Is Westerly High School a good school?

Westerly High School ranks 21 st of 60 Rhode Island high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Westerly High School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 699 students attended Westerly High School.

What is the racial makeup of Westerly High School?

Students at Westerly High School are 81% White, 8% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 2% Asian, 1% African American, 1% American Indian.

What schools feed into Westerly High School?

Westerly High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Dunn's Corners School Elementary : Springbrook Elementary School Elementary : State Street School Middle : Westerly Middle School

Westerly High School

Summary:

Westerly High School is a public high school in Westerly, Rhode Island, serving 699 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Westerly School District, which is ranked 22 out of 59 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Westerly High School stands out for its relatively diverse student population, with 80.54% White, 8.44% Hispanic, 2% Asian, and 6.15% two or more races. This diversity is higher than nearby schools like Exeter-West Greenwich Regional and Narragansett High School, which have student populations over 90% White. Westerly High School's test scores are generally on par with or slightly above the state averages, and it has a low student-teacher ratio of 9.6, lower than nearby schools like Chariho High School (13.5). However, the school's per-student spending of $24,195 is higher than nearby schools like The Greene School ($12,126).

While Westerly High School was once ranked as high as 13th out of 59 Rhode Island high schools, its ranking has since declined to 21st out of 60 schools, suggesting its performance may be declining relative to other high schools in the state. The school's performance also varies across different student subgroups, with higher rankings for female students and Hispanic students compared to male students and White students. Additionally, the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch has increased from 25.48% to 31.19%, indicating a growing population of economically disadvantaged students. Compared to nearby high-performing public schools like South Kingstown High, Westerly High School lags behind in terms of test scores and statewide rankings.

Detail:

Public 9-12

23 Ward Avenue
Westerly, RI 02891

(401) 315-1501

District: Westerly

SchoolDigger Rank:
21^st of 60 Rhode Island High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $24,195

Feeder schools for Westerly High School:

Elementary:	Dunn's Corners School
	Springbrook Elementary School
	State Street School
Middle:	Westerly Middle School

Student/teacher ratio: 9.6

Number of students: 699

Racial breakdown:

White:

80.5%

Hispanic:

8.4%

Two or more races:

6.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 31.2%

See top rated Rhode Island high schools

Compare Westerly High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Westerly High School ranks better than 65% of high schools in Rhode Island. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2023 the calculated Average Standard Score was 61.42. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (80.5%), Hispanic (8.4%), two or more races (6.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 31.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Westerly High School is 9.6. (See more...)

Compare Westerly High School employs 72.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Westerly High School is $24,195.

Schooldigger 2023 Rankings:

Westerly High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Westerly High School 21^st of 60 Rhode Island public high schools. (See Westerly High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Westerly:

SchoolDigger ranks Westerly 22^nd of 59 Rhode Island school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Your rating for Westerly High School?

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Rank History for Westerly High School

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Rank History for all students at Westerly High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	RI State Percentile
2009	66.46	19^th	49	61.2%
2010	69.85	16^th	50	68.0%
2011	69.35	16^th	45	64.4%
2012	79.26	13^th	45	71.1%
2013	62.61	18^th	45	60.0%
2014	68.81	17^th	47	63.8%
2015	48.41	26^th	56	53.6%
2016	41.98	32^nd	57	43.9%
2017	52.62	27^th	56	51.8%
2018	71.36	16^th	57	71.9%
2019	76.93	13^th	59	78.0%
2021	67.16	19^th	59	67.8%
2022	65.75	20^th	59	66.1%
2023	61.42	21^st	60	65.0%

See the entire list of Rhode Island High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Westerly High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	RI State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	43.85	9^th	20	55.0%
2023	40.23	16^th	21	23.8%

See the entire list of Best Rhode Island High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Westerly High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	RI State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	29.79	23^rd	29	20.7%
2023	74.29	5^th	30	83.3%

See the entire list of Best Rhode Island High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Westerly High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	RI State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	64.46	14^th	54	74.1%
2023	51.83	21^st	58	63.8%

See the entire list of Best Rhode Island High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Westerly High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	RI State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	58.03	24^th	58	58.6%
2023	64.76	20^th	59	66.1%

See the entire list of Best Rhode Island High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Westerly High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	RI State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	70.96	15^th	54	72.2%
2023	52.95	24^th	56	57.1%

See the entire list of Best Rhode Island High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Westerly High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	RI State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	57.30	19^th	49	61.2%
2023	45.16	20^th	53	62.3%

See the entire list of Best Rhode Island High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Westerly High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	RI State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	53.62	20^th	42	52.4%
2023	47.44	25^th	43	41.9%

See the entire list of Best Rhode Island High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Rhode Island 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: Rhode Island Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Westerly High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	916	7	16	0	2	n/a	n/a	0	941
1989	1153	7	14	1	2	n/a	n/a	0	1177
1990	1124	1	20	5	6	n/a	n/a	0	1156
1991	928	4	19	6	4	n/a	n/a	0	961
1992	961	7	26	11	1	n/a	n/a	0	1006
1993	982	7	20	7	3	n/a	n/a	0	1019
1994	1053	6	23	5	2	n/a	n/a	0	1089
1995	867	4	16	8	5	n/a	n/a	0	900
1996	867	4	16	8	5	n/a	n/a	0	900
1997	944	2	10	2	6	n/a	n/a	0	964
1998	982	2	13	3	4	n/a	n/a	0	1004
1999	1012	5	8	6	2	n/a	n/a	0	1033
2000	1020	7	10	5	1	n/a	n/a	0	1043
2001	1064	11	11	7	3	n/a	n/a	0	1096
2002	1025	17	21	13	12	n/a	n/a	0	1088
2003	1025	17	21	13	12	n/a	n/a	0	1088
2004	1039	19	31	28	11	n/a	n/a	0	1128
2005	1049	20	48	28	8	n/a	n/a	0	1153
2006	1034	15	64	22	8	n/a	n/a	0	1143
2007	1001	15	61	24	6	n/a	n/a	0	1107
2008	964	28	59	28	10	n/a	n/a	0	1089
2009	942	26	55	22	18	n/a	n/a	0	1063
2010	908	28	53	25	11	n/a	n/a	0	1025
2011	859	27	56	25	8	0	16	0	991
2012	832	30	59	30	10	0	22	0	983
2013	801	16	58	35	7	0	24	0	941
2014	775	16	47	43	9	0	27	0	917
2015	755	16	41	48	15	0	37	0	912
2016	701	14	38	45	16	1	36	0	851
2017	675	13	30	61	9	2	36	0	826
2018	637	9	31	63	9	3	46	0	798
2019	648	6	29	57	15	4	47	0	806
2020	612	5	18	60	20	3	51	0	769
2021	591	4	17	63	16	1	48	3	743
2022	575	7	18	61	14	1	48	2	726
2023	563	10	14	59	8	1	43	1	699

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 Westerly High School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	941	n/a	n/a	6.4
1989	1177	n/a	n/a	3.2
1990	1156	n/a	n/a	4.3
1991	961	75.2	12.7	7.9
1992	1006	91.0	11.0	4
1993	1019	87.2	11.7	3.9
1994	1089	91.0	12.0	6.9
1995	900	73.6	12.2	6.6
1996	900	73.6	12.2	6.6
1997	964	80.0	12.1	2.5
1998	1004	38.0	26.4	6
1999	1033	70.4	14.7	5.1
2000	1043	50.0	20.9	4.1
2001	1096	70.9	15.5	6.6
2002	1088	n/a	n/a	10.9
2003	1088	n/a	n/a	10.9
2004	1128	93.0	12.1	13
2005	1153	108.0	10.7	18.3
2006	1143	104.0	11.0	17.1
2007	1107	78.4	14.1	16.4
2008	1089	82.6	13.2	19.8
2009	1063	76.8	11.9	21.4
2010	1025	88.3	11.6	23.1
2011	991	91.2	10.8	23.7
2012	983	88.0	11.1	25.6
2013	941	93.6	10.0	26.1
2014	917	83.3	11.0	28.1
2015	912	78.0	11.6	34.2
2016	851	80.0	10.6	28.2
2017	826	80.2	10.2	24.7
2018	798	80.8	9.8	30.7
2019	806	79.3	10.1	30.5
2020	769	73.8	10.4	33.3
2021	743	72.8	10.2	30.3
2022	726	73.0	9.9	25.5
2023	699	72.5	9.6	31.2

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 Westerly High School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	941	n/a	n/a	6.4
1989	1177	n/a	n/a	3.2
1990	1156	n/a	n/a	4.3
1991	961	75.2	12.7	7.9
1992	1006	91.0	11.0	4
1993	1019	87.2	11.7	3.9
1994	1089	91.0	12.0	6.9
1995	900	73.6	12.2	6.6
1996	900	73.6	12.2	6.6
1997	964	80.0	12.1	2.5
1998	1004	38.0	26.4	6
1999	1033	70.4	14.7	5.1
2000	1043	50.0	20.9	4.1
2001	1096	70.9	15.5	6.6
2002	1088	n/a	n/a	10.9
2003	1088	n/a	n/a	10.9
2004	1128	93.0	12.1	13
2005	1153	108.0	10.7	18.3
2006	1143	104.0	11.0	17.1
2007	1107	78.4	14.1	16.4
2008	1089	82.6	13.2	19.8
2009	1063	76.8	11.9	21.4
2010	1025	88.3	11.6	23.1
2011	991	91.2	10.8	23.7
2012	983	88.0	11.1	25.6
2013	941	93.6	10.0	26.1
2014	917	83.3	11.0	28.1
2015	912	78.0	11.6	34.2
2016	851	80.0	10.6	28.2
2017	826	80.2	10.2	24.7
2018	798	80.8	9.8	30.7
2019	806	79.3	10.1	30.5
2020	769	73.8	10.4	33.3
2021	743	72.8	10.2	30.3
2022	726	73.0	9.9	25.5
2023	699	72.5	9.6	31.2

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 Westerly High School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2018	$189 (0.9%)	$19,836 (99.1%)	$20,025
2019	$157 (0.8%)	$20,456 (99.2%)	$20,613
2020	$202 (1.0%)	$20,804 (99.0%)	$21,006
2021	$562 (2.3%)	$23,633 (97.7%)	$24,194

Data source: Rhode Island Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Westerly High 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 13^th of 59 High schools	Ranks 21^st of 60 High schools	13%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
10th Grade English Language Arts (Westerly High School)	73.4	66.3	7.1%
10th Grade English Language Arts (Westerly)	72.7	65.6	7.1%
10th Grade English Language Arts (Rhode Island)	60.1	55.3	4.8%
10th Grade Mathematics (Westerly High School)	48.6	28.8	19.8%
10th Grade Mathematics (Westerly)	47.8	28.2	19.6%
10th Grade Mathematics (Rhode Island)	31	27.2	3.8%
11th Grade English Language Arts (Westerly High School)	59.1	57.1	2%
11th Grade English Language Arts (Westerly)	58.8	57.1	1.7%
11th Grade English Language Arts (Rhode Island)	50.5	49.1	1.4%
11th Grade Mathematics (Westerly High School)	42.9	25.8	17.1%
11th Grade Mathematics (Westerly)	42.6	25.8	16.8%
11th Grade Mathematics (Rhode Island)	31.2	25.3	5.9%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	806	699	13.3%
African American	6	10	66.7%
American Indian	15	8	46.7%
Asian	29	14	51.7%
Hispanic	57	59	3.5%
Pacific Islander	4	1	75%
White	648	563	13.1%
Two or More Races	47	43	8.5%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	30.5%	31.2%	0.7%

Schools Near Westerly High School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2023)				Ranking (2022)				PSAT10 English Language Arts (2023)	PSAT10 Mathematics (2023)	SAT English Language Arts (2023)	SAT Mathematics (2023)	NGSA Science (2023)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2021)
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 (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	SchoolDigger Rating (2023)	Average Standard Score (2022)	Statewide Rank (2022)	State Percentile (2022)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSAT10 English Language Arts 10th Grade	PSAT10 Mathematics 10th Grade	SAT English Language Arts 11th Grade	SAT Mathematics 11th Grade	NGSA Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Westerly High School	Public	9-12	23 Ward Avenue	Westerly	02891	Washington County	Westerly	No	(n/a)	No	No	(401) 315-1501	699	73	9.6	31.2%	563 (80.5%)	10 (1.4%)	59 (8.4%)	14 (2.0%)	8 (1.1%)	1 (0.1%)	43 (6.2%)	61.4	21^st of 60 public high schools	65.0%		65.7	20^th of 59 public high schools	66.1%	1	66.3	28.8	57.1	25.8	37.6	$24,195	$562	$23,633
Chariho Career and Technical Center	Public	9-12	459 Switch Road	Wood River Junction	02894	Washington County	Chariho	No	(n/a)	No	No	(401) 364-6869	0	16	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Chariho High School	Public	9-12	453 Switch Road	Wood River Junction	02894	Washington County	Chariho	No	(n/a)	No	No	(401) 364-7778	1,043	77	13.5	20.1%	946 (90.7%)	9 (0.9%)	41 (3.9%)	5 (0.5%)	9 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	32 (3.1%)	82.6	9^th of 60 public high schools	85.0%		80.7	10^th of 59 public high schools	83.1%	1	75.3	37.6	67.8	41.0	53.2	$14,465	$226	$14,239
South Kingstown High	Public	9-12	215 Columbia Street	Wakefield	02879	Washington County	South Kingstown	No	(n/a)	No	No	(401) 360-1000	789	71	11.1	15.7%	651 (82.5%)	13 (1.6%)	44 (5.6%)	13 (1.6%)	25 (3.2%)	1 (0.1%)	41 (5.2%)	88	6^th of 60 public high schools	90.0%		90.9	5^th of 59 public high schools	91.5%	1	79.2	46.5	75.3	41.4	54.9	$17,177	$365	$16,812
The Greene School	Public, Charter	9-12	94 John Potter Road	West Greenwich	02817	Kent County	The Greene School	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(401) 397-8600	199	12	17.3	32.2%	113 (56.8%)	21 (10.6%)	59 (29.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.0%)	49.7	30^th of 60 public high schools	50.0%		26	37^th of 59 public high schools	37.3%	7	75.0	27.3	44.0	18.0	28.0	$12,126	$979	$11,148
Narragansett High School	Public	9-12	245 South Pier Road	Narragansett	02882	Washington County	Narragansett	No	(n/a)	No	No	(401) 792-9400	474	43	11.0	15.0%	427 (90.1%)	6 (1.3%)	15 (3.2%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.4%)	75.8	14^th of 60 public high schools	76.7%		82.6	9^th of 59 public high schools	84.7%	5	68.0	33.0	61.3	40.4	46.3	$20,095	$804	$19,291
Exeter-West Greenwich Regional	Public	9-12	930 Nooseneck Hill Road	West Greenwich	02817	Kent County	Exeter-West Greenwich	No	(n/a)	No	No	(401) 397-6893	453	43	10.6	17.7%	416 (91.8%)	2 (0.4%)	23 (5.1%)	10 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	77.2	13^th of 60 public high schools	78.3%		87.6	7^th of 59 public high schools	88.1%	6	62.1	30.2	67.7	44.4	49.6	$18,802	$297	$18,506

Westerly High School

Westerly High School:

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Westerly:

What do you think?

Rank History for Westerly High School

Rank History for all students at Westerly High School

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Westerly High School

Rank History for Special Education students at Westerly High School

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Westerly High School

Rank History for Female students at Westerly High School

Rank History for Male students at Westerly High School

Rank History for Hispanic students at Westerly High School

Rank History for White students at Westerly High School

Enrollment information for Westerly High School

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Westerly High School

Student/Teacher Ratio Westerly High School

Per Pupil Expenditures for Westerly High School

Impact of COVID-19 on Westerly High School

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Westerly High School