Mission & History

Our Mission

Tidewater Academy offers students an engaging curriculum, encourages good citizenship and service to others, and empowers students to be leaders in their community.

The purpose of Tidewater Academy is to graduate students to be highly competitive for post-graduation careers or college pursuits, substantiating a workforce to positively influence their communities.

Tidewater Academy was founded in 1964 by local business and community leaders in order to maintain a high school in Wakefield, Virginia.  In its second year, an elementary program was added, establishing a school consisting of grades one through twelve. In 1977, Tidewater and Surry Academies merged.  The former Surry site served as the Lower School campus while the current Wakefield site served as the Upper School campus.  Beginning in 2003, a major remodeling took place at the Wakefield campus which enabled us to update and combine both campuses. Today, our students enjoy attending a larger, more diverse campus that encompasses the Lower School (Grades Pre-K3 to 5th), the Middle School (Grades 6th-8th), and the Upper School (Grades 9th-12th).

Tidewater Academy is an independent, coeducational day school that admits students of any gender, race, color, national or ethnic origin.  It is fully accredited by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools (VAIS).  The faculty, staff, and Board of Directors subscribe to the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Principles of Good Practice.  Since its inception, our location along Route 460 has allowed us to serve and educated students from the following counties and cities:  Sussex, Surry, Southampton, Prince George, Dinwiddie, Colonial Heights, Chesterfield, Isle of Wight, Hopewell, Petersburg, Suffolk, and Charles City.  Throughout our more than 58-year history, Tidewater Academy has more than 90% of our graduates attend four-year colleges and universities; while others are prepared to pursue trade schools or successfully enter the workforce.

Our Values

Beginning in 2022, Tidewater Academy partnered with Innerwill Leadership Institute to develop a set a of organizational values that would ensure a robust, values-based culture that could be sustained through our school and community’s continued growth and change. The following values have been adopted for Tidewater Academy:

TRUST:  Inspiring Confidence

  • Make sound decisions

  • Keep your word

  • Deliver on commitments

  • Faithful to time-honored education and morals

KINDNESS:  Creating Belonging

  • Be considerate of one another

  • Treat each other with respect

  • Honor what makes us each unique

  • Have a giving spirit

CREATIVITY:  Embracing New Possibilities

  • Bring excitement to learning

  • Explore innovative practices

  • Spark Imagination