West High

Summary:

West High is a public high school located in Wausau, Wisconsin, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 1,446 students. It is part of the Wausau School District, which is ranked 241 out of 428 school districts in Wisconsin and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

West High has consistently ranked in the top half of Wisconsin high schools, with a ranking between 100-216 over the past 10 years. The school's performance on standardized tests, such as the Forward Exam and ACT, is generally above the district and state averages, particularly in mathematics. However, the school struggles with the performance of Asian and multi-racial student subgroups, ranking in the bottom 25% and bottom 33% of Wisconsin high schools, respectively. East High, the closest in-district counterpart, has a lower ranking and lower test scores in several areas compared to West High.

West High has maintained a strong four-year graduation rate, ranging from 89.9% to 93.2% over the past five years, which is generally higher than the state average. However, the school has seen an increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 12.3% in 2019-2020 to 15.6% in 2022-2023, which is higher than the state average. When compared to schools in other nearby districts, such as Mosinee High and Marathon High, West High's performance is not as strong, with those schools outperforming West High on various metrics.


Detail:

Public 9-12

 1200 W Wausau Ave
       Wausau, WI  54401-2898


(715) 261-0850

District: Wausau School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
156th of 431 Wisconsin High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $12,525 Help


Feeder schools for West High:

Elementary:    G D Jones Elementary
    Grant Elementary
    Lincoln Elementary
    Maine Elementary
    More...
Middle:    John Muir Middle

Student/teacher ratio:  14.6 Help
Number of students:  1,443

Racial breakdown:

White:
61.3%
Asian:
23.1%
Hispanic:
7.8%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  43.9% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details West High ranks better than 63.8% of high schools in Wisconsin. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 61.09. (See more...)
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The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at West High who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.
Help
The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
Help
Compare Details West High has the largest high school student body size in the Wausau School District. Racial makeup is: White (61.3%), Asian (23.1%), Hispanic (7.8%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 43.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the lowest percentage in the Wausau School District. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at West High is 14.6, which is the highest among 3 high schools in the Wausau School District! (See more...)
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Compare West High employs 98.2 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at West High is $12,525, which is the lowest among 3 high schools in the Wausau School District!
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

West High:

SchoolDigger ranks West High 156th of 431 Wisconsin public high schools. (See West High in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Multi-racial students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
Asian students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


Wausau School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Wausau School District 241st of 428 Wisconsin school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for West High

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Rank History for all students at West High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools WI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2004 40.12 224th 275 18.5%
2005 51.50 201st 287 30.0%
2006 54.77 191st 292 34.6%
2007 43.22 225th 281 19.9%
2008 63.41 174th 437 60.2%
2009 59.35 215th 438 50.9%
2010 50.69 318th 450 29.3%
2011 67.00 148th 445 66.7%
2012 58.33 232nd 452 48.7%
2013 56.22 233rd 457 49.0%
2014 59.33 201st 462 56.5%
2015 62.94 190th 466 59.2%
2016 50.43 198th 408 51.5%
2017 70.01 100th 410 75.6%
2018 47.72 212th 410 48.3%
2019 49.35 200th 400 50.0%
2021 57.79 149th 390 61.8%
2022 42.23 216th 391 44.8%
2023 61.62 140th 415 66.3%
2024 61.09 156th 431 63.8%
See the entire list of Wisconsin High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at West High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools WI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 32.55 48th 71 32.4%
See the entire list of Best Wisconsin High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at West High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools WI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 52.91 21st 55 61.8%
See the entire list of Best Wisconsin High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at West High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools WI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 38.43 163rd 255 36.1%
2019 50.06 114th 251 54.6%
2021 36.62 143rd 226 36.7%
2022 46.33 132nd 250 47.2%
2023 44.21 153rd 271 43.5%
2024 46.03 182nd 326 44.2%
See the entire list of Best Wisconsin High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at West High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools WI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 48.91 193rd 355 45.6%
2019 36.30 232nd 343 32.4%
2021 49.64 166th 332 50.0%
2022 43.26 197th 343 42.6%
2023 65.14 102nd 329 69.0%
2024 69.56 90th 353 74.5%
See the entire list of Best Wisconsin High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at West High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools WI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 41.53 221st 373 40.8%
2019 57.54 131st 354 63.0%
2021 57.09 126th 334 62.3%
2022 37.65 227th 347 34.6%
2023 51.45 165th 359 54.0%
2024 46.79 197th 365 46.0%
See the entire list of Best Wisconsin High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at West High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools WI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 24.24 41st 51 19.6%
2019 33.72 30th 44 31.8%
2021 21.43 34th 44 22.7%
2023 24.48 37th 50 26.0%
2024 26.07 39th 51 23.5%
See the entire list of Best Wisconsin High Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at West High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools WI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 39.75 51st 97 47.4%
2024 54.82 44th 119 63.0%
See the entire list of Best Wisconsin High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at West High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools WI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 53.77 100th 261 61.7%
2019 55.00 103rd 266 61.3%
2021 70.64 56th 266 78.9%
2022 51.90 112th 269 58.4%
2023 72.32 56th 271 79.3%
2024 72.35 62nd 300 79.3%
See the entire list of Best Wisconsin High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, 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.

West High Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 



Data source: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

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Enrollment information for West High

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1989 1273 n/a 43 n/a 9 n/a n/a 0 1325
1990 1243 1 66 1 11 n/a n/a 0 1322
1991 1244 1 89 2 12 n/a n/a 0 1348
1992 1280 3 106 4 9 n/a n/a 0 1402
1993 1337 3 115 10 8 n/a n/a 0 1473
1994 1350 5 137 7 7 n/a n/a 0 1506
1995 1397 3 188 5 9 n/a n/a 0 1602
1996 1397 3 188 5 9 n/a n/a 0 1602
1997 1484 3 231 7 12 n/a n/a 0 1737
1998 1509 3 265 10 11 n/a n/a 0 1798
1999 1407 3 310 9 11 n/a n/a 0 1740
2000 1417 2 308 14 8 n/a n/a 0 1749
2001 1322 3 334 15 7 n/a n/a 0 1681
2002 1308 9 343 20 10 n/a n/a 0 1690
2003 1308 9 343 20 10 n/a n/a 0 1690
2004 1248 9 375 16 11 n/a n/a 0 1659
2005 1222 10 401 20 10 n/a n/a 0 1663
2006 1200 10 436 25 10 n/a n/a 0 1681
2007 1211 14 450 20 14 n/a n/a 0 1709
2008 1192 14 457 23 10 n/a n/a 0 1696
2009 1144 9 403 32 11 n/a n/a 0 1599
2010 1118 8 329 30 13 n/a n/a 0 1498
2011 1029 2 331 35 8 1 25 0 1431
2012 990 10 321 42 7 0 25 0 1395
2013 992 14 292 49 12 0 32 0 1391
2014 981 24 271 47 13 0 39 0 1375
2015 982 25 251 46 12 0 42 0 1358
2016 963 24 250 46 11 0 44 0 1338
2017 931 24 250 40 10 1 52 0 1308
2018 940 16 256 60 11 1 63 0 1347
2019 931 17 271 71 13 1 63 0 1367
2020 925 18 280 79 9 1 54 0 1366
2021 928 20 285 96 11 1 55 0 1396
2022 968 23 304 117 8 0 64 0 1484
2023 934 18 314 107 6 1 66 0 1446
2024 884 23 333 112 12 1 78 0 1443

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 West High

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1989 1325 78.4 16.9 7.5
1990 1322 90.4 14.6 7.6
1991 1348 94.3 14.2 15
1992 1402 94.4 14.8 17
1993 1473 97.7 15.1 22.7
1994 1506 97.3 15.5 22.1
1995 1602 100.5 15.9 26
1996 1602 100.5 15.9 26
1997 1737 108.3 16.0 26.3
1998 1798 113.8 15.8 27.8
1999 1740 110.5 15.7 34.7
2000 1749 113.2 15.5 32.2
2001 1681 110.9 15.2 32.5
2002 1690 106.8 15.8 25.4
2003 1690 106.8 15.8 25.4
2004 1659 105.1 15.8 28.1
2005 1663 106.1 15.7 n/a
2006 1681 107.1 15.7 n/a
2007 1709 106.0 16.1 34.6
2008 1696 109.6 15.5 34.1
2009 1599 104.2 15.3 35.7
2010 1498 95.2 15.7 35.5
2011 1431 89.7 15.9 39.8
2012 1395 86.0 16.2 39.2
2013 1391 85.6 16.2 41.8
2014 1375 85.6 16.0 40.4
2015 1358 n/a n/a 39
2016 1338 87.0 15.3 37.4
2017 1308 87.5 14.9 36.1
2018 1347 89.2 15.0 35.2
2019 1367 87.8 15.5 38.5
2020 1366 88.7 15.3 35.7
2021 1396 88.0 15.8 40.6
2022 1484 97.3 15.2 36.1
2023 1446 99.9 14.4 39.8
2024 1443 98.2 14.6 43.9

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 West High

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1989 1325 78.4 16.9 7.5
1990 1322 90.4 14.6 7.6
1991 1348 94.3 14.2 15
1992 1402 94.4 14.8 17
1993 1473 97.7 15.1 22.7
1994 1506 97.3 15.5 22.1
1995 1602 100.5 15.9 26
1996 1602 100.5 15.9 26
1997 1737 108.3 16.0 26.3
1998 1798 113.8 15.8 27.8
1999 1740 110.5 15.7 34.7
2000 1749 113.2 15.5 32.2
2001 1681 110.9 15.2 32.5
2002 1690 106.8 15.8 25.4
2003 1690 106.8 15.8 25.4
2004 1659 105.1 15.8 28.1
2005 1663 106.1 15.7 n/a
2006 1681 107.1 15.7 n/a
2007 1709 106.0 16.1 34.6
2008 1696 109.6 15.5 34.1
2009 1599 104.2 15.3 35.7
2010 1498 95.2 15.7 35.5
2011 1431 89.7 15.9 39.8
2012 1395 86.0 16.2 39.2
2013 1391 85.6 16.2 41.8
2014 1375 85.6 16.0 40.4
2015 1358 n/a n/a 39
2016 1338 87.0 15.3 37.4
2017 1308 87.5 14.9 36.1
2018 1347 89.2 15.0 35.2
2019 1367 87.8 15.5 38.5
2020 1366 88.7 15.3 35.7
2021 1396 88.0 15.8 40.6
2022 1484 97.3 15.2 36.1
2023 1446 99.9 14.4 39.8
2024 1443 98.2 14.6 43.9

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 West High

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $436 (3.6%) $11,738 (96.4%) $12,174
2020 $196 (1.7%) $11,293 (98.3%) $11,489
2021 $297 (2.4%) $12,228 (97.6%) $12,525

Data source: Wisconsin Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on West High

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 200th of 400 High schoolsRanks 140th of 415 High schools
 16.3%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
10th Grade Social Studies (West High)59.949.2
 10.7%
   10th Grade Social Studies (Wausau School District)56.447.4
 9%
   10th Grade Social Studies (Wisconsin)45.947.2
 1.3%
10th Grade English Language Arts (West High)35.146.8
 11.7%
   10th Grade English Language Arts (Wausau School District)40.448.7
 8.2%
   10th Grade English Language Arts (Wisconsin)38.841.4
 2.6%
10th Grade Mathematics (West High)25.737.9
 12.2%
   10th Grade Mathematics (Wausau School District)26.137.3
 11.2%
   10th Grade Mathematics (Wisconsin)30.829.4
 1.3%
10th Grade Science (West High)3335.8
 2.8%
   10th Grade Science (Wausau School District)35.433
 2.4%
   10th Grade Science (Wisconsin)32.731.7
 1%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students13671446
 5.8%
African American1718
 5.9%
American Indian136
 53.8%
Asian271314
 15.9%
Hispanic71107
 50.7%
Pacific Islander11
White931934
 0.3%
Two or More Races6366
 4.8%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients38.5%39.8%
 1.3%


Schools Near West High









Frequently Asked Questions about West High

Students at West High are 61% White, 23% Asian, 8% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 2% African American.

West High ranks 156th of 431 Wisconsin high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

West High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : G D Jones Elementary
Elementary : Grant Elementary
Elementary : Lincoln Elementary
Elementary : Maine Elementary
Elementary : Rib Mountain Elementary
Elementary : South Mountain Elementary
Elementary : Stettin Elementary
Elementary : Thomas Jefferson Elementary
Middle : John Muir Middle

In the 2023-24 school year, 1,443 students attended West High.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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