Yorktown High School is one of three public high schools located in Arlington, Virginia. There are 111 teachers and 1748 students as of 2009, 981 of whom are enrolled in AP courses. It is a fully accredited high school based on Virginia's SOL examinations, and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The school is ranked among the top 75 schools in the nation according to Newsweek. ; however Washington-Lee High School remains ahead of Yorktown according to Newsweek.
Yorktown has a strong taste for student participation in artistic activities. Instrumental, choral, theatrical, and visual arts are prominent in the school's atmosphere.
Yorktown's athletes participate in the Virginia High School League and are named the Patriots. The teams wear the colors Carolina blue and white.