Northside Junior High School, designed by architects Rudolph Cooke and Van Leeuwen, opened in September of 1956 and served seventh, eighth, and ninth grade students.

Northside opened its doors with 122,675 square feet of useable space and was designed for 1,125 students. By the late 70s, Northside’s student population exceeded the building’s original design size, so 11 mobile classrooms were added. With these additions, the total square footage increased to 132,575 feet, at which it currently remains.

Both Blair Junior High School and Ruffner Junior High School opened in 1922. Thirty-four years later, Northside became the third junior high school opened in the City of Norfolk. Blair was affectionately referred to as the “Westside” school; Ruffner was nicknamed the “Eastside” school. “Northside” was formally named following this tradition due to its geographical location.

In 1985, the City of Norfolk restructured its schools and changed Northside Junior High School’s name to Northside Middle School. At that time, Northside began serving and continues to serve students in grades 6, 7, and 8.

In 2009, as a result of Norfolk Public Schools’ Superintendent Dr. Stephen Jones’s vision, a major interior remodel occurred. Northside’s electrical system was replaced; Cat 6 communication capabilities were installed in every classroom. In addition, walls were moved and rooms redesigned to facilitate three new, state-of-the-art computer labs.

With the never ending support from our communities Northside will continue to grow and evolve to provide all of its stakeholders with the 21st century skills that will be needed to achieve success in our global economy.
Northside Middle School has had many dedicated principals, teachers, and staff members. The principals who served the school over the years are as follows:

Northside Principals

S.R. Butler 1956-1966
Ray. F. Rollins 1966-1972
Claude H. Sawyer 1972-1983
James B. Slaughter 1983-1986
Frank Steadman 1986-1991
Robert Hahne 1991-1994
William Delk 1994-1995
Timothy Sweeney 1995-1998
Edward Daughtery 1998-2002
Andrea P. Tottossy 2002-2008
Richard C. Fraley Sr. 2008-2012
Dr. Mark Makovec 2012-2014
Richard C. Fraley Sr. 2015-2020

Letisha Lawrence 2020-Present