Is Gretna High a good school?

Gretna High ranks 197 th of 329 Virginia high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Gretna High?

In the 2022-23 school year, 535 students attended Gretna High.

What is the racial makeup of Gretna High?

Students at Gretna High are 61% White, 33% African American, 4% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

What schools feed into Gretna High?

Gretna High is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Gretna Elementary Elementary : John L. Hurt Elementary Elementary : Mount Airy Elementary Middle : Gretna Middle

Gretna High

Summary:

Gretna High is a public high school in Gretna, Virginia, serving 535 students in grades 9-12. It is part of the Pittsylvania County Public Schools district, which is ranked 17 out of 130 districts in Virginia and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While Gretna High has a higher percentage of White and African American students compared to nearby Dan River High and Chatham High, its academic performance has been consistently lower. Gretna High's statewide ranking has declined from 211 out of 322 schools in 2013-2014 to 197 out of 329 schools in 2023-2024, and it maintains a 1-star or 2-star rating from SchoolDigger, lower than the 3-star or 4-star ratings of the nearby schools. Additionally, Gretna High's test scores are generally lower than the Pittsylvania County Public Schools district and the state of Virginia averages across various subject areas and grade levels.

One significant factor contributing to Gretna High's lower performance is its high poverty rate, with 80% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, compared to 80.39% at Dan River High and 79.21% at Chatham High. The school's performance also varies significantly among different student subgroups, with higher rankings for disabled and low socioeconomic status students, but much lower rankings for White and male students. These insights suggest that Gretna High could benefit from learning from the practices and strategies employed by the higher-performing schools within the same district, as well as addressing the challenges associated with high poverty levels and addressing achievement gaps among different student populations.

Detail:

Public 9-12

100 Gretna Hawk Cir
Gretna, VA 24557

(434) 630-1800

District: Pittsylvania County Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
197^th of 329 Virginia High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $7,907

Feeder schools for Gretna High:

Elementary:	Gretna Elementary
	John L. Hurt Elementary
	Mount Airy Elementary
Middle:	Gretna Middle

Student/teacher ratio: 13.6

Number of students: 535

Racial breakdown:

White:

60.9%

African American:

32.7%

Hispanic:

3.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 80%

See top rated Virginia high schools

Compare Gretna High to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Gretna High ranks worse than 59.9% of high schools in Virginia. It also ranks last among 4 ranked high schools in the Pittsylvania County Public Schools District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 50.64. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Gretna High who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Gretna High has the largest high school student body size in the Pittsylvania County Public Schools District. (See more...)

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Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Gretna High is $7,907, which is the highest among 4 high schools in the Pittsylvania County Public Schools District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Gretna High:

SchoolDigger ranks Gretna High 197^th of 329 Virginia public high schools. (See Gretna High in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Male students:

African American students:

White students:

Pittsylvania County Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Pittsylvania County Public Schools 17^th of 130 Virginia school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Rating:

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Rank History for Gretna High

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Rank History for all students at Gretna High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	VA State Percentile
2005	36.36	242^nd	308	21.4%
2006	42.37	209^th	314	33.4%
2007	40.95	212^th	313	32.3%
2008	49.44	156^th	316	50.6%
2009	44.43	187^th	313	40.3%
2010	36.20	241^st	317	24.0%
2011	33.09	250^th	320	21.9%
2012	38.94	222^nd	321	30.8%
2013	37.15	224^th	321	30.2%
2014	39.80	211^th	322	34.5%
2015	30.95	261^st	322	18.9%
2016	37.22	234^th	321	27.1%
2017	35.31	243^rd	324	25.0%
2018	31.12	260^th	326	20.2%
2019	29.97	274^th	327	16.2%
2021	30.92	243^rd	327	25.7%
2022	32.17	252^nd	325	22.5%
2023	56.60	160^th	326	50.9%
2024	50.64	197^th	329	40.1%

See the entire list of Virginia High School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Gretna High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	VA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	58.81	135^th	320	57.8%

See the entire list of Best Virginia High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Gretna High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	VA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	53.81	172^nd	320	46.3%
2024	58.31	155^th	322	51.9%

See the entire list of Best Virginia High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Gretna High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	VA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	87.15	12^th	253	95.3%

See the entire list of Best Virginia High Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Gretna High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	VA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	57.42	152^nd	321	52.6%
2024	37.23	240^th	322	25.5%

See the entire list of Best Virginia High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Gretna High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	VA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	50.43	123^rd	240	48.8%
2024	48.26	144^th	249	42.2%

See the entire list of Best Virginia High Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for White students at Gretna High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	VA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	51.81	184^th	315	41.6%
2024	35.13	256^th	314	18.5%

See the entire list of Best Virginia High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Virginia Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Virginia Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 4)

100%

Reviews:

by a student
Monday, September 10, 2012

The teachers do care about the kids and try to teach students who have terrible parents and home lives. The parents blame the teachers for behaviors that should have been addressed at home (manners, respect). As a student, I hate that so many of my fellow students are just plain ghetto and they only go to school so they can score their drugs, hang out with their friends, and find their next hook up. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Gretna High

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	904	904
1990	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	875	875
1991	0	0	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	839	839
1992	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	843	843
1993	491	297	1	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	789
1994	466	310	1	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	778
1995	468	326	1	1	1	n/a	n/a	0	797
1996	468	326	1	1	1	n/a	n/a	0	797
1997	469	320	1	0	1	n/a	n/a	0	791
1998	456	302	0	0	1	n/a	n/a	0	759
1999	467	307	1	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	778
2000	506	293	2	1	0	n/a	n/a	-4	798
2001	465	259	2	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	728
2002	439	245	2	3	1	n/a	n/a	0	690
2003	439	245	2	3	1	n/a	n/a	0	690
2004	421	269	2	4	1	n/a	n/a	0	697
2005	418	280	2	6	1	n/a	n/a	0	707
2006	382	276	2	6	1	n/a	n/a	0	667
2007	412	279	6	5	2	n/a	n/a	0	704
2008	435	254	1	3	2	n/a	n/a	0	695
2009	426	233	1	0	4	n/a	n/a	0	664
2010	433	239	1	1	2	n/a	n/a	0	676
2011	407	222	0	4	1	0	5	0	639
2012	384	212	2	4	1	0	7	0	610
2013	386	204	2	8	2	0	9	0	611
2014	359	200	2	9	2	0	11	0	583
2015	369	186	0	8	1	0	12	0	576
2016	360	179	0	8	1	0	12	0	560
2017	371	174	0	11	1	0	20	0	577
2018	347	167	3	11	0	0	15	0	543
2019	382	164	3	12	0	0	12	0	573
2020	375	178	3	18	0	0	10	0	584
2021	373	162	2	20	0	0	7	0	564
2022	358	170	1	18	0	0	7	0	554
2023	326	175	1	20	0	0	13	0	535

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Gretna High

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	904	46.5	19.4	n/a
1990	875	47.9	18.2	n/a
1991	839	45.5	18.4	n/a
1992	843	46.3	18.2	n/a
1993	789	43.1	18.3	n/a
1994	778	62.8	n/a	23.7
1995	797	n/a	0.0	21.5
1996	797	n/a	0.0	21.5
1997	791	n/a	0.0	23.8
1998	759	n/a	0.0	21.6
1999	778	52.0	15.0	27.5
2000	798	n/a	0.0	25.4
2001	728	49.4	14.7	27.9
2002	690	63.0	11.0	30.7
2003	690	63.0	11.0	30.7
2004	697	54.0	12.9	33.6
2005	707	53.0	13.3	36.5
2006	667	57.0	11.7	48.4
2007	704	54.0	13.0	44.5
2008	695	45.9	15.1	44.3
2009	664	45.0	14.8	43.5
2010	676	46.5	14.5	46.3
2011	639	42.8	14.9	49.3
2012	610	44.4	13.7	51.5
2013	611	37.8	16.1	52.5
2014	583	41.5	14.0	55.9
2015	576	40.0	14.4	53.5
2016	560	41.0	13.6	56.1
2017	577	40.5	14.2	56
2018	543	37.6	14.4	56.7
2019	573	39.8	14.3	56.4
2020	584	38.8	15.0	60.4
2021	564	38.4	14.6	n/a
2022	554	44.4	12.4	63.7
2023	535	39.2	13.6	80

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Gretna High

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	904	46.5	19.4	n/a
1990	875	47.9	18.2	n/a
1991	839	45.5	18.4	n/a
1992	843	46.3	18.2	n/a
1993	789	43.1	18.3	n/a
1994	778	62.8	n/a	23.7
1995	797	n/a	0.0	21.5
1996	797	n/a	0.0	21.5
1997	791	n/a	0.0	23.8
1998	759	n/a	0.0	21.6
1999	778	52.0	15.0	27.5
2000	798	n/a	0.0	25.4
2001	728	49.4	14.7	27.9
2002	690	63.0	11.0	30.7
2003	690	63.0	11.0	30.7
2004	697	54.0	12.9	33.6
2005	707	53.0	13.3	36.5
2006	667	57.0	11.7	48.4
2007	704	54.0	13.0	44.5
2008	695	45.9	15.1	44.3
2009	664	45.0	14.8	43.5
2010	676	46.5	14.5	46.3
2011	639	42.8	14.9	49.3
2012	610	44.4	13.7	51.5
2013	611	37.8	16.1	52.5
2014	583	41.5	14.0	55.9
2015	576	40.0	14.4	53.5
2016	560	41.0	13.6	56.1
2017	577	40.5	14.2	56
2018	543	37.6	14.4	56.7
2019	573	39.8	14.3	56.4
2020	584	38.8	15.0	60.4
2021	564	38.4	14.6	n/a
2022	554	44.4	12.4	63.7
2023	535	39.2	13.6	80

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Gretna High

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$412 (5.1%)	$7,700 (94.9%)	$8,112
2020	$513 (6.6%)	$7,202 (93.4%)	$7,715
2021	$727 (9.2%)	$7,180 (90.8%)	$7,907

Data source: Virginia Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Gretna High

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 274^th of 327 High schools	Ranks 160^th of 326 High schools	34.7%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
End of Course Writing (Gretna High)	77	64	13%
End of Course Writing (Pittsylvania County Public Schools)	84	81	3%
End of Course Writing (Virginia)	81	74	7%
End of Course Geometry (Gretna High)	79	73	6%
End of Course Geometry (Pittsylvania County Public Schools)	88	87	1%
End of Course Geometry (Virginia)	83	80	3%
End of Course Algebra I (Gretna High)	69	85	16%
End of Course Algebra I (Pittsylvania County Public Schools)	86	89	3%
End of Course Algebra I (Virginia)	86	80	6%
End of Course Biology (Gretna High)	78	57	21%
End of Course Biology (Pittsylvania County Public Schools)	85	75	10%
End of Course Biology (Virginia)	83	70	13%
End of Course Earth Science (Gretna High)	74	68	6%
End of Course Earth Science (Pittsylvania County Public Schools)	83	76	7%
End of Course Earth Science (Virginia)	81	72	9%
End of Course English Reading (Gretna High)	77	78	1%
End of Course English Reading (Pittsylvania County Public Schools)	85	87	2%
End of Course English Reading (Virginia)	86	85	1%
End of Course VA and US History (Gretna High)	65	28	37%
End of Course VA and US History (Pittsylvania County Public Schools)	66	40	26%
End of Course VA and US History (Virginia)	68	38	30%
End of Course World History I (Gretna High)	78	59	19%
End of Course World History I (Pittsylvania County Public Schools)	83	73	10%
End of Course World History I (Virginia)	80	66	14%
End of Course World History II (Gretna High)	73	0	73%
End of Course World History II (Pittsylvania County Public Schools)	84	37	47%
End of Course World History II (Virginia)	81	48	33%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	573	535	6.6%
African American	164	175	6.7%
American Indian	0	0
Asian	3	1	66.7%
Hispanic	12	20	66.7%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	382	326	14.7%
Two or More Races	12	13	8.3%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	56.4%	80%	23.6%

Schools Near Gretna High

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				SOL Writing (2024)	SOL Geometry (2024)	SOL Algebra I (2024)			SOL Mathematics (2024)			SOL Biology (2024)			SOL Earth Science (2024)		SOL English Reading (2024)						SOL VA and US History (2024)	SOL World History I (2024)		SOL World History II (2024)	SOL Civics and Economics (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2021)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SOL Writing 11th Grade	SOL Geometry 9th Grade	SOL Algebra I 8th Grade	SOL Algebra I 9th Grade	SOL Algebra I 10th Grade	SOL Mathematics 6th Grade	SOL Mathematics 7th Grade	SOL Mathematics 8th Grade	SOL Biology 9th Grade	SOL Biology 10th Grade	SOL Biology 12th Grade	SOL Earth Science 8th Grade	SOL Earth Science 9th Grade	SOL English Reading 6th Grade	SOL English Reading 7th Grade	SOL English Reading 8th Grade	SOL English Reading 10th Grade	SOL English Reading 11th Grade	SOL English Reading 12th Grade	SOL VA and US History 11th Grade	SOL World History I 9th Grade	SOL World History I 10th Grade	SOL World History II 10th Grade	SOL Civics and Economics 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Gretna High	Public	9-12	100 Gretna Hawk Cir	Gretna	24557	Pittsylvania County	Pittsylvania County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(434) 630-1800	535	39	13.6	80.0%	326 (60.9%)	175 (32.7%)	20 (3.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.4%)	50.6	197^th of 329 public high schools	40.1%		56.6	160^th of 326 public high schools	50.9%	37	68.4	97.6		89.9	81.8					58.3			66.4				53.9	95.0		52.0	58.6	81.8			$7,907	$727	$7,180
Chatham High	Public	9-12	100 Cavalier Cir	Chatham	24531	Pittsylvania County	Pittsylvania County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(434) 432-8305	659	42	15.5	79.2%	416 (63.1%)	183 (27.8%)	41 (6.2%)	5 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.0%)	69	95^th of 329 public high schools	71.1%		63.9	127^th of 326 public high schools	61.0%	32	87.2	100.0		97.2						82.1	70.0		63.3					94.9	75.0	42.9	67.1	65.0			$7,755	$424	$7,331
Altavista High	Public	6-12	904 Bedford Avenue	Altavista	24517	Campbell County	Campbell County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(434) 369-4768	669	50	13.3	69.1%	402 (60.1%)	181 (27.1%)	29 (4.3%)	3 (0.4%)	5 (0.7%)	2 (0.3%)	47 (7.0%)	34.9	263^rd of 329 public high schools	20.1%		32.3	268^th of 326 public high schools	17.8%	5		89.3	97.4	72.9	72.7	77.0	69.1	66.7	62.7	36.4		71.3		81.1	74.1	70.1		85.9			66.7			76.7	$7,032	$268	$6,764
Dan River High	Public	9-12	100 Dan River Wildcat Cir	Ringgold	24586	Pittsylvania County	Pittsylvania County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(434) 822-7081	617	45	13.8	80.4%	383 (62.1%)	188 (30.5%)	22 (3.6%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	21 (3.4%)	64.9	116^th of 329 public high schools	64.7%		71.7	73^rd of 326 public high schools	77.6%	43	82.2	96.6		77.3	73.1					78.5			74.8				60.0	89.1			77.0		49.0		$7,759	$334	$7,425

Gretna High

Gretna High:

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Pittsylvania County Public Schools:

Average Rating:

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Rank History for Gretna High

Rank History for all students at Gretna High

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Gretna High

Rank History for Female students at Gretna High

Rank History for Disabled students at Gretna High

Rank History for Male students at Gretna High

Rank History for African American students at Gretna High

Rank History for White students at Gretna High

Review counts

Enrollment information for Gretna High

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Gretna High

Student/Teacher Ratio Gretna High

Per Pupil Expenditures for Gretna High

Impact of COVID-19 on Gretna High

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Gretna High

Gretna High

Chatham High

Altavista High

Dan River High

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