Opened in 1966, Kempsville High School has had many notable people walk these halls; including actors, politicians, professional athletes, and singers. Some have seen the Olympics, others have seen Hollywood. 

But throughout the school’s 58-year history, it has barely seen a remodel. Is Kempsville due for one?

In the last few years, several high schools in Virginia Beach have either been rebuilt, or approved to be rebuilt and are set to be within the next few years.

Princess Anne High School, for example, a school that hosts about 1,800 students in a 333,000 square foot building, is slated to be rebuilt in 2043.

Kempsville High School, in comparison, has over 2,000 students in just 96,000 square feet.

When asked if Kempsville was in need of a rebuild, Entrepreneurship and Business Academy (EBA) Coordinator, Mrs. Meghan Timlin said “We’re not slated, I mean, gosh, I think it was like 2040, 2050.”

As of 2024, an official time hasn’t been given by the city for proposed renovations to the school.

Kempsville High School’s principal, Mrs. Melissa George, when asked if she knew of a targeted deadline for a rebuild, said, “Everyone who’s in this building right now will probably not be in this building at the time it gets rebuilt.”

However,  to the question of if a rebuild is necessary, the answer was unexpected.

Mrs. Timlin, when asked if she thought the rebuild was needed, gave a rather concise, “No, I don’t.”

Similarly, Mrs. George, when asked the same question, said, “Yes and no. Yes, because we’re growing so much.” 

“No, because we’re able to make it work. Like, we’re able to figure out how to make modern day instruction work in a 58 year old building.”

All in all, only time will tell whether Kempsville High School will withstand the test of time, just as it has done for the last 58 years.