Roanoke County Public Schools established Hidden Valley High School in August 2002, opening its doors for the 2002–03 school year. Its establishment had come in response to overcrowding at
Cave Spring High School, an issue that had been prevalent since the 1960s due to increased enrollment. Enrollment at
Cave Spring High School was limited to grades 10–12 in contrast to the contemporary educational preference to house grades 6–8 in
middle school and grades 9–12 in
high school. In 1997 the
Roanoke Times reported the formation of a 22 member community committee which concluded the need for the allocation of 100 million dollars to the construction of a new school to serve the area. There was significant debate about whether to split
Cave Spring High School's student population into two schools or keep it intact in a renovated or newly constructed building because of the school's well-regarded reputation in academics. A failed bond referendum reported by the
Roanoke Times proposed the expansion of
Cave Spring High School to a 2,000 student capacity. It was decided by the committee to construct a new 1,100 capacity school somewhere in
Southwest County. The construction of the school cost a total of 22.2 million dollars and had an initial student population of 900. The building covers a total of 201,000 sq ft across two floors. The name "Hidden Valley" was selected to correspond to Hidden Valley Middle School. The high school is not in the Hidden Valley section of Roanoke County and is a little over from the middle school. Woods End, the designation for the tract of land, was also considered for its name. The incoming student population selected the nickname "Titans" in response to the film
Remember the Titans which dramatized the 1971 state-championship football team from
T. C. Williams High School of
Alexandria, Virginia that was released two years earlier. ==Academics==