James River High School is located in northwestern Chesterfield County,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. James River is a part of

Chesterfield County Public Schools Chesterfield County Public Schools is the public school system of Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States. As of 2020, there are about 63,000 students enrolled in 64 schools. There are 39 elementary schools (grades K-5), 12 middle schools (g ...

Academics

JRHS ranks among America's top 3000 schools, Virginia's top 70, Richmond Metro Area's top 10, and 3rd best performing high school in Chesterfield County Public Schools out of their 11 high schools. 43% of students participate in AP classes. The graduation rate is 94%.

Athletics

James River sponsors the following sports teams: croquet,

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

(men's and women's), crew (men's and women's), cross country (men's and women's), field hockey,

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

, golf, lacrosse (men's and women's), soccer (men's and women's),

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

, tennis (men's and women's), track and field (men's and women's), volleyball (men's and women's),

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

and

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

. The school also supports a crew team which competes in the Virginia Scholastic Championships. The athletic department is currently sponsored by Adidas. James River's rivals include Midlothian, and Cosby. The James River and Midlothian rivalry is a classic, especially in

, where the two schools in the annual "Coal Bowl". Only six miles apart, the schools are considered "cross town rivals". The men's volleyball program is among the most successful at the school and in the state. They have won five state championships, more than any other school in Virginia, and have won back to back state championships on two separate occasions. Their state championship seasons are 2010, 2011, 2015, 2016, and 2018. They were runner-up in 2014. Notable volleyball alumni include Darren Kilby, Sam Albus, and Mitchell Ford. All of whom were state and regional players of the year in 2010, 2011, and 2012 respectively. The James River baseball team won in 2007 and 2008 the Group AAA State Baseball Championship. In 2008 the Rapids were ranked 19th in the nation in High School Baseball. In 2011 the team had another run at the state championship but lost in the semi-finals. They are considered one of the top high schools in Virginia baseball. Consistently ranking top 200 in the Nation and top 10 in Virginia. In 2008 the men's golf team won its first championship in 2008 VHSL Group AAA State Championship. In 2013 the men's golf team would win the championship. They would go onto winning three consecutive championships in 2014 and 2015. The women's cross country team won the Group AAA State Championship in 2002. In 2011 the men's basketball team won the AAA championship to

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World Wide of Sports Regional High school Invitational Basketball Tournament in Orlando Florida. It was featured on ESPN 3 and featured some of the top AAA high school teams in America. In 2002, the women's field hockey team won the State Championship in overtime against Lake Braddock 3-2. In 2016, the men's lacrosse team made it to State Championship but lost. They were ranked #10 overall in Virginia. The Women's volleyball team had its best season in 2012, when Kari Heavenrich has several spectacular performances. The school also has men's and women's lacrosse teams, which were the first public high school lacrosse teams in the Central Region.

Notable alumni

Nathan Kirby Nathan Winston Kirby (born November 23, 1993) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He was drafted 40th overall by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2015 MLB draft, but would never play in Major League Baseball (MLB). Amateur career Ki ...

– professional baseball player *

Alex McMurtry Alexandra Claire McMurtry (born December 8, 1996) is an American former artistic gymnast. She is the 2013 Nastia Liukin Cup champion and the 2017 NCAA Champion. She competed in NCAA gymnastics for the Florida Gators and was the 10th person ...

- college Gymnast * Nick Taitague - former professional soccer player * Shannon Taylor - Olympic Field Hockey Player * Kellie Wells – Olympic hurdler * Nick Mira - Multi-platinum producer and songwriter * Vinnie Pasquantino – professional baseball player

Specialty Center

James River High School is home to the specialty center for Leadership and International Relations. The program was founded in 2002.

Enrollment in Leadership and International relations

The James River High School Center for Leadership and International Relations has up to 350 applicants per a year, and only about 50 are accepted.

References

External links

James River High School website

Chesterfield County Public Schools website
{{authority control Public high schools in Virginia Schools in Chesterfield County, Virginia