to leave the building as they would in a dual enrollment program at other Virginia Beach high schools, saving families between $15k-$40k depending on the student's chosen college.

My son started middle school as a new student and has flourished at this school in advanced classes. It’s a beautiful school and we have had zero issues for the last 2 years. I’m so thankful he is at such a wonderful school with teachers who care.