Is Westhills Elementary School a good school?

Westhills Elementary School ranks in the bottom 8.9% of Alabama elementary schools.

How many students attend Westhills Elementary School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 315 students attended Westhills Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Westhills Elementary School?

Students at Westhills Elementary School are 88% African American, 8% Hispanic, 3% White, 1% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Westhills Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Westhills Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Bessemer City Middle School High : Bessemer City High School

Westhills Elementary School

Summary:

Westhills Elementary School is a public elementary school in Bessemer, Alabama, serving 315 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Bessemer City School District, which is ranked 129 out of 137 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Westhills Elementary School faces significant challenges in supporting student learning and achievement. The school consistently ranks in the bottom quartile of Alabama elementary schools, with only 2.08% of 3rd-grade students proficient or better in mathematics, compared to the Bessemer City average of 12.35% and the state average of 42.16%. The school has a high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with 74.92% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, and a relatively high student-teacher ratio of 22.5. Nearby schools in the Bessemer City district, such as Greenwood Elementary, Abrams Elementary, and Charles F. Hard Elementary, also struggle academically, but Westhills Elementary consistently ranks lower than these schools.

The high percentage of African American students at Westhills Elementary School (87.62%) is notable, as this population is also underperforming compared to the state and district averages on academic assessments. The school's ranking for African American students is 339 out of 420 Alabama elementary schools, suggesting that the school faces significant challenges in addressing the needs of this student subgroup. Despite the school's higher per-student spending of $14,067 in the 2018-2019 school year compared to nearby schools, the complex needs of its student population likely require additional targeted resources and support to improve student learning and achievement.

Detail:

Public K-5

710 Glenn Rd
Bessemer, AL 35022

(205) 432-3500

District: Bessemer City

SchoolDigger Rank:
623^rd of 684 Alabama Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $14,067

Students who attend Westhills Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Bessemer City Middle School
High:	Bessemer City High School

Student/teacher ratio: 22.5

Number of students: 315

Racial breakdown:

African American:

87.6%

Hispanic:

7.9%

White:

3.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 74.9%

See top rated Alabama elementary schools

Compare Westhills Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Westhills Elementary School ranks worse than 91.1% of elementary schools in Alabama. It also ranks 2^nd among 5 ranked elementary schools in the Bessemer City School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 11.42. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: African American (87.6%), Hispanic (7.9%), White (3.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 74.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the lowest percentage in the Bessemer City School District. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Westhills Elementary School is 22.5, which is the highest among 5 elementary schools in the Bessemer City School District! (See more...)

Compare Westhills Elementary School employs 14 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Westhills Elementary School is $14,067, which is the highest among 5 elementary schools in the Bessemer City School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Westhills Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Westhills Elementary School 623^rd of 684 Alabama public elementary schools. (See Westhills Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

African American students:

Bessemer City:

SchoolDigger ranks Bessemer City 129^th of 137 Alabama school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Westhills Elementary School

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Rank History for all students at Westhills Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	AL State Percentile
2004	45.74	365^th	623	41.4%
2005	57.09	298^th	688	56.7%
2006	57.66	295^th	689	57.2%
2007	42.75	455^th	698	34.8%
2008	65.71	226^th	698	67.6%
2009	62.22	264^th	696	62.1%
2010	49.32	426^th	704	39.5%
2011	62.98	285^th	709	59.8%
2012	75.08	130^th	696	81.3%
2013	53.05	401^st	696	42.4%
2014	17.55	602^nd	695	13.4%
2015	24.79	539^th	691	22.0%
2016	21.18	556^th	691	19.5%
2017	24.63	533^rd	688	22.5%
2018	26.29	507^th	680	25.4%
2019	36.89	453^rd	681	33.5%
2021	19.19	560^th	692	19.1%
2022	11.42	628^th	687	8.6%
2023	11.21	622^nd	680	8.5%
2024	11.42	623^rd	684	8.9%

See the entire list of Alabama Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Westhills Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	AL State Percentile
2017	38.70	380^th	567	33.0%
2018	29.50	495^th	651	24.0%
2019	38.22	423^rd	649	34.8%
2021	30.29	463^rd	653	29.1%
2022	15.13	581^st	651	10.8%
2023	13.80	574^th	623	7.9%
2024	13.55	618^th	670	7.8%

See the entire list of Best Alabama Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Westhills Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	AL State Percentile
2017	14.37	575^th	639	10.0%
2018	26.96	501^st	640	21.7%
2019	47.34	363^rd	646	43.8%
2021	17.98	550^th	656	16.2%
2022	14.12	583^rd	656	11.1%
2023	11.71	592^nd	645	8.2%
2024	11.40	611^th	650	6.0%

See the entire list of Best Alabama Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Westhills Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	AL State Percentile
2017	38.36	415^th	639	35.1%
2018	31.50	458^th	650	29.5%
2019	37.47	425^th	650	34.6%
2021	23.96	496^th	669	25.9%
2022	11.88	614^th	669	8.2%
2023	12.84	575^th	649	11.4%
2024	14.77	567^th	655	13.4%

See the entire list of Best Alabama Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Westhills Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	AL State Percentile
2018	53.87	175^th	423	58.6%
2019	68.59	96^th	426	77.5%
2021	39.90	235^th	426	44.8%
2022	20.83	380^th	426	10.8%
2023	22.13	367^th	427	14.1%
2024	26.76	339^th	420	19.3%

See the entire list of Best Alabama Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Data source: test scores: Alabama State Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Alabama State Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Westhills Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	0	0	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	277	277
1989	199	242	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	441
1990	207	286	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	493
1991	183	262	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	445
1992	150	272	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	422
1993	121	282	1	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	405
1994	121	292	2	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	415
1995	85	315	0	1	1	n/a	n/a	0	402
1996	85	315	0	1	1	n/a	n/a	0	402
1997	61	309	1	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	373
1998	45	366	1	2	1	n/a	n/a	0	415
1999	31	418	2	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	454
2000	26	380	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	406
2001	14	468	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	482
2002	8	275	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	283
2003	8	275	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	283
2004	4	283	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	287
2005	3	354	0	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	358
2006	4	392	1	3	0	n/a	n/a	2	402
2007	6	381	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	4	395
2008	9	402	0	11	0	n/a	n/a	0	422
2009	7	398	3	6	0	n/a	n/a	0	414
2010	10	398	0	7	0	n/a	n/a	3	418
2011	9	393	0	3	0	0	0	0	405
2012	6	359	0	4	0	0	0	0	369
2013	8	382	0	8	0	0	0	0	398
2014	8	343	0	8	0	0	0	0	359
2015	5	336	0	9	0	0	2	0	352
2016	3	316	0	12	0	0	0	0	331
2017	2	320	0	12	0	0	0	0	334
2018	3	339	0	11	0	0	0	0	353
2019	6	289	0	9	0	0	5	0	309
2020	0	302	0	17	0	0	6	0	325
2021	4	280	0	16	0	0	6	0	306
2022	5	264	0	20	0	0	9	0	298
2023	10	276	0	25	0	0	4	0	315

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Westhills Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	277	15.0	18.4	0
1989	441	23.0	19.1	n/a
1990	493	27.0	18.2	0
1991	445	27.0	16.4	n/a
1992	422	25.0	16.8	n/a
1993	405	25.0	16.2	n/a
1994	415	24.7	16.8	n/a
1995	402	23.7	17.0	n/a
1996	402	23.7	17.0	n/a
1997	373	24.7	15.1	59.8
1998	415	24.5	16.9	59.3
1999	454	28.0	16.2	73.1
2000	406	29.0	14.0	71.9
2001	482	29.0	16.6	69.3
2002	283	22.2	12.7	69.6
2003	283	22.2	12.7	69.6
2004	287	19.1	15.0	68.6
2005	358	28.0	12.8	80.4
2006	402	24.0	16.7	63.5
2007	395	24.7	16.0	73.4
2008	422	25.3	16.7	66.8
2009	414	27.0	15.2	80.2
2010	418	26.0	16.0	80.7
2011	405	30.2	13.3	82
2012	369	26.8	13.7	81.3
2013	398	27.5	14.4	86.2
2014	359	23.5	15.2	79.1
2015	352	22.0	16.0	63.9
2016	331	21.0	15.7	64.4
2017	334	18.0	18.5	64.4
2018	353	19.0	18.5	78.8
2019	309	20.0	15.4	79
2020	325	18.0	18.0	78.8
2021	306	17.0	18.0	78.8
2022	298	n/a	n/a	78.5
2023	315	14.0	22.5	74.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Westhills Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	277	15.0	18.4	0
1989	441	23.0	19.1	n/a
1990	493	27.0	18.2	0
1991	445	27.0	16.4	n/a
1992	422	25.0	16.8	n/a
1993	405	25.0	16.2	n/a
1994	415	24.7	16.8	n/a
1995	402	23.7	17.0	n/a
1996	402	23.7	17.0	n/a
1997	373	24.7	15.1	59.8
1998	415	24.5	16.9	59.3
1999	454	28.0	16.2	73.1
2000	406	29.0	14.0	71.9
2001	482	29.0	16.6	69.3
2002	283	22.2	12.7	69.6
2003	283	22.2	12.7	69.6
2004	287	19.1	15.0	68.6
2005	358	28.0	12.8	80.4
2006	402	24.0	16.7	63.5
2007	395	24.7	16.0	73.4
2008	422	25.3	16.7	66.8
2009	414	27.0	15.2	80.2
2010	418	26.0	16.0	80.7
2011	405	30.2	13.3	82
2012	369	26.8	13.7	81.3
2013	398	27.5	14.4	86.2
2014	359	23.5	15.2	79.1
2015	352	22.0	16.0	63.9
2016	331	21.0	15.7	64.4
2017	334	18.0	18.5	64.4
2018	353	19.0	18.5	78.8
2019	309	20.0	15.4	79
2020	325	18.0	18.0	78.8
2021	306	17.0	18.0	78.8
2022	298	n/a	n/a	78.5
2023	315	14.0	22.5	74.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Westhills Elementary School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$2,370 (16.8%)	$11,681 (83.0%)	$14,067

Data source: Alabama Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Westhills Elementary School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 453^rd of 681 Elementary schools	Ranks 622^nd of 680 Elementary schools	25%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade Mathematics (Westhills Elementary School)	45.5	12	33.5%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Bessemer City)	25.6	16.3	9.3%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Alabama)	57.5	43.6	13.9%
4th Grade Mathematics (Westhills Elementary School)	37.7	19.6	18.1%
4th Grade Mathematics (Bessemer City)	27.1	8.9	18.2%
4th Grade Mathematics (Alabama)	47.3	34.9	12.4%
5th Grade Mathematics (Westhills Elementary School)	42.6	4.3	38.3%
5th Grade Mathematics (Bessemer City)	23.5	6.4	17.2%
5th Grade Mathematics (Alabama)	44.9	33.9	10.9%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	309	315	1.9%
African American	289	276	4.5%
American Indian	0	0
Asian	0	0
Hispanic	9	25	177.8%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	6	10	66.7%
Two or More Races	5	4	20%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	79%	74.9%	4%

Schools Near Westhills Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				Summative Assessment Mathematics (2024)						Summative Assessment Science (2024)		Summative Assessment English (2024)						Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Summative Assessment Mathematics 3rd Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 4th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 4th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 8th Grade	Summative Assessment English 3rd Grade	Summative Assessment English 4th Grade	Summative Assessment English 5th Grade	Summative Assessment English 6th Grade	Summative Assessment English 7th Grade	Summative Assessment English 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Westhills Elementary School	Public	K-5	710 Glenn Rd	Bessemer	35022	Jefferson County	Bessemer City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 432-3500	315	14	22.5	74.9%	10 (3.2%)	276 (87.6%)	25 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.3%)	11.4	623^rd of 684 public elementary schools	8.9%		11.2	622^nd of 680 public elementary schools	8.5%	1	2.1	14.6	7.4				12.2		33.3	24.5	50.0				$14,067	$2,370	$11,681
Jonesboro Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	125 Owen Ave	Bessemer	35020	Jefferson County	Bessemer City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 432-3400	525	30	17.5	78.5%	12 (2.3%)	379 (72.2%)	121 (23.0%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.7%)	10.8	633^rd of 684 public elementary schools	7.5%		11.5	616^th of 680 public elementary schools	9.4%	17	16.2	10.8	3.8				24.1		34.4	33.3	20.8				$10,734	$2,973	$7,745
Abrams Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1200 23rd Street North	Bessemer	35020	Jefferson County	Bessemer City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 432-3100	254	12	21.1	77.6%	1 (0.4%)	210 (82.7%)	38 (15.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.0%)	17.8	565^th of 684 public elementary schools	17.4%		15.7	572^nd of 680 public elementary schools	15.9%	7	26.5	11.5	12.1				23.1		38.7	33.3	48.4				$13,401	$3,480	$9,906
Empower Community School	Public, Charter	K-7	751A Academy Drive	Bessemer	35020	Jefferson County	Empower Community School	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(205) 413-8600	139			64.0%	3 (2.2%)	119 (85.6%)	17 (12.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12.6	606^th of 684 public elementary schools	11.4%					(n/a)	6.7			0.0	0.0	0.0		10.0	53.3			17.8	22.7	40.0
Charles F Hard Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2801 Arlington Ave	Bessemer	35020	Jefferson County	Bessemer City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 432-3300	342	20	17.1	85.7%	2 (0.6%)	310 (90.6%)	15 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.4%)	5.8	674^th of 684 public elementary schools	1.5%		10	631^st of 680 public elementary schools	7.2%	43	4.2	0.0	12.5				9.4		25.0	18.9	27.5				$11,340	$1,980	$9,345
Greenwood Elementary School	Public	K-5	5012 Roselyn Road Southeast	Bessemer	35022	Jefferson County	Bessemer City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 432-3201	286	16	17.8	76.6%	15 (5.2%)	143 (50.0%)	117 (40.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.5%)	9	657^th of 684 public elementary schools	3.9%		7.8	657^th of 680 public elementary schools	3.4%		15.1	2.0	12.1				19.2		30.6	17.0	34.0				$10,779	$1,968	$8,795
Hueytown Intermediate School	Public	3-5	1950 Intermediate School Road	Hueytown	35023	Jefferson County	Jefferson County	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 379-4100	481	28	17.4	62.8%	134 (27.9%)	286 (59.5%)	59 (12.3%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21.7	536^th of 684 public elementary schools	21.6%		25.6	506^th of 680 public elementary schools	25.6%	30	22.8	25.3	16.6				21.7		52.4	29.5	43.8				$8,544	$1,354	$7,171
Brighton School	Public	PK, KG-8	3400 Brown Cir	Brighton	35020	Jefferson County	Jefferson County	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 379-2650	365	19	19.7	88.8%	11 (3.0%)	198 (54.2%)	148 (40.5%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.6%)	17.8	566^th of 684 public elementary schools	17.3%		19.2	545^th of 680 public elementary schools	19.9%	21	27.7	17.0	27.1	13.0			11.8		38.6	26.5	41.9	29.4			$10,820	$2,114	$8,677
Lipscomb Elementary School	Public	K-5	5605 10th St S	Lipscomb	35020	Jefferson County	Jefferson County	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 379-4550	259	14	19.1	95.8%	17 (6.6%)	104 (40.2%)	132 (51.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.5%)	58.2	283^rd of 684 public elementary schools	58.6%		38.7	427^th of 680 public elementary schools	37.2%	144	50.0	54.3	20.4				45.7		65.0	65.7	54.6				$12,868	$2,844	$9,983
Hueytown Primary School	Public	PK, KG-2	1921 Primary School Drive	Hueytown	35023	Jefferson County	Jefferson County	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 379-4950	653	35	18.8	64.5%	186 (28.5%)	362 (55.4%)	80 (12.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (3.7%)								(n/a)															$10,289	$2,195	$8,064

Westhills Elementary School

Westhills Elementary School:

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Bessemer City:

What do you think?

Rank History for Westhills Elementary School

Rank History for all students at Westhills Elementary School

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Westhills Elementary School

Rank History for Female students at Westhills Elementary School

Rank History for Male students at Westhills Elementary School

Rank History for African American students at Westhills Elementary School

Enrollment information for Westhills Elementary School

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Westhills Elementary School

Student/Teacher Ratio Westhills Elementary School

Per Pupil Expenditures for Westhills Elementary School

Impact of COVID-19 on Westhills Elementary School

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Westhills Elementary School