Hampton High School (Hampton, Virginia)
| Hampton High School | |
|---|---|
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| Address | |
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1491 West Queen Street Hampton, Virginia 23669 United States |
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| Coordinates | 37°01′26″N 76°22′56″W / 37.02389°N 76.38222°WCoordinates: 37°01′26″N 76°22′56″W / 37.02389°N 76.38222°W |
| Information | |
| School type | Public high school |
| Founded | 1875 |
| School district | Hampton City Schools |
| Superintendent | Dr. Jeffery Smith |
| Principal | Tiffany Hardy Kevin Davis |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 1,606 (2013-14) |
| Language | English |
| Color(s) | Red and White |
| Mascot | Crabbers |
| Rival |
Bethel High School Phoebus High School Kecoughtan High School |
| Website | http://hhs.sbo.hampton.k12.va.us/ |
Hampton High School is a public secondary school located in Hampton, Virginia. It is the oldest of the four current high schools in Hampton Public Schools, built in 1956. It is an International Baccalaureate World School with the Diploma Programme. Hampton High is the first high school in the Hampton city high school division and the second largest district worldwide.
Hampton High School traces its roots to the first free school founded in the American Colonies, the Syms-Eaton Academy, which opened its doors on February 12, 1634 as the Syms Free School. Syms is the oldest free school and the first endowed educational institution in the United States. In 1634 Benjamin Syms left 200 acres (0.81 km2) and 8 cows to provide a free school for children of the parish. In 1659 Thomas Eaton, a 'cururgeon' (surgeon), left 500 acres (2.0 km2), buildings, livestock, and two slaves for a school to serve Elizabeth City County. The schools were so popular that in 1759 an act was necessary to provide for the attendance of only poor children at Eaton School. In 1805 the schools were merged by act of the General Assembly and called Hampton Academy, which in 1852 became part of the public school system. Its building was burned in 1861 and rebuilt after the war, finally taking the official name of Hampton High. The first graduating class was in 1896, consisting of two students: Miss Bessie Birdsall and Miss Blance Bullifant. From the early 20th century, Hampton High was ranked in the top ten of schools in Virginia, and the West Point Military Academy acknowledged that it accepted Hampton graduates without requiring them to take the West Point entrance exam. The current building for Hampton High dates to 1956; due to the layout of the building, it earned the nickname "Little Pentagon" because of its "seemingly endless hallways."
Hampton High School is fully accredited by the Virginia Department of Education based on its performance on the Virginia SOL Tests. It was included in Newsweek Magazine's "Top 1200" high schools in 2008 and 2009 and the "Top 1600" (top 6%) in 2010.
In the 2005-2006 school year, Hampton was 81% Black; 14% White; 3% Hispanic; and 2% Asian.
Hampton High is also the oldest public school still in use. The school was featured in national news in the summer of 1995 for the celebration of the centennial graduating class (1996). There is a section of seating at football games for the alumni that are in their 70s and 80s.
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