| School | Grades | GreatSchools rating |
|---|---|---|
| First Colonial High School | 9-12 | 6/10 |
Ratings from GreatSchools.org, checked Sept 2026. Ratings change, and school zones vary by address — always confirm the assigned schools with Chesapeake Public Schools.
High School: First Colonial
Homes in the Hilltop area are generally zoned to First Colonial High School, located nearby on Mill Dam Road. First Colonial serves grades 9 through 12, carries a GreatSchools rating of 6 out of 10 [1](https://www.greatschools.org/virginia/virginia-beach/1758-First-Colonial-High-School/), and is home to the district's Legal Studies Academy, one of several specialty academy programs offered across Virginia Beach City Public Schools.
First Colonial's attendance zone covers a wide swath of the oceanfront-adjacent part of the city, including neighborhoods like Alanton, Kings Grant, Shadowlawn and Bay Colony, all near Hilltop.
Elementary and Middle Schools
Elementary and middle school zoning in this part of Virginia Beach can vary block by block depending on which side of Laskin Road or First Colonial Road a home sits on, since attendance boundaries don't always follow the informal neighborhood name. Alanton Elementary sits less than a mile from the Hilltop retail hub and serves part of the surrounding area; it carries a GreatSchools rating of 9 out of 10 [2](https://www.greatschools.org/virginia/virginia-beach/1747-Alanton-Elementary-School/), but I don't want to guess at whether it's your specific address's zoned school.
Because boundaries can shift and vary so precisely by street, I always recommend verifying zoning directly.
Confirm Your Exact Zoning
School assignments are based on your specific home address, not the neighborhood name, so before you buy or sell here, use the [Virginia Beach City Public Schools locator tool](https://www.vbschools.com/families/registration/schoollocator) to confirm exactly which elementary, middle and high school serve a given property.
For more on buying or selling in this part of Virginia Beach, see my buying guide and selling guide for the Hilltop area.
