Covington High School (Covington, Virginia)

Covington High School
Front of Covington High School in 2016
Location
530 South Lexington Avenue Covington , Virginia 24426 United States
Coordinates	37°47′4.5″N79°59′29.4″W / 37.784583°N 79.991500°W / 37.784583; -79.991500
Information
School type	Public, high school
Closed	2023
School district	Covington City Public Schools
Superintendent	Melinda Snead-Johnson
Principal	Derek Cantrell
Grades	8-12
Enrollment	373 (2016-17) [1]
Language	English
Color(s)	Navy Blue and Vegas Gold
Athletics conference	Pioneer District Region C
Nickname	Cougars
Rival	Alleghany Bath County James River
Website	Official Site
Covington High School
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Virginia Landmarks Register
NRHP reference No.	08000417 [2]
VLR No.	107-5180
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	May 15, 2008
Designated VLR	March 20, 2008 [3]

Covington High School was a public secondary school in Covington, Virginia, United States. It was part of Covington City Public Schools and was located on 530 South Lexington Avenue. On July 1, 2023, the school was merged with neighboring Alleghany High School.

School information

Covington High School was the sole high school for Covington City in the Alleghany Highlands, and was one of the smallest high schools in Virginia at the time of the 2023 merger. Unlike most larger school districts whose high schools enroll 9th-12th graders, Covington held students from the 8th grade through 12th grade. The building has been repurposed as a new Covington Middle School that will serve all students of Alleghany County and Covington City.

Demographics

Covington High School in 2014-2015 was 79% White; 20% Black, and 5% Asian, 5% Hispanic.

Enrollment history

School Year	Number of Students
1995–1996	376 (294 in 9-12)
1996–1997	363 (305 in 9-12)
1997–1998	356 (282 in 9-12)
1998–1999	355 (273 in 9-12)
1999–2000	337 (269 in 9-12)
2000–2001	362 (276 in 9-12)
2001–2002	362 (295 in 9-12)
2002–2003	359 (272 in 9-12)
2003–2004	375 (292 in 9-12)
2004–2005	352 (284 in 9-12)
2005–2006	350 (277 in 9-12)

Test scores

Covington High School was a fully accredited high school based on the Standards of Learning tests in Virginia at the time of the merger.

Athletics

The mascot was a Cougar and the sports teams playedy in the A Pioneer District and Region C. The Cougars won two state titles in football, the 1942 Class B state championship and the 1984 Virginia High School League Group A state championship.

Before 1984, Covington was an AA school participating in the AA Blue Ridge District.

Notable alumni

• Bill Hepler (1945–2025), professional baseball player ^[4]
• Jim Lemon (1928–2006), professional baseball player ^[5]
• Linton Townes (born 1959), basketball player

References

1. "Covington High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
2. "Weekly list of actions taken on properties: 5/12/08 through 5/16/08" (PDF). National Park Service. May 23, 2012. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
3. "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
4. Hoornstra, Jon Paul (August 15, 2025). "Former Mets Pitcher Passes Away". Newsweek . Retrieved September 8, 2025.
5. https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/jim-lemon/