Overview
Since its founding in 1728, few other independent schools have as rich a history as Norfolk Academy. A coeducational, private school serving students in grades 1-12, the school provides a transformative education for children in Hampton Roads. As Virginia’s oldest independent school, Norfolk Academy carries its historic mission into today as it continually reevaluates and improves upon its purpose, performance, and the lasting effect it has on its students and its region. The school seeks a Lower School Director, effectiveJuly 1, 2019, to advance the philosophy and mission of Norfolk Academy’s Lower School for students in grades 1-6.
Norfolk Academy offers children a multifaceted 12-year program intended to shape capable students into responsible and responsive citizen-scholars. Students follow the rhythms of childhood from joyful exploration toward ambitious, sophisticated scholarship. The broad strokes of honor that students encounter in Lower School mature into the finer points of empathy, integrity, and character.
Teachers are passionate educators and wise counselors. Daily handshakes and heartfelt conversations between students and teachers evolve into loyal bonds and trust that exist in the classrooms, on the playing fields, and on stage. It’s these relationships that germinate in grade one and continue to grow through grade 12 which make possible both the authentic kindness and the outsized accomplishments of Norfolk Academy’s students. That’s why years after graduation, Norfolk Academy students still count their friends and teachers here as among the largest influences on their lives.
Norfolk Academy strives to live by our conviction that sound moral and spiritual values define the individual in a more significant way than academic achievement.
School History
Norfolk Academy entered into official existence on November 13, 1728. As early as 1680, however, its presence had been foreseen by Norfolk town planners who reserved a large parcel of land across the street from the parish church as a “school lot.” Some 48 years later the lot was deeded to three prominent citizens with the instructions that a school be constructed there for the benefit of the “inhabitance [sic] of Norfolk Town.” That 1728 “trust deed” would serve as the charter for the school and create the school’s first trustees.
The modern era for Norfolk Academy began with the arrival in1950 of James B. Massey, Jr. as headmaster. Through his uncompromising leadership and the vision of an outstanding Board of Trustees, the Academy grew and prospered. The final essential step to prominence was the 1966 merger with the Country Day School for Girls in Virginia Beach, and the concurrent move to the school’s present location on the Norfolk/Virginia Beach border. The school has enjoyed remarkable leadership and stability, having only just three headmasters in the past 68 years.
The School
Today, the school enrolls 1,200 students in grades 1-12, 500 of those students in Lower School. A college-preparatory curriculum, coupled with a strong sports program and exciting arts program, innovative curricular offerings, and time-honored traditions, provides students an exceptional educational experience. Students who attend Norfolk Academy come from all areas of Hampton Roads (Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, and VirginiaBeach), the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and northeastern North Carolina.Twenty-three percent of the student body is made up of students of color, and 21% of students receive need-based financial assistance.
Norfolk Academy’s 114 faculty members (36 in Lower School) seek to develop engaged learners who possess both the intellectual abilities and the character traits needed to thrive in today’s world. Faculty have an average of 19 years of experience teaching at Norfolk Academy. With a student-to-teacher ratio of less than 14:1 in Lower School, teachers know their students well and dedicate themselves to making sure their students achieve their highest potential.
The school’s most cherished tradition is its Honor Code. Each member of the Norfolk Academy community commits to behaving honorably in all school activities and programs. Being truthful helps build a community of trust. It is in this environment that the Honor System helps students and all members of the community strengthen and advance their ethical development and their capacity to make sound, moral, and mature decisions about matters of right and wrong.
Norfolk Academy is the only school in the region that enjoys accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS/AdvancEd), the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS), and the Virginia Association of Independent Schools (VAIS). Under the auspices of the Virginia Council of Private Education (VCPE), Norfolk Academy is recognized as an accredited school by the Virginia State Board of Education. The school is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), the CollegeBoard, the Educational Records Bureau (ERB), the Secondary School Admissions Test Board (SSATB), and the World Leading Schools Association (WLSA).