Grassfield High School

2007 Grizzly Trail

School District

Chesapeake Public Schools
Grade

9-12
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:15
Type

public

School Map for Chesapeake Public Schools

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on August 30, 2024

The faculty here at Grassfield High are the worst I have ever had to deal with. As an example, today (30Aug2024) my wife and I went to pick up our kid's chromebook as stated it can be done between 8AM-4PM. Before we were able to be let in, staff was aware my wife and I, and a few other parents and students were waiting to be let in,even though they saw us all; they still didn't let us in until someone else saw us waiting outside. Once let in, we let one of the staff members we were here to pick up our kid's laptop. The response from them was "ok?" And then just turned around not asking if we needed any assistance. Finally someone else showed up, then finally helped us. As we were walking away, the first staff member was insulting us and other parents/students under her breath saying we gave them dirty looks (we were just confused that nobody was wanting to assist anyone) as if we were such an inconvenience to them. We final got the chromebook for our kid after the other staff member badtalking the students there. This only one of many incidences that the staff here is horrible and demoralizes the students everyday. My kid chooses to do virtual classes because the staff are so horrible and controlling. They are not supportive to SPED kid's, they are constantly trying to get the students in trouble instead of trying to assist them, they treat all students horribly. My kid when having to attend classes in person, antaginized her to get a reaction and try to send her to the office almost 2-3 time a week. I can't stress enough how much of a horrible experience my family has had since we PCS'd here and we don't have any other choices being military to go to a different school.
Submitted by student on April 30, 2024

At the time that I am writing this review, I am currently a Junior and taking part in their theatre company and Dual Enrollment U.S. History class. The teachers here love their students and are overall great people and most teachers are patient with their students and care to take the time to make sure their students are doing well in their classes. But I can't say the rest about the staff at the time I cannot comment on our new principal because I have not seen enough to form an opinion on him yet confidently. The school can get dirty at times and our sports teams aren't great but we excel at our fine arts and our Theatre for example at the time this is written 3-time state champions currently. However, I cannot personally comment on how STEM is because I am not part of the STEM program. As a student, I feel there are some things that they should not be teaching me and that it is more of my parent's job to teach me certain subjects. Overall this school is not a terrible choice but I would still recommend keeping an open mind and making sure you ask your parents or if you are a parent your child about what they are teaching because I have had teachers who try to push down ideologies that do not have any relevance to their class and make you agree with their ideals. There has been a time when a student felt differently about those ideals and was shunned in front of the whole class by his teacher.
Submitted by student on August 22, 2023

I have had an overall TERRIBLE experience with Grassfield’s staff and admin team throughout the two years I have attended (I am a Junior this year).The teachers here are great. Almost all of them are understanding and patient, although around half of them gave out quick busy work after a fast slideshow presentation about the topic before going on their phone/talking to other students/staff. These kinds of teachers were still loved by other students and staff. The STEM teachers, although, are amazing. You can tell they truly want to work with the children in the field they teach. Halfway through my freshman year, I got a 504 plan due to my autism, but more than half of my teachers ignored all or part of my accommodations. Many of them did not respond to emails concerning needs not being met. It took a call to the school to get them to recognize my accommodations needed to be met, which I was met with an upset attitude with all of these teachers for them having to have my needs met.The councilors and admin in this school is HORRENDOUS. Admin never enforced the mask requirement the year school became in-person again. I had experiences with the councilors due to my extremely poor mental state. They got upset me for being mentally ill (got upset at me for having issues with depression and self-harm) and tried making me out to be the person at fault. They got upset at me for not making eye contact (symptom of autism), while stating they were trying to get to “know me”. They could have easily found out about my disability, so it’s clear these councilors have no intention of truly getting to know your child. They forced me to agree to things I hadn’t agreed with them on for conversation to continue and said my attitude got “better” when I agreed with whatever they had said to me without disagreement. They will get mad if you try and correct them. They forced me to show them scars on my arms I was not comfortable showing to them (as I do not know these people whatsoever), tried forcing me into a therapy program with other Grassfield military children although I expressed I wasn’t comfortable (due to my extreme anxiety at the time), lied to my mother, got up in my face, called me out of class multiple times, causing my grade to drop, and so much more. I cannot express how terrible the councilors at this school are. They do not care about your child or their well-being. If they are mentally unwell, they will treat your child like a burden.
Submitted by parent on July 03, 2023

Best school on the east coast for IEP. The program out shines any other school. If you are a military family with an IEP child this is it.
Submitted by parent on April 19, 2023

Grassfield is a LARGE public school with limited guidance resources and a wide range of staff skill, student ability, and parent engagement. It's diverse socioeconomically and is committed to meeting the diverse needs of its students.COUNSELING/GUIDANCE:I've had good (not perfect) luck getting my kids into the classes they want each year by communicating early and often with designated counseling staff. The level of personalization in college/career guidance is low but the general info. and offerings are plentiful/accessible. TIP: Do your own homework and find out whether courses are offered at all times of the year. Just because a course is in the catalog doesn't mean it will be there when your child needs it.TEACHING:This has been a mixed bag with more positive experiences than bad. I've had a teacher's obsession with the Socratic method (vs. direct instruction) ruin an upper-level science class, a teacher discourage my child from taking AP Calculus (only to have my child earn an A in Calculus) which is a problem because AP Calculus AB isn't offered in the spring (NOT OK!!). I've seen teachers, usually in English and history, crow over writing assignments that *I* know are well beneath my kids' skill-levels. Bleed red on the page and you'll have my thanks and support.On the flip side, our kids have been able to (with parental guidance) explore their interests and identify their strengths WHILE taking challenging academic courses. They aren't pushed to take every AP under the sun. They are not discouraged from taking 'fun' classes. Does your child like to cook? Grassfield's culinary program is great. Does your child want to construct things, become a police officer/firefighter, pharmacy tech, or join the military? Programs for that are robust. The performing arts department is TOP NOTCH, across the board. Athletic program support is strong. TIP: Ensure administrators, counselors and teachers know you, your kids, and your expectations. Introduce yourself, be visible, and vocal. All teachers aren't a good match for your child and no one will have your child's best interests at heart like you will.OVERALL:GHS is a solid public high school. Post-COVID, there have been behavior challenges among students AND faculty but nothing I'd consider critical/crisis-level. Challenges notwithstanding, I cannot think of another school zone in Hampton Roads that I'd prefer.
Submitted by parent on February 15, 2023

refuses to give female students that are experiencing horrible cramps pain reliefs, the staff don't care about student well being.
Submitted by parent on October 04, 2022

To be the largest high school in Hampton Roads and to be rated the best in Hampton Roads consistently by US News and Niche is because the staff cares about all students. Staff diversity has improved over the past two years and my two students always felt welcome and cared about by counselors, teachers, and principals. The only areas of improvement are with the bus transportation, parking lot flow of traffic, and the team sports because they do not seem to stand up to Oscar Smith, Great Bridge, and the beach schools.But he Fine arts and academics are awesome and so is the school spirit.
Submitted by parent on October 04, 2022

This school is rated very high and for good reason. The teachers seem very engaged and are well trained in getting students to the required level of knowledge. The guidance counseling office however are well below average. More specifically the school registrar shows almost no interest in doing her job and I’m now convinced that she (and her support staff) are basically incompetent. They will do the job poorly act like it’s the parents fault. I truly do not understand how they have jobs.For context, we transferred from another school district over the summer and immediately started the enrolling process. We were told to come back closer to September because “the school wasn’t thinking about the next year yet”. We then approached the office again in August and were given a list of things to obtain to start the enrolling process. It’s important to note that nearly all of this information was available via an online program specifically designed for school administrators for the purposes of enrollment. The Registrar did want to apply for an account because “she didn’t understand how to use it”. We ended up having to get the previous school’s registrar to call and walk her through the process and even then she felt it was not necessary. My students ended up starting school a week late which we were told “they won’t learn much the first week anyway”. My only recommendation for new enrollments would be to assume that the guidance office will not do their job properly. As frustrating as it is, it will be the only way to ensure your student will start school with everything they need and on time. Do not assume the registrar is capable of doing her job because you will have to spend extra time in an accelerated manner doing it for her.
Submitted by parent on September 02, 2022

My son has been at this school now all four of his high school years and there has not been a good year. Every year, every semester his schedule has been wrong and needed to be corrected. There seems to be no accountability and nothing is easily resolved. Some of the staff members are great and will work tirelessly to help, while others make it seem like its your fault that they messed up. I wish I could say good things about the principal, but I can't because in the four years he seems to be the most impersonal man I have ever encountered. He does not take an interest when problems arise and does not like to communicate with the families of his school. Although, he will send a rather bland robo-call occasionally. The experience with this school could have been better if they would just communicate, communicate and communicate effectively. Their preferred method of communication is Twitter, Instagram, and an antiquated newsletter. All of these are secondary forms of communication and should not be used for important dates and activities of the school. This attitude permeates throughout the school, such that when you call with questions and you don't except the first boxed answer you are then greeted with annoyed short responses and unprofessionalism. Not a good staff at this school. I gave it 2 stars because the school itself is nice, the stadium is nice and it has a safe environment.
Submitted by student on February 02, 2021

A M A Z I N G school! Right now with all the online learning, you would think everything would be wayyyy harder, right? Well the teacher and staff try to make everything as normal as they possibly can. The work and homework are a bit overwhelming at times but, I can't really blame that on them I took the harder classes. I have met soo many people that have helped me grow and become a better person. I could ask for more in a public school!
Submitted by parent on November 23, 2020

I had one child graduate in 2018 and another will in 2021. For a public school, I could not ask for or expect any more from this school s a whole- from facility to faculty/staff to extracurricular activities, and to school culture and pride.
Submitted by parent on June 10, 2020

I did not know that a school could be this good!
Submitted by parent on July 14, 2019

We have loved our experience at Grassfield! Better yet, my son has loved it and flourished in the atmosphere that is created there.
Submitted by parent on January 17, 2019

Racism among kids is higher here than other area schools. Minority kids aren't expected to succeed and this bias is allowing some kids to slip through the cracks. Kids must be medicated and seeing a therapist for additional help if they are not failing or a problematic kid but have attention and organization issues but this is a city wide policy as federal funds are given to districts when kids are medicated. If your kid is average this is not a good school for them. If your kid is advanced this a great challenging school despite their race. If your kid is medicated this is a great school with many resources. I'd advise parents of average kids that aren't medicated with attention issues to invest in an SAT tutor ASAP way vefore junior year, SOL Jlabs nightly in math starting the 1st day of classes, a foreign language tutor, a science tutor, reach out to the teachers weekly bc they will not intervene 1st in most cases but not all if your kid starts slipping and put your kid in sports outside of school so they have an educational figure with high expectations. Ending sports outside of school was my biggest mistake as public school coaches won't push the average kid and further perpetuates poor habits without realizing it. Don't let people make you feel bad for expecting more from your kid, pushing them to reach their full potential and not coddling them when they are wrong. Kids learn to be successful adults from successes, failures, supportive authority figures that respectfullly demand respect and positive and negative consequences from their actions. If you expect less they'll give you less. Don't give up and spend the money because an average kid will not reach their full potential in public school without help.
Submitted by parent on June 16, 2018

WOW! I cannot imagine my son at any other school. We moved from another local district specifically for this school. We paid two mortgages for six months so that our son could be in Grassfield High School. We would do it all over again!
Submitted by parent on March 06, 2018

This school has excellent leadership. The parents are very involved and supportive of schoolwide iniatives!
Submitted by parent on March 24, 2015

This school is a very professional school who understands the needs of their students. This is by far one or the best school in Hampton Roads.
Submitted by parent on January 20, 2015

Friendly staff overall. But feels more like a gossip coffee shop at times while you wait for someone to help. Has not handled my child's medical and educational disabilities as well as I think is expected. Had to constantly remind them with doctors orders students physical limitations. They have now suggested student prepare for a GED. I personally feel an 11 grader should not have to feel like even their school has so little faith in them.
Submitted by other on November 23, 2014

GHS staff is in dire need of an overhaul; starting with the admin staff. Good thing their principal, Ms. Bernard, resigned. She never really settled into the position and more importantly, she did not manage her staff. Once she became overwhelmed with personal issues -- around 2010-2011 -- she checked out. The district hired much of the staff from within, -- worst idea, ever, since the majority of the admin staff lacked the experience needed. They were so consumed with the excitement of working in a new school with modern tech that they lost their true purpose. They're arrogant and unprofessional. So much of the bad that takes place there is swept under the rug, because they're so concerned with tarnishing their overrated reputation. They get a big -5 stars! I know this sounds bizarre and unreal -- but trust -- it doesn't get more real than this...
Submitted by parent on June 06, 2014

My family moved here in 2011 and my daughter was a freshman. We were at our last duty station for 4 years and it was hard for her to leave her middle school friends and enter high school without them. She did not know anyone when she got here and is a rather shy kid. There was a group of student ambassadors that welcomed my daughter. They spoke to her in the halls, at lunch and for her birthday they came to her class and gave her a cupcake. I know this all sounds so trivial but it gave her a feeling of belonging. After Christmas the first year here she had made several friends and attended most of the football games with them. I think it is very important for new kids to attend school actives outside of school hours. My daughter is now a going into her Senior year -Class of 2015. She has truly blossomed at GHS. She is in several clubs, honor societies, band, and has a few really good friends. She remains in the top 10 of her class. Academics are tops. Mrs. Harris is her number 1 teacher. GHS has been prefect for MY daughter.