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Denbigh High

Public, Magnet Grades 9-12

277^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 331 Virginia High Schools

Better than 16% of Virginia high schools

Summary

Denbigh High is a public high school in Newport News, VA, serving 1,269 students in grades 9–12 as part of Newport News City Public Schools. The school stands out for an exceptional 97.9% graduation rate and a 0.7% dropout rate — both far better than Virginia's state averages — even though 95.2% of its students qualify for free/reduced lunch, one of the highest poverty rates in the region. This combination of economic disadvantage and strong graduation outcomes makes Denbigh a school that clearly prioritizes keeping students on track to earn diplomas, despite significant academic hurdles.

Academically, Denbigh is a school of contrasts. On Virginia SOL assessments, it posts strong results in Algebra I (81.5% proficient in 9th grade), Algebra II (93.9%), and Geography (94.4%), often matching or beating state averages. However, English reading proficiency trails the state by 12–20 points, and history scores have been a serious concern — VA/US History proficiency was just 17.4% among 11th graders. Chronic absenteeism is the school's biggest challenge: 27.6% of students were chronically absent in 2024–2025, nearly double the state rate and well above nearby Woodside High (17.0%) and Menchville High (18.4%). Only Heritage High (28.4%) has a higher rate in the district. There is also an unusual gender gap: female students rank in the 8th percentile statewide while males rank in the 20th percentile — the opposite of typical state trends.

Despite low overall rankings, Denbigh is improving. Its statewide rank has risen from the 2nd percentile (2022–2023) to the 16th percentile (2025–2026), placing it ahead of Warwick High and Heritage High within the district. Notable bright spots include English Language Learner students (47th percentile statewide), disabled students (37th percentile, up dramatically from 2nd percentile three years ago), and African American students (30th percentile). The school spends $11,133 per student — higher than most comparable schools, including Grafton High's $8,498 and Tabb High's $9,946 — suggesting that funding alone isn't the issue. With targeted support around attendance and literacy, Denbigh's recent trajectory suggests it could continue to climb.

1,269

Students ?

14.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,133

Per pupil spending ?

95.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

259 Denbigh Blvd
Newport News, VA 23608

(757) 886-7700

District: Newport News City Public Schools

Feeder schools for Denbigh High:

Elementary:	Knollwood Meadows Elementary
	Stoney Run Elementary
	T. Ryland Sanford Elementary

Racial breakdown:

African American:

48.5%

Hispanic:

21.7%

White:

20.3%

See top rated Virginia high schools

Compare Denbigh High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 2nd percentile in 2023 → 16th in 2026

Strengths

✓98% graduate in 4 years — above the Virginia average (92%)

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 16th (2026) from a 2nd-percentile low (2023)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Virginia average (73% vs 81% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (16th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (28% vs 15% Virginia)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school73%

District avg75%

Virginia avg81%

277^th of 331

Virginia public high schools ?

Bottom 16%▼ down 9 pts since 2016

From bottom 25% (2016) to bottom 16% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 6High Schools in the Newport News City Public Schools

105^th of 131Newport News City Public Schools among Virginia districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	30.6	277 of 331	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.7	308 of 328	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	21.5	311 of 329	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.4	318 of 326	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.4	316 of 325	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.8	313 of 327	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.4	318 of 327	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.8	317 of 326	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	26.3	280 of 324	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	34.4	240 of 321	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	29.0	271 of 322	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	17.7	302 of 322	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	13.5	311 of 321	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	16.5	304 of 321	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	20.6	294 of 320	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	18.6	302 of 317	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	26.9	276 of 313	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	36.6	233 of 316	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	24.8	283 of 313	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	34.8	241 of 314	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	30.9	268 of 308	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	39.5	169 of 242	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	28.1	209 of 245	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.6	221 of 249	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.6	232 of 240	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	43.5	158 of 252	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.5	174 of 253	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	10.2	244 of 249	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	47.6	72 of 135	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.1	52 of 101	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.8	86 of 122	29.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.7	81 of 97	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	22.9	295 of 322	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	18.5	305 of 321	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.3	307 of 322	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.0	317 of 320	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	34.3	187 of 242	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	41.4	161 of 236	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.6	195 of 233	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.5	218 of 232	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	35.6	244 of 321	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.9	300 of 324	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	23.0	304 of 320	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	33.7	260 of 325	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.4	292 of 322	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	22.6	299 of 322	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.4	305 of 321	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	42.4	76 of 105	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	46.7	66 of 98	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.9	75 of 92	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.0	85 of 92	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	30.5	160 of 196	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.9	182 of 198	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	48.3	118 of 198	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.1	114 of 193	40.9%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	24.1	285 of 312	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	24.4	285 of 313	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.0	305 of 314	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.4	305 of 315	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

English Language Learner (2026)47th percentile+30 vs school

Disabled (2026)37th percentile+21 vs school

African American (2026)30th percentile+14 vs school

Military Connected (2026)28th percentile+11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)24th percentile+8 vs school

Hispanic (2026)23rd percentile+6 vs school

Male (2026)20th percentile+4 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)18th percentile~ school

White (2026)9th percentile-8 vs school

Female (2026)8th percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

Algebra II84%-8 vs state

Geography84%+12 vs state

Algebra I80%~ state avg

English Reading72%-14 vs state

Biology65%-12 vs state

Geometry64%-22 vs state

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Schools Near Denbigh High

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				SOL Writing (2026)			SOL Geometry (2026)		SOL Algebra I (2026)				SOL Algebra II (2026)			SOL Biology (2026)				SOL Earth Science (2026)		SOL English Reading (2026)			SOL Geography (2026)			SOL VA and US History (2026)		SOL World History I (2026)				SOL World History II (2026)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SOL Writing 10th Grade	SOL Writing 11th Grade	SOL Writing 12th Grade	SOL Geometry 9th Grade	SOL Geometry 10th Grade	SOL Algebra I 9th Grade	SOL Algebra I 10th Grade	SOL Algebra I 11th Grade	SOL Algebra I 12th Grade	SOL Algebra II 9th Grade	SOL Algebra II 10th Grade	SOL Algebra II 11th Grade	SOL Biology 9th Grade	SOL Biology 10th Grade	SOL Biology 11th Grade	SOL Biology 12th Grade	SOL Earth Science 10th Grade	SOL Earth Science 11th Grade	SOL English Reading 10th Grade	SOL English Reading 11th Grade	SOL English Reading 12th Grade	SOL Geography 9th Grade	SOL Geography 10th Grade	SOL Geography 12th Grade	SOL VA and US History 11th Grade	SOL VA and US History 12th Grade	SOL World History I 9th Grade	SOL World History I 10th Grade	SOL World History I 11th Grade	SOL World History I 12th Grade	SOL World History II 9th Grade	SOL World History II 10th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Denbigh High	Public, Magnet	9-12	259 Denbigh Blvd	Newport News	23608	Newport News city	Newport News City Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(757) 886-7700	1,269	89	14.3	95.2%	257 (20.3%)	615 (48.5%)	275 (21.7%)	31 (2.4%)	1 (0.1%)	5 (0.4%)	85 (6.7%)	30.6	277^th of 331 public high schools	16.3%		21.7	308^th of 328 public high schools	6.1%	31				63.6		81.5	66.7	90.0	80.0	93.9	65.4		80.7	57.3	60.0	65.2			50.0	75.7	58.1	94.4		73.7									$11,133	$523	$10,609
Menchville High	Public	9-12	275 Menchville Rd	Newport News	23602	Newport News city	Newport News City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 886-7722	1,707	126	13.6	95.7%	534 (31.3%)	650 (38.1%)	365 (21.4%)	43 (2.5%)	3 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	110 (6.4%)	37.5	257^th of 331 public high schools	22.4%		39.3	250^th of 328 public high schools	23.8%	7				69.8		76.0	90.9		91.7	95.7	56.5	63.6	88.8	60.2	55.8	73.8			50.0	81.9	60.0	100.0											$9,595	$359	$9,236
Woodside High	Public	9-12	13450 Woodside Lane	Newport News	23608	Newport News city	Newport News City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 886-7530	1,723	115	15.0	96.7%	313 (18.2%)	900 (52.2%)	289 (16.8%)	44 (2.6%)	4 (0.2%)	11 (0.6%)	162 (9.4%)	54.7	179^th of 331 public high schools	45.9%		49.9	200^th of 328 public high schools	39.0%	21				95.1	76.7	80.4	77.8		90.0	98.0			78.6	61.0	79.2	96.4	77.8		58.3	90.1	81.8	97.3				78.6							$9,453	$349	$9,104
Grafton High	Public	9-12	403 Grafton Dr	Yorktown	23692	York County	York County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 898-0530	1,235	77	16.0	44.2%	658 (53.3%)	155 (12.6%)	156 (12.6%)	110 (8.9%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.4%)	151 (12.2%)	66.6	109^th of 331 public high schools	67.1%		75.7	53^rd of 328 public high schools	83.8%	56		89.1	91.7	90.7	62.5	84.1				97.6			82.6	51.1	52.9					94.0	90.0	92.7	73.9		51.2		78.7	64.3					$8,498	$398	$8,099
York High	Public	9-12	9300 Geo Wash Mem Hwy	Yorktown	23692	York County	York County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 898-0354	947	69	13.8	30.1%	562 (59.3%)	131 (13.8%)	119 (12.6%)	33 (3.5%)	4 (0.4%)	3 (0.3%)	95 (10.0%)	72	76^th of 331 public high schools	77.0%		75.7	54^th of 328 public high schools	83.5%	22		87.8	83.3	85.5	55.6	89.5				94.9			91.1	68.9			75.0			97.6		83.3			59.4		84.0				87.8	33.3	$11,370	$627	$10,743
York River Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	9300 Geo. Washington Mem. Hwy.	Yorktown	23692	York County	York County Public Schools	Yes	No	No	No	(757) 898-0516	72	12	6.1		44 (61.1%)	10 (13.9%)	8 (11.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (13.9%)	77	42^nd of 331 public high schools	87.3%		25.2	301^st of 328 public high schools	8.2%	259		93.3																		93.3							76.9						$22,922	$3,719	$19,202
Tabb High	Public	9-12	4431 Big Bethel Rd	Yorktown	23693	York County	York County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 867-7400	1,153	75	15.3	21.8%	629 (54.6%)	154 (13.4%)	135 (11.7%)	99 (8.6%)	3 (0.3%)	5 (0.4%)	128 (11.1%)	77.3	40^th of 331 public high schools	87.9%		77.2	40^th of 328 public high schools	87.8%			86.5	71.4	96.9	58.8	94.4		57.1		100.0			96.2	74.4			72.7			94.2		92.2			16.7		92.5					64.7	$9,946	$583	$9,363
Warwick High	Public	9-12	51 Copeland Lane	Newport News	23601	Newport News city	Newport News City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 591-4700	1,622	110	14.7	93.4%	319 (19.7%)	892 (55.0%)	267 (16.5%)	22 (1.4%)	5 (0.3%)	3 (0.2%)	114 (7.0%)	26.1	300^th of 331 public high schools	9.4%		26.8	297^th of 328 public high schools	9.5%	3				78.1		69.8	73.7	92.9		91.8	66.7		72.9	39.8	55.3	79.0	53.3	56.3	60.0	80.5	73.5	87.5				62.5					78.3		$9,408	$182	$9,226
Bethel High	Public	9-12	1067 Big Bethel Rd	Hampton	23666	Hampton city	Hampton City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 825-4400	1,769	119	14.8	92.7%	268 (15.1%)	1,177 (66.5%)	139 (7.9%)	29 (1.6%)	6 (0.3%)	3 (0.2%)	147 (8.3%)	65.7	111^th of 331 public high schools	66.5%		67.3	106^th of 328 public high schools	67.7%	5	83.9			90.0		95.4	90.0	92.3		100.0			90.0	74.4	88.7	93.6			56.3	87.6	100.0	67.6	40.9		42.9	90.0	81.6		91.3	100.0			$10,099	$692	$9,408
Poquoson High	Public	9-12	51 Odd Rd	Poquoson	23662	Poquoson city	Poquoson City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 868-7123	647	53	12.3	20.1%	571 (88.3%)	7 (1.1%)	28 (4.3%)	8 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (4.9%)	80	25^th of 331 public high schools	92.4%		79.5	24^th of 328 public high schools	92.7%	1		87.9		96.2		100.0	70.4			100.0			100.0	88.3	83.3					93.6							89.9					25.0	$9,820	$498	$9,322

Frequently Asked Questions about Denbigh High

What is the racial makeup of Denbigh High?

Students at Denbigh High are 48% African American, 22% Hispanic, 20% White, 7% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What district is Denbigh High in?

Newport News City Public Schools

What schools feed into Denbigh High?

Denbigh High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Knollwood Meadows Elementary
Elementary : Stoney Run Elementary
Elementary : T. Ryland Sanford Elementary

How many students attend Denbigh High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,269 students attended Denbigh High.

Is Denbigh High a good school?

Denbigh High ranks in the bottom 16.3% of Virginia high schools.

Rate Denbigh High!

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Latest Virginia data All new data »

2025–26 SOL test scoresAug 25, 2026

2021–22 school spending dataFeb 16, 2026

2022–23 through 2023–24 school spending dataFeb 10, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJan 6, 2026

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Virginia Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.