Warwick High School (Virginia)

The school originally opened in 1926 as Morrison High School in the small community of Morrison. It became Warwick High School in 1948. Originally located in Warwick County, it became part of the Newport News Public Schools system in 1958 when the citizenry of the former Warwick County voted to be politically consolidated with the neighboring independent city of Newport News. The facilities at Warwick High School were expanded to their current size in 1968.[3]

Following the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, racial desegregation lawsuits eventually resulted in a federal court-ordered busing program in Newport News, which began in 1971. Busing changed the nature of Warwick's population and community. However, in the years after the federal court supervision ended, a magnet school approach was adopted to attract students and families to select the school voluntarily.[4]

Also in 1971, the student body voted to change the school mascot from the Farmers to the Raiders after an influx of students came from the recently closed Newport News, Huntington, and Carver High Schools (which were closed due to the city of Newport News desegregating), and the demographics changed from almost entirely white school to a school whose student body was almost 40 percent African-American.[5]

Due to overcrowding and pest-control issues, Warwick High School expanded into the building, formerly the Warwick Early Childhood Center. This building is now known as the Senior Center, although students from all grades may have classes there. The Senior Center was opened to students at the start of the 2023-2024 school year.

During the 2007–2008 school year, Warwick High School started an archery team. The team won the state competition and went to nationals in Louisville, Kentucky.[6]

Warwick High School's Scholastic Bowl team has won the Peninsula District Scholastic Bowl every year since 2017-18.[7]

Warwick High School has also enjoyed great success in debate and forensics. Students from the debate team qualified for the state championship tournament in the 2021-2022 year and won the LD style championship.[8]

In 1986, the Raiders football team advanced to the state championship but lost to Thomas Edison 7-6. In 2022-2023 school year, the Raiders football team went to the state championship again. In the semi-finals, however, the Raiders lost 28-0 to Dinwiddie High School.

On average for the 10 year span of 2012 to 2022:[1]

• Will Crutchfield – orchestra conductor[9]
• Tim Fasano – Bigfoot hunter, blogger, author – Class of 1975
• Johnny Gilbert - game show announcer, Jeopardy!
• Gary Hudson – actor - class of 1974
• Henry Jordan – former National Football League player, 5-time NFL champion, member of Pro Football Hall of Fame
• Norman Snead – former National Football League player, quarterback, second overall pick of 1961 NFL Draft
• Sonja Sohn (Williams) – actress in the HBO drama The Wire
• William Styron - novelist and essayist, attended two years before transferring to Christchurch School, where he graduated
• Marcus Vick – National Football League player - Class of 2002
• Michael Vick – National Football League player - Class of 1998
• B. W. Webb - National Football League cornerback for the New York Giants