Frank W. Cox High School, founded in 1961, was named after our former superintendent of Virginia Beach City Public Schools who served from 1933 to 1968. The school was originally designed to be Northeast Junior High School and consisted of 1,600 eighth and ninth graders. On June 11, 1965, the first senior class graduated. The present Cox High school building opened in the fall of 1983. The original building now houses Great Neck Middle School.
Frank W. Cox High was the first fully accredited high school in the area and has met full accreditation standards since with pass rates exceeding 90% on several of the state's twelve end-of-course, subject-area tests. Cox students have better than an 80% pass rate annually on Advanced Placement tests. Two of three diplomas awarded are Advanced Diplomas which require a more rigorous program of studies.
The coveted Virginia High School League Wachovia Cup for outstanding academic and athletic achievement has been awarded to the school more than any other school in the state (twelve times). The school has won 56 state athletic titles over all. Blue ribbon awards were also conferred on our music program, student newspaper, and student yearbook.