Arvada West High School

11595 Allendale Drive

School District

Jeffco Public Schools
Grade

9-12
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:19
Type

public

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on March 28, 2024

If you have the option do not attend here.
Submitted by student on February 15, 2024

I personally really like this school. I came from a really bad middle school, and the culture and atmosphere is just a breath of fresh air. Although the school is of course not perfect, I think most adults are pretty approachable if you have an issue. I adore most of my teachers, and the campus is pretty nice. The student body is also really diverse in terms of personalities and I don't think anybody would have trouble making a bunch of friends. Hardly any fights (at least, not any that are significant enough to hear about). I definitely recommend sending your kids here. Basic overview:Lunch- pretty decent for school food. The produce is definitely a lot fresher and there's more options than you get in middle school.People- just be nice and you'll have no trouble at all. A few sketchy characters, but just mind your own business and they won't give you any trouble. Drugs- most of the druggies have the courtesy to take it off campus to the Allen House. Of course, there's people vaping in the bathrooms, but nobody's doing coke off the sinks. Teachers: they're all pretty nice. A few not-so-desirable ones but what are you gonna do?Campus & Schedules: super easy to navigate after a couple days. Room numbers starting with 1 are on the first floor, 2 are on the second. If a room has the letter N in the front (ex: N120), it's in the north wing. If it doesn't, it's in the west wing. Lunch schedules might be kinda confusing but you get the hang of it fast. The nice thing is that every hall has massive windows that let in a lot of natural light, and it's not dim fluorescent lighting like a lot of schools have. The commons has a whole wall of glass, so it's a quite lovely interior. All the artwork in the halls was done by students.Electives: there's a decent enough elective selection. I feel like the options could be a little better, but I'm just picky. They offer Spanish, French, and German as world languages. Late Start & Access: I think this is a Jeffco-wide policy, but every Thursday, school starts at 9 instead of 8:15, which is nice. School ends at 3:30 every day, but on Tuesdays and Thursdays there's something called Access which basically means that school gets out early, and you can go see teachers, leave, or just hang out.Off-campus: 10-12th graders are allowed to leave campus during lunch/off periods. Freshmen technically can't leave, but they do anyway. There's a Walgreens and a 7-11 that everyone goes to. Friends: just be nice and you'll be fine
Submitted by parent on October 03, 2023

Great school and the teaching staff is amazing.
Submitted by parent on November 17, 2022

They are the worse school for kids we ith autism amd they do not have a clue what they ate doing they do not have the knowledge or the patience to run a special education department jeffcos sped director and arvada west assistant principal are completely usesless
Submitted by parent on January 29, 2022

Very good school with great teachers. All teachers and staff I have interacted with have been great.
Submitted by parent on June 10, 2021

it was my first year & it sucked. teachers didn’t grade homework, teachers didn’t pay attention to online kids, i only liked 3 teachers out of the 2 semesters.
Submitted by student on September 13, 2020

0 out of 5. I only trusted 2 adults in school and one got fired and the other moved
Submitted by parent on January 14, 2019

Excellent school. The school is very inclusive and works to make sure all kids have the opportunity to succeed.
Submitted by parent on March 14, 2018

I currently have two students at Arvada West and my husband I both graduated from Arvada West and feel it is an amazing school. We compared Arvada, Ralston Valley, Pomona And Arvada West and found that Arvada is overall the best choice. My senior can be difficult and has had attendance issues and feel that they have worked with him to get back on track and thriving. My freshman is an honor student and is taking AP classes, she is being challenged and doing amazing. As you can see I have two kids at both ends of the spectrum as a way to compare the our experience. Please not that the area the school sits in has a huge influence in the peers your child will encounter. Safe neighborhood with friendly, wholesome people.
Submitted by other on November 20, 2017

The atmosphere at AWest can't be beat, it is a positive place and they respect different learning styles.
Submitted by other on November 17, 2017

I went here, graduated from here. I still bleed purple!! Go Cats
Submitted by parent on January 16, 2016

My student currently attends AWest and is classified as disabled. My child has special requirements that are addressed by a 504 plan that must be reviewed yearly. This has not been done even though Counselor has been notified.Despite that, my student has maintained Honor Roll status with a 4.0 GPA, which is a credit to the teaching staff. The curriculum and teachers at AWest are top notch. With other reviews I have read about this school, I must mention the following: As a parent, you need to make sure your child has the socialization and study skills needed to succeed in High School and beyond. It pays to get to know your student's teachers and keep on top of the student's assignments. YOU are your child's advocate. If your child is being bullied, or you are unhappy with an outcome, go to the school - address the issue. Find a solution for the sake of your child. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
Submitted by parent on June 22, 2014

I agree with other parents my daughter is on a iep they treat her with dishonest respect and treats her like don't want to deal with her they tell her to go to rezourse but when asks question they basacally don't want to deal with her the only one that cares is teachers in the challenge program and the Sparkles and the students in sparkles its the only good program even a kid broke her arm and also c
Submitted by parent on October 29, 2013

I have a child who graduated from AW in the top of the school but did not fit in because they weren't the Barbie/Ken role model. My other child who is a student does not qualify for an IEP but struggles with D/F is regarded as a student to just get by and get them out of here. Arvada West does not have time to deal with the social issues that teenagers need help with these days that arise during school hours. Students that do not meet the IEP criteria but are on the border line for an IEP are left to fend for themselves which creates other problems. There is drug abuse, fighting and disrespect between the students. The school security is doing the best they can but it is more than a full time job. When entering the school parking lot the vision that you see is students smoking and the English they know begins with "F". What a sad situation for what used to be such a nice school. I am sure there are good students there but that is not what you see when driving into the parking lot.
Submitted by parent on July 07, 2013

AArda west is the best school is the best in arvada iv had several kids go through in the last 15 years 3 in special ed they have the best special ed dep iv had no trouble if have problems go to the suprendent my daughter is now going there the district makes it to easy for kids to do homeschool and not do the wk cause nobody chk to see if doing the wk or kids don't go to school but iv never had trouble with arvada west they have lots of activites for the kids
Submitted by parent on June 03, 2013

The administration at this school is awful. They talk down to you and act as though they are above you. My child has a learning disability and the admin and teaching staff treated her as if she was just a waste of time and treated us (parents) like we were a huge pain in thier side.They just wanted to be done with our daughter.