John Handley High School is an endowed public high school located in the city of Winchester, Virginia. It was founded by a grant from Judge John Handley, hence the school mascot, the Judges. Construction on Handley High School started in 1922, and continues to the present day. Recently, the school completed the final phase of its multimillion-dollar renovation with the addition of an 8-lane track and a turf football field. The school is planning renovations to its tennis courts in the upcoming years, due in part to the girls' three-peat state champions. In 1998, Handley was placed on the list of the National Register of Historic Places.
Handley supports a winning athletics department. The Boys' Outdoor Track Team has a tradition of excellent runners, winning a VHSL-record seven titles from 1935-41. Since 1948, John Handley High School has won a VHSL-record eight boys' titles, its last Group AA championship coming in 1993. The 1999 Baseball team won the program's 1st and only state title with a 25-1 record. The baseball program had a two-year record of 46-4 during 1999 and 2000 seasons. The Girls' Tennis Team is now a three-peat state championship team, placing first in VA AA state in 2007, 2008, and now 2009. In 2009, the Boys' Basketball team finished as Regional II Champions. The 2009-2010 football team beat Kettle Run 31-0 in their homecoming game in October 2009. The school boasts two State Football Championships in 1984 and 1994 and one additional State Championship appearance in 1999. The 2009-2010 Handley football team went 12-1 for their whole season ending at the state semifinal in 2009, losing to Bruton High School 10-7 after two missed field goal attempts. The 2010 Boys' Varsity Soccer finished undefeated in the Northwestern District, and place first in the District championship, but loss in the first round of Regional play to Potomac Falls by the score of 2-1.
In April 2018, BuzzFeed wrote an article that mentioned JHHS as well as the Winchester Public School System. the article detailed the inaction that has taken place at Handley in reference to protecting students who are victims of sexual assault.
In June 2018, the Washington Post wrote an article detailing how one student was abducted and sexually assaulted. Despite a judge finding her assailant guilty in court and issuing a no contact resolution, the school still requires them to attend school together.
