Named for the Magna Vista plantation which occupied the land where it sits,[4] it is approximately three miles west of the town of Ridgeway, Virginia and ten miles (16 km) south of the city of Martinsville, Virginia.

Opened in 1988, the campus consists of a state-of-the-art greenhouse, livestock barn, and extensive athletic facilities.

The school is on a wooded 110-acre (0.45 km2) tract of land close to Chestnut Knob, the highest point in Henry County.

Magna Vista High School's student body is 57% White; 32% Black; and 7% Hispanic.

[7] The school serves a large, mostly rural geographic area which encompasses the communities of Axton, Chatmoss, Chestnut Knob, Horse Pasture, Irisburg, Laurel Park, Leatherwood, Preston, Rich Acres, Ridgeway, Sandy Level, Spencer, Mountain Valley, and the eastern, southern, and western suburbs of Martinsville.

The school has met federal standards for Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) as required by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

Magna Vista made history by becoming the first high school to win a state title during its first year of operation with its victory in the 1989 AA boys basketball championship.