Magna Vista High School is a comprehensive public high school in Henry County, Virginia. Named for the Magna Vista plantation which previously occupied the land on which it is situated, it is located approximately three miles west of the town of Ridgeway, Virginia and ten miles (16 km) south of the city of Martinsville, Virginia. Magna Vista currently enrolls approximately 500 students in grades 9-12. It is one of two comprehensive high schools operated by Henry County Public Schools.Opened in 1988, the campus consists of a state-of-the-art greenhouse, livestock barn, and extensive athletic facilities. The school is situated on a wooded 110acre tract of land in close proximity to Chestnut Knob, the highest point in Henry County.HistoryMagna Vista High School replaced the former Drewry Mason High School and George Washington Carver High School, both of which became middle schools. Declining enrollment in the 1990s left each of the four Henry County high schools operating at less than 50% capacity, and long-term deferred maintenance left many schools in a state of disrepair. In 2004, the county implemented a reorganization plan that closed five schools and consolidated four high schools and four middle schools to create two high schools and two middle schools.Laurel Park High School and Magna Vista High School were consolidated at the Magna Vista site. The school name and mascot remained the same but red, one of the Laurel Park school colors, was added to the Magna Vista navy blue, silver, and white. Following its closure as a high school, Laurel Park became a middle school serving students in the Magna Vista attendance zone.
