West Aurora High School

1201 West New York Street

Aurora, IL 60506

16 Reviews

School District

Aurora West Community Unit 129
Grade

9-12
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:15
Type

public

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on February 27, 2024

I have been blown away by the teachers at West Aurora. He is FINALLY getting the support he desparately needed after leaving 204.
Submitted by parent on July 30, 2023

We have two children at this school. The teachers and staff have been great. Any question or issue has been addressed immediately and resolved. The school is great!
Submitted by parent on April 16, 2023

Friendly teachers never had a problem with anything.
Submitted by parent on August 29, 2022

My daughter transferred into the West Aurora public school system in 8th grade from private school. When it came time for her to go to high school, we researched and compared West Aurora to other public schools and the local Catholic high school before deciding to send our daughter to West. West Aurora has by far the best and most extensive programming, both academically and extracurricular. There are career prep programs in a variety of paths including engineering, nursing, and automotive. There are a ton of different types of classes for any interest. There are numerous AP and dual-credit classes. At least 100 extracurricular programs for any interest a child may have. My daughter really enjoys the content of her classes and her teachers. She loves that there are so many clubs for her to join. There is also a lot of diversity which I think is great. When so many people are different from each other it allows the kids to be who they want to be without sticking out. My husband went to a very not diverse school and if you were unique in any way you were bullied. Diversity is also how the real world is, I am happy my daughter gets to know kids from all walks of life. She does find the size of the school to be overwhelming and I think that 7:35am is too early for school to start for teens. But other than that we have no complaints.
Submitted by other on December 27, 2021

School offers honors and AP classes, I feel the college readiness score is not accurate at all for my experience.
Submitted by parent on March 19, 2021

My daughter is a sophomore at West High and I am seriously amazed at the quality of the teachers. She started as a freshman and she loved it right away. She came from a private Christian school in the area, and the difference is astonishing. She tells me all of the time how surprised she is that her teachers actually care about her well-being and her future and that they are not judgmental or talk down to her. She has never been bullied like at the other school and that is such a relief. The kids aren’t perfect, but they just seem more down to Earth and and not so entitled. She started out great her freshman year and then started having bad anxiety with having to do online learning because of the Corona Virus to the point that she was scared to go to class and participate. Her teachers were always reaching out to her, encouraging her and offering after school help and whatever she needed. Because of their help as well as their genuine care and encouragement she is back on track and doing excellent. Most importantly, she has hope and is looking forward to college and her future. Everyone from the teachers and the counselor to the school nurse has been amazing... and I’m not paying thousands of dollars a year like I was before. One thing I find very important is that this school truly cares about these kids as a whole and not just for their grades or being able to control them. My son ironically went through almost the same school change situation a few years ago. He graduated from West and college and is a software engineer for Amazon in Seattle. If the students are willing the school will do everything in their power to prepare them for college and their future.
Submitted by parent on July 04, 2020

Great! My daughter has nothing but good memories here!
Submitted by parent on February 12, 2020

Very good in preparing students for college with many AP classes and teachers helping students to score well on AP exams. West Aurora High also offers many DUAL-CREDIT classes offering college credits AT THE SAME TIME as high school credits. The staff is prompt in helping students.
Submitted by student on October 16, 2018

This school is amazing, especially Assistant Principal Ron Murphy!
Submitted by teacher on August 18, 2018

The number of security staff continues to increase at West Aurora High School. The majority of teachers feel adm doesn't address their needs for a safe positive environment.
Submitted by student on July 01, 2018

Great! I loved attending this school and was really upset when I had to move. Met some of my best friends there!
Submitted by parent on July 01, 2018

Our experience has been exceptional! Teachers, administration, and staff have been helpful and extremely conscientious in meeting the needs of my students.
Submitted by parent on June 29, 2018

Very sad and disgusted. Not only do I know of children being displaced from this school. The counselors have even suggested to children to drop out of school because they would be better off.
Submitted by other on January 13, 2016

My daughter grew up in the West Aurora 129 District and graduated from West High in 2013. Overall it was an excellent experience and she had a successful four years at West High which lead to a scholarship to a highly rated college. Some of the reviews I've seen here depicting West as a subpar school are unfair. Academically, there are opportunities for kids at all levels, and there are many opportunities for extracurricular involvement with clubs and sports. Volunteerism and community involvement is encouraged, which further strengthens the school and the surrounding area, and builds student character. Diversity is embraced at West, including a chapter of the Best Buddies Club, which prepares students for the real world with tolerance and open-mindedness.
Submitted by other on October 29, 2015

I had two daughters who attended West. Both were in Honors or AP classes and the teachers were interested in them and their successful education, they did what they could to help them.. They were also part of the Marching Band, which I am ever so grateful for! The band is amazing and is a big part of the school. They were also involved in some of the clubs ( there are MANY to choose from) and other sports. The school has a very diverse culture and my daughters counselor, Mr Gatbunton was awesome when it came to guiding my girls' to their next level of education. The down sides are the over crowded classes and hallways and the many fights that happen during the school day.
Submitted by parent on March 24, 2014

West Aurora is a dynamic school with excellent educational and extra-curricular opportunities for its students. Teachers and administrators are focused on student learning and continue to look for continuous growth and improvement. Parents play a vital role through sports and band boosters and attendance to school-sponsored activities. There are high quality fine arts programs as well as occupational experiences for students to choose from. West High is a vibrant learning environment with a beautifully diverse population!