Chesapeake Bay Academy

Who We Serve

Every student at Chesapeake Bay Academy has unique talents and needs. We serve students with a variety of learning differences (i.e. dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia), ADHD, auditory processing deficits, fine motor dysfunction, developmental delays and high-functioning autism. Beyond all of these labels, CBA students are capable young people who can find success in the classroom when they receive instruction in the way that they learn best.

CBA specializes in serving twice exceptional (2e) students. These are young people with cognitive ability falling in the gifted range, while at the same time having a secondary condition (ADHD, motor delays, etc.) that prevents them from reaching their exceptional intellectual potential. Click here to learn more.

CBA is licensed by the Virginia Department of Education to operate as a private day school for students with a Specific Learning Disability (SLD), Developmental Delays (DD), Speech and Language Impairments (SLI), Autism (AUT) and Other Health Impairments (OHI). Chesapeake Bay Academy does not have a therapeutic component and cannot accept students with behavior disorders. The application process is very thorough to ensure that our students are well served by the curriculum and services available here.
About CBA

For 26 years, Chesapeake Bay Academy (CBA) has been transforming the lives of Hampton Roads children and their families. At CBA we embrace each child’s unique learning style, creating new, specialized pathways to academic and social success. By relieving the stress and frustration that often accompany academic struggle, CBA helps students develop into confident and enthusiastic learners. Our students flourish in a safe, supportive environment that encourages their intellectual, social, creative, physical and ethical growth.

Chesapeake Bay Academy is an invaluable resource to the Hampton Roads community, filling a critical need and providing essential services to intelligent children who struggle to learn in traditional school settings. CBA’s 6:1 student-to-teacher ratio, multisensory instruction and project-based curriculum offer our students the opportunity to develop a true love of learning. Small classrooms, Individualized Instruction Plans and caring, highly-trained teachers lay the foundation for programs designed to ensure the academic achievement of each student. CBA empowers students with tools for success in school and beyond. Graduates leave CBA with the skills, strategies and confidence necessary to realize their full potential.
Our History

In October of 1989, Chesapeake Bay Academy was founded by a group of parents who were committed to creating a learning environment where their children would be known, appreciated, and most of all, understood. At our original location in Norfolk, Virginia, we passionately pursued the philosophy that relationships among children, parents, faculty, and staff are at the heart of teaching and learning.

CBA moved in 1993 from our original location to classroom space in the Heritage United Methodist Church on Baker Road. We went on to receive accreditation by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools (VAIS), and finally settled in our 50,000 sq. ft., state-of-the-art home in Virginia Beach in 2000. We currently educate one of the most diverse student populations in Southeast Virginia, have served thousands of families, and graduated fifteen classes from the 12th grade. In 2010, we launched the Dominion Education Center to provide supplemental services to families throughout Hampton Roads.

While we will continue to grow, we maintain our commitment to that philosophy that inspired our founders. Each year we celebrate as our capable, creative students grow and maximize their potential under the guidance of families, faculty, and staff.