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West High School

Public Grades 9-12

279^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 340 Iowa High Schools

Better than 18% of Iowa high schools

Summary

West High School is a public high school located in Waterloo, Iowa, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 1,713 students. The school is part of the Waterloo Community School District, which is ranked 287 out of 313 districts in Iowa and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. Over the past 10 years, West High School's statewide ranking has fluctuated between 199 and 279, with a current ranking of 279 out of 340 Iowa high schools, earning a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

West High School faces several challenges, including lower academic performance, high chronic absenteeism, and a high percentage of students from low-income families. The school's four-year graduation rate has ranged from 71.7% to 88.3% over the past few years, slightly lower than the state average of around 90%. Additionally, West High School has experienced high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 21.6% to 51.1% in recent years, significantly higher than the state average of 10-15%. In the ISASP (Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress) tests, the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science are generally lower than the state averages.

Interestingly, the nearby Expo Alternative Learning Center and East High School, which are also part of the Waterloo Community School District, have similar or even lower performance metrics compared to West High School. In contrast, the high schools in the neighboring districts, such as Jesup High School, Denver Senior High School, and Dike-New Hartford High School, have significantly higher performance metrics and statewide rankings compared to West High School.

1,696

Students ?

16.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,055

Per pupil spending ?

59.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

425 E Ridgeway Ave
Waterloo, IA 50702

(319) 433-2700

District: Waterloo Community School District

Feeder schools for West High School:

Elementary:	Fred Becker Elementary School
	Irving Elementary School
	Kingsley Elementary School
	Kittrell Elementary School
	More...
	Lou Henry Elementary School
	Lowell Elementary School
	Orange Elementary School
Middle:	Central Middle School
	Hoover Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

45.5%

African American:

21.9%

Hispanic:

15.1%

See top rated Iowa high schools

Compare West High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 14th percentile in 2015 → 18th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (62% vs 69% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (18th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (51% vs 22% Iowa)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school62%

District avg55%

Iowa avg69%

279^th of 340

Iowa public high schools ?

Bottom 18%▲ up 4 pts since 2015

From bottom 14% (2015) to bottom 18% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 3High Schools in the Waterloo Community School District

287^th of 313Waterloo Community School District among Iowa districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Iowa percentile	Rating
2025	28.7	279 of 340	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.5	271 of 338	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.6	263 of 336	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	40.4	219 of 332	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.5	260 of 327	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.3	265 of 327	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	49.1	199 of 320	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	26.0	274 of 325	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	26.3	259 of 320	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	20.8	278 of 324	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	26.6	265 of 322	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	47.6	229 of 351	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	27.5	299 of 351	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts67%-6 vs state

Mathematics57%-9 vs state

Science57%-10 vs state

★

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Schools Near West High School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ISASP English Language Arts (2025)						ISASP Mathematics (2025)						ISASP Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ISASP English Language Arts 6th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 7th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 8th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 9th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 10th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 11th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 6th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 7th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 8th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 9th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 10th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 11th Grade	ISASP Science 8th Grade	ISASP Science 10th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
West High School	Public	9-12	425 E Ridgeway Ave	Waterloo	50702	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 433-2700	1,696	101	16.8	59.1%	771 (45.5%)	371 (21.9%)	256 (15.1%)	102 (6.0%)	4 (0.2%)	69 (4.1%)	122 (7.2%)	28.7	279^th of 340 public high schools	17.9%		29.5	271^st of 338 public high schools	19.8%	8				65.7	70.2	66.3				50.1	61.3	62.3		56.8	$13,055	$432	$12,622
East High School	Public	9-12	214 High St	Waterloo	50703	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 433-2400	1,016	62	16.4	70.8%	370 (36.4%)	345 (34.0%)	150 (14.8%)	5 (0.5%)	3 (0.3%)	43 (4.2%)	100 (9.8%)	10.5	312^th of 340 public high schools	8.2%		7.6	316^th of 338 public high schools	6.5%	4				53.1	62.3	56.1				45.0	46.9	48.6		41.3	$15,126	$451	$14,674
Expo Alternative Learning Center	Public	6-12	1410 Independence Ave	Waterloo	50703	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-1930	561	35	15.9	80.2%	234 (41.7%)	195 (34.8%)	42 (7.5%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.4%)	13 (2.3%)	72 (12.8%)	0.6	335^th of 340 public high schools	1.5%		0.1	335^th of 338 public high schools	0.9%			70.0		32.7	35.4	38.3		50.0	27.3	11.9	22.0	29.2		28.4	$14,570	$546	$14,023
Cedar Falls High School	Public	10-12	2701 W 27th St	Cedar Falls	50613	Black Hawk County	Cedar Falls Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 553-2500	1,333	96	13.8	20.7%	1,124 (84.3%)	37 (2.8%)	48 (3.6%)	37 (2.8%)	1 (0.1%)	10 (0.8%)	76 (5.7%)	73.2	66^th of 340 public high schools	80.6%		74.8	64^th of 338 public high schools	81.1%	2					81.5	74.8					84.9	74.3		82.5	$13,835	$301	$13,534
Hudson High School	Public	7-12	245 S Washington	Hudson	50643	Black Hawk County	Hudson Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 988-4226	371	27	13.7	23.7%	328 (88.4%)	1 (0.3%)	22 (5.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.1%)	76.9	51^st of 340 public high schools	85.0%		83.3	19^th of 338 public high schools	94.4%	32		92.3	89.7	84.4	86.7	80.4		87.7	80.9	73.3	83.3	82.1	69.1	78.3	$13,977	$58	$13,919
Dunkerton High School	Public	6-12	509 Canfield	Dunkerton	50626	Black Hawk County	Dunkerton Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 822-4295	200	19	10.5	32.0%	186 (93.0%)	1 (0.5%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (5.5%)	41.2	236^th of 340 public high schools	30.6%		56	170^th of 338 public high schools	49.7%	66	92.0	80.8	75.0	70.4	69.6	80.0	92.0	84.6	83.3	63.0	56.5	60.0	70.8	65.2	$15,242	$249	$14,993
Union High School	Public	9-12	200 Adams St	La Porte City	50651	Black Hawk County	Union Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 342-2697	279	23	11.8	24.0%	255 (91.4%)	3 (1.1%)	13 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.9%)	69.8	90^th of 340 public high schools	73.5%		66.3	112^th of 338 public high schools	66.9%	22				94.7	76.8	82.7				84.2	68.1	80.2		68.1	$15,170	$348	$14,821
Denver Senior High School	Public	9-12	800 Longview Drive	Denver	50622	Bremer County	Denver Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 984-5639	278	20	13.6	13.3%	263 (94.6%)	1 (0.4%)	9 (3.2%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.1%)	93.4	2^nd of 340 public high schools	99.4%		95	2^nd of 338 public high schools	99.4%					95.5	97.1	92.6				90.9	94.2	86.8		94.2	$14,874	$81	$14,794
Janesville Junior-Senior High School	Public	6-12	505 Barrick Rd	Janesville	50647	Bremer County	Janesville Consolidated School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 987-2581	243	13	18.9	11.9%	227 (93.4%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.9%)	71.6	77^th of 340 public high schools	77.4%		77	47^th of 338 public high schools	86.1%	30	83.8	70.0	85.7	90.3	70.3	68.2	86.5	80.0	85.7	87.1	78.4	86.4	85.7	83.8	$12,726	$87	$12,639
Dike-New Hartford High School	Public	9-12	330 Main St	Dike	50624	Grundy County	Dike-New Hartford Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 989-2485	294	22	13.2	26.2%	281 (95.6%)	4 (1.4%)	2 (0.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.0%)	77.1	50^th of 340 public high schools	85.3%		83.3	20^th of 338 public high schools	94.1%	30				87.0	81.2	88.6				76.6	79.7	77.1		81.2	$14,985	$284	$14,701

Frequently Asked Questions about West High School

Is West High School a good school?

West High School ranks in the bottom 17.9% of Iowa high schools.

What district is West High School in?

Waterloo Community School District

How many students attend West High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,696 students attended West High School.

What is the racial makeup of West High School?

Students at West High School are 45% White, 22% African American, 15% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 6% Asian, 4% Pacific Islander.

What schools feed into West High School?

West High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Fred Becker Elementary School
Elementary : Irving Elementary School
Elementary : Kingsley Elementary School
Elementary : Kittrell Elementary School
Elementary : Lou Henry Elementary School
Elementary : Lowell Elementary School
Elementary : Orange Elementary School
Middle : Central Middle School
Middle : Hoover Middle School

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

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.