Arcadia High

Arcadia High is a public high school in Oak Hall, Virginia, serving 688 students in grades 9–12 and is the largest of the three high schools in Accomack County Public Schools. The school earned a 2-star rating in 2025–2026, ranking 219th out of 331 Virginia high schools — a meaningful improvement from recent years, when it sat in the 14th percentile statewide. Nearly all students (98%) qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the school spends about $8,083 per student, less than both Nandua High ($9,291) and Chincoteague High ($11,080).

The school's standout strength is its work with English Language Learners, ranking 5th out of 135 Virginia high schools for ELL outcomes — a remarkable achievement for any school. Arcadia High has also made dramatic progress in student engagement: chronic absenteeism fell from 23.5% to 6.6%, far below the state rate of 14.8%, and the dropout rate dropped from 7.7% to 3.0%, below both the district and state averages. The graduation rate improved to 88.2%, slightly above Nandua High's 87.5% but below Chincoteague High's 97.1%. In the classroom, 100% of 9th graders taking Geometry passed their SOL, and 10th-grade Geography proficiency reached 84.6%, well above the state average of 55.9%.

Most areas still trail the state, however. Virginia & U.S. History proficiency was just 9.5%, and Writing proficiency (70.4%) lagged behind the state average of about 80%. Male students perform noticeably weaker than female students, suggesting an area for targeted support. Compared with nearby schools, Arcadia High is less academically dominant than Chincoteague High, which posted much higher Biology and Writing scores, but Arcadia High's attendance is far stronger (6.6% chronic absenteeism vs. 17.2%). Against Nandua High, Arcadia High has a lower overall rank but a dropout rate three times lower. In short, Arcadia is an improving school that keeps students engaged and enrolled, with strong ELL support, even as academic proficiency in several subjects remains a work in progress.