At every step of the lifetime learning experience, there are institutions of excellence in Newport News to serve your educational needs and those of your family and your employees. The Newport News Public School System is one of the best city school systems in Virginia, offering a variety of educational experiences and magnet programs in recognition that individual students possess different learning styles and have different career focuses. The Newport News public schools have won numerous awards, including twelve U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon School awards since 1982—more than any other school system in Virginia. Among a long list of other awards, Newport News' Warwick High School was recently listed by Newsweek magazine as one of America's top 100 high schools (no. 61 to be exact). In November 2005, a Warwick graduate was named among 32 recipients of the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship.

In addition to the City’s public school system, there are several private schools located throughout the Virginia Peninsula. Dozens of pre-schools and kindergartens provide children with a head start in the educational and socialization process. In Newport News there are thirteen private elementary schools, including denominational and secular schools. Newport News is also served by three private high schools, including the prestigious Hampton Roads Academy.

Newport News is richly endowed with institutions of higher education. Within the metropolitan area, there are seven liberal arts colleges and universities, ten branch campuses and two community colleges. Four of the universities are doctoral-level institutions and two more universities grant masters degrees. Also, six of the ten branch facilities grant masters degrees and one offers doctoral-level programs. Additionally, the region has two law schools, an oceanographic institute and a medical college that hosts the internationally acclaimed Jones Institute, known for its work in in-vitro fertilization.

Continuing education and training for new labor force entrants and skills upgrade or retraining is available at more than a dozen business, professional and technical schools located in Newport News or on the Virginia Peninsula. These include schools offering computer training and medical careers training, as well as other professions.