Western High School

1400 South Dearing Road

School District

Western
Grade

9-12
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:18
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 other on October 22, 2020

All in all, Western is all about what your last name is, who you know in the district, and how far your reputation can get you.Academics: The curriculum does not prepare students for university-level education after graduation. The AP courses slightly do, but there are limited spots in the classes and the teachers are punished for showing extra care for their students' all-around success.Student Support: The counseling department is severely understaffed. Students rarely get the resources they need. There is no time made for the students that are not failing their classes who need general guidance regarding their class schedules, success planning, and even mental health. You have to be on the brink of expulsion or in need of social work to have an appointment made.Sports: Favoritism. You can't succeed in sports at Western High School unless you're somehow related or have a close relationship with the athletic department/coaching staff. Even if your child can play just as well, or even better than the "big wigs" of the district, they won't get a fair chance or will be discouraged from even trying.Teaching Staff: There are only a handful of teachers within this district that actually care about their students' performance and well-being. With the lack of guidance from the counseling department, the handful of good teachers tend to fill in the holes and provide those resources. However, those teachers' job security is threatened if they actually care about their students' academic performance and well-being (mental and physical). They are required to lock their doors during lunch hours and are not allowed to see students at the end of the school day. According to their superiors, the job of a teacher at Western is to give a lecture, dismiss the class, send someone to the in-school suspension room if they are disruptive, and repeat until the end of the workday. The majority of teachers at Western are cold, demeaning, and unhelpful to their students.Disciple: Western loves to disciple, their favorite ways are 1) humiliation of students (specifically for minor dress code violations), 2) in-school suspension (for just about everything), and 3) after school suspension. They believe taking students out of their classes for an entire day, or even week is helpful to their performance and will fix all of the issues within the school.
Submitted by parent on December 31, 2017

Western is not the place to send a with special needs child. I have done everything in my control getting my child help outside of the school. The therapist gave me all numbers and contact information to give to the school to get my child help, for some reason they continue to not use the resource given to them to help special needs children. Though my child has on record the disabilties and I signed a permission paper for the doctors, therpist, and middle school to share information to help my child they continually refuse to help. Their answer to the problem is to suspend a child when they show behavior that is out of the child's control because of the disabilities. I hope they change this in the future and try to become more understanding of these types of students.
Submitted by parent on November 06, 2017

Since enrolling my child in this school, they have flourished. They have teachers, counselors and coaches who check in with my child to see if they need help and to make sure they are okay. My child is not only excelling in academics but excelling socially. My child has been in 5 different schools due to job relocations and this one is by far the best!! Everyone is super friendly and caring. School is updated and clean. Grounds and sport fields are well taken care of. They have an exceptional weight room. Just an overall great School experience here!
Submitted by parent on August 22, 2017

Awful school. Don't send your daughters or special needs children there
Submitted by parent on November 26, 2014

This was a new year for my son going into 8th grade and we really didn't know how the change would be. He went to a small private school for years and wanted to attend a larger school with more diversity. I simply can't say enough GOOD things about the school. The teachers are absolutely wonderful with this transition. They constantly are checking with him and making sure everything is working out. They stress compassion and respect. He has made many friends. He loves going to school everyday which he didn't like last year. His confidence is growing daily. It has been such a positive experience. Thank you Western Middle School!!!
Submitted by parent on November 15, 2013

The teachers do not challenge the students whatsoever and there is no way to move up in the grades without knowing just the right people. I know this like the real world but children shouldn't be just thrown into the world right away they need to be slowly weaned into the world. The principals just stay behind their desks all day and do diddly-squat playing games on their phones et cetera. The rules are not followed throw and there is no consistency between policies.
Submitted by other on February 22, 2012

I'm a recent graduate, but keep tabs on school news. I'm glad to report it was a fantastic experience. "Physical" class choices are continuing to be limited, with less offered every year (it's now mostly just core classes being taught by teachers in the room). By moving advanced courses to online AP, we're able to take what interests us, but it's not comparable to having a knowledgeable teacher on-hand, and the AP teacher I had rarely interacted with us. The band program is phenomenal and is routinely rated top-tier. But, there's a cash-flow problem, though that doesn't stop the school from funding programs that really count -- they pay for AP exams as well as ACT testing. Many of the "historic" teachers (the "forming a human wall in the hallway to keep the press out many decades ago" teachers) are retiring and being replaced with fresh meat, for better or worse. Their lack of attunement with other staff and students is noticeable. It's sad to see some of the greatest teachers with a long history in the community go, but I suppose they can't be expected to work until death. Some of the replacements are good and from within the community. Western's certainly in a transition period.
Submitted by student on April 19, 2010

I have been a student at Western for years and I believe that Western has failed me in my longing for education. The class choices are very limited, more so each year, and my school counselor seems unable to do his job.
Submitted by student on April 19, 2007

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