History Of HVHS

Hidden Valley High School is the newest school introduced into the Roanoke County Public School System, with its opening being in August of 2002.

Hidden Valley was designed to accomodate 1100 students, be able to integrate current techonology, have the infrastructure to adapt to future techonology, and create a dynamic educational structure that would endure well into the future.

Hidden Valley consists of academic spaces which are composed of three 2 story buildings that house all of the educational classrooms.  Beside these are the large public spaces, the gymnasium, the auditorium, and the commons (cafeteria). In between the two sections of the school is an area that contains the administrative offices, counseling department, the media center, technology and buisness education center, as well as the work and family studies center.  

During the first year, HVHS had 720 students in grades 9-11 as well as 50 teachers, 3 administrators, 4 secretaries, 9 instructional assistants, 6 custodians, and 6 cafeteria workers.

For more than 20 years the overcrowding at Cave Spring High School was a topic for discussion in the southwest county area. In 1981 and again in 1988, citizen's committees reviewed the issue and both times a reccommendation for a second southwest county high school was made. Despite these studies, a bond referendum to build a large 2000 student high school to replace Cave Spring High School was held in 1995. This referendum passed in the Cave Spring and Windsor Hills districts, but not by a margin to offset the large no vote in other parts of the county.

After the defeat of the bond referendum, the School Board appointed a Blue Ribbon Committee to assess the future needs of Roanoke County. After a lengthy study, the committee presented a proposed $120 million three-phase capital improvement plan that included a second south county high school as part of the first phase.

The property selected is located in the Windsor Hills Magisterial District, on a farm previously-owned by a Roanoke County painter, Allen Ingles Palmer. The property, known as Woods End, is located between routes 221 and 419, near the Canterbury Park and Kingston Court subdivisions.

The school was named by a citizen's committee appointed by the School Board. The committee solicited input from the community and considered more than 50 possible names before making its final recommendation. The final decision was based on aligning the new high school name with its feeder school, Hidden Valley Middle School.

The school colors, navy blue and Vegas gold, and the school mascot, The Titans, were selected by the High School Steering Committee. This committee, made up of parents, teachers, and students, helped to organize the opening of the school. The color choice was selected to continue the tradition established at Hidden Valley Middle School.  

Key Facts

• Number of Initial Students - 900
• Total Square Feet - 201,000
• 2 Floors
• Total Cost of Construction - $22.2 Million Dollars
• In 2002 won the design award from Virginia School Boards Assoication
• In 2003 won the design award from the Blue Ridge Center of the AIA

Hidden Valley High School celebrated its tenth year of operation in 2012. Please click here to see a presentation.