West Ridge High School: Which Chesterfield neighborhoods will be rezoned?

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — The Chesterfield County School Board is proposing three boundary options to fill its new West Ridge High School, set to open in August 2027. The school will accommodate 2,400 students and is the first new high school built in the county in 20 years.

The west part of the county is primarily impacted by the rezoning proposals, with West Ridge located just under 4 miles from Cosby High School. Cosby High School is currently at 125% capacity, and Midlothian High School is at 97% capacity.

Reid Wodicka, Chesterfield County Public Schools' chief operations officer, said the new school is a response to overcrowding in the area.

"This part of the county — this is sort of the two really high areas where there needs to be some capacity development, which of course is why we are building the school."

Students currently in 11th grade will not be impacted by the rezoning. West Ridge High School will open without a senior class.

WTVR

Option 1

Option 1 would move students from the following neighborhoods to West Ridge High School:

• Magnolia Green — 449 students
• Westerleigh/Summer Lake — 293 students
• Watermill/Rountrey Peninsula — 343 students
• Wynwood at Foxcreek/Foxfield — 173 students
  

This option would keep all three high schools under 1,600 students.

Steven Paranto, vice chair of the Chesterfield County School Board, said Option 1 appears to be generating the most positive feedback so far.

"As of right now, Option One is receiving a lot of attention for the positive," Paranto said. "A lot of the feedback is in favor of Option One, and looking at it, of course we are not voting today; just want to clarify that, it does make the most sense in having the capacity closest to the other schools without one being at 90% and the other being at 70%, for example."

A Midlothian mother who lives in Hallsley and has three children who would be impacted by the rezoning also spoke in support of Option 1.

"This rezoning would impact three of my children. I have a fourth grader at Old Hundred, an eighth grader at Midlothian Middle and a 10th grader at Midlothian High School. Of the three options under review, Option One offers the most balanced enrollment across the schools. It leaves room at West Ridge for the growing residential areas. And it also keeps things relatively even, where as Option 2 and 3 would have Midlothian at about 70% enrollment within five years," the mom said.

WTVR

Option 2

Option 2 reaches further into the Midlothian district, with the following neighborhoods impacted:

• Magnolia Green — 449 students
• Westerleigh/Summer Lake — 293 students
• Rountrey Peninsula — 246 students
• Hallsley/Newmarket — 282 students
• West of Woolridge Road — 246 students

This option would have West Ridge utilizing the most seats of the three proposals, with over 1,800 students.

Option 3

Option 3 is a hybrid of Options 1 and 2, primarily impacting the following neighborhoods:

• Magnolia Green — 449 students
• Westerleigh/Summer Lake — 293 students
• Watermill/Rountrey Peninsula — 343 students
• Wynwood at Foxcreek/Foxfield — 173 students
• Hallsley/Newmarket — 282 students

This option keeps enrollment under 100% and results in lower enrollment at Midlothian High School.

A community meeting is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 28 at Deep Creek Middle School. The school board plans to vote on which proposal to adopt on Saturday. Oct. 13.

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