Summary
West High School is a large, comprehensive public high school in the Anchorage School District, serving 1,702 students in grades 9–12 on the west side of Anchorage, Alaska. Over the past three years, West has climbed from a 1-star, 26th-percentile state ranking to a 3-star, 61st-percentile ranking — now sitting 24th among Alaska high schools. That upward trend makes it the strongest of the traditional neighborhood high schools in its immediate area. West’s 9th-grade ELA proficiency (41.4%) outpaced Service High School (32.1%), Dimond High School (33.8%), and Bettye Davis East Anchorage High School (21.5%). The same is true in 9th-grade math and 10th-grade science, where West leads this group despite serving a student body with a higher percentage of low-income students (37.7% free/reduced-price lunch) than Service or Dimond.
Academically, West’s literacy is a genuine strength — nearly 10 points above the state average for 9th graders. Science scores have jumped from 25.3% proficient in 2023–24 to 39.6% in 2025–26, now above district and state averages. Math can look low at first glance, but when compared with the correct grade-level peers, West’s 25.9% proficiency is above the district’s 23.1% and the state’s 17.9% — the school simply does even better in English. West’s graduation rate of 85.6% also exceeds the district average of 83.2%, though it trails Service (90.3%) and Dimond (89.2%). That gap suggests strong test performance doesn’t always translate directly to on-time completion, but West’s steady improvement across multiple measures is worth noting.
West’s recent turnaround is especially notable because it has occurred while serving more economically disadvantaged students than nearby Service or Dimond. The school’s per-pupil spending is lower than all other traditional high schools in the cluster — about $13,328 vs. $15,523 at East Anchorage — yet academic outcomes are meaningfully better. One caveat: West’s overall success is not evenly distributed across all student groups. Low-income, migrant, and Native American students rank strongly, while students receiving special education services and some other subgroups rank below the median. Nearby options like Steller Secondary School and Alaska Middle College School post higher scores and graduation rates, but they are specialized or alternative programs, not comprehensive neighborhood high schools. For families seeking a large, traditional high school with a clear upward trajectory, West stands out in its area.
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