About
History
Founded in 1948
For 70 years, Norfolk Collegiate has remained one of the leading Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 educational institutions in Hampton Roads. Norfolk Collegiate has a rich tradition of cultivating the character of our students, recognizing that development of the individual spirit and the intellectual growth of young people are the primary objectives of a quality education.
Carolton Oaks School was founded in 1948 as a kindergarten and preschool in the Wards Corner suburb of Norfolk. The school continued to grow and in 1963 graduated its first class of seniors. A decade later, in 1973, the institution came to be known as Norfolk Collegiate School to more accurately reflect the school's college preparatory mission.
The School Grew
Over the years, the school flourished and grew in educational offerings, programs, extracurricular activities and facilities. In 1973, the school acquired our Tidewater Drive facility, which is home to our lower school. Ten years later, Norfolk Collegiate was accredited by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools and by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, accreditations it maintains today.
In 1988, a new upper school facility was built on Granby Street, complete with science laboratories, a gymnasium and athletic center, and computer centers and media center. In 1995, new athletic fields and tennis courts were added to this site. Following the vision of the Board of Trustees expressed in the school's strategic plan, the lower school was renovated in 1999 to nearly double its former size on the 9.5 acre Tidewater Drive campus. It features a media center with computer labs, a hands-on science lab, a fine arts studio, a performing arts stage and a gymnasium.
In 2005, the 32,000 square-foot middle school was completed on the Granby Street campus. In addition to new classrooms, the middle school has spacious art and music rooms, a science laboratory, a full service gymnasium and explore centers for co-curricular extended learning activities.
Collegiate Continues to Flourish
On March 1, 2013, also the school's 65th anniversary, the Meredith Center for the Arts was opened. The facility showcases the school's arts and technology programs and serves as a venue for the Hampton Roads community. The 26,000-square-foot, $8.5 million cultural arts center includes four classrooms, a chorus room, two seminar rooms, two galleries for exhibiting student work and a scene design shop. The centerpiece is the the Hackney Theater, named for Jo Melchor Hackney & John H. Hackney Jr. The 425-seat professional theater includes professional sound and rigging systems and four-location lighting technology. The two-story theater lobby, also lined with natural oak, is also used for receptions.
In September of 2015, the school expanded its facilities once more with the addition of our $2.6 million athletic complex. The complex features two 70x110 yard, competition-sized, pre-lined artificial turf fields that are highlighted with six Musco lights. The complex also marked another historical moment for the school, as the addition made Collegiate the first pre-K-12 school in the greater Hampton Roads region with two side-by-side, competition-size turf fields with lights.
The school continues to take pride in its emphasis on academic self-discipline, responsibility, diligence, and character development, but most importantly, on its ability to foster in each student a continuing desire to learn. A love of learning and a commitment to leading lives of purpose have remained the cornerstones of the Norfolk Collegiate experience for 75 years.
