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Western Guilford High

Q: Is Western Guilford High a good school?

Western Guilford High ranks 335 th of 641 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades 9-12

335^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 641 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 48% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Western Guilford High is a public magnet high school in Greensboro, North Carolina, serving 1,354 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Guilford County Schools district, which is ranked 142 out of 242 districts in the state.

While Western Guilford High offers a magnet program, it has consistently underperformed compared to the district and state averages on end-of-course exams. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school had only 36.9% proficiency in Biology EOC, compared to 46.8% for the district and 48.3% for the state. The school's four-year graduation rates, ranging from 86.9% to 92.2%, are also lower than the state average. Additionally, Western Guilford High struggles to effectively serve certain student subgroups, ranking in the bottom half of North Carolina high schools for the performance of male students, English Language Learners, students with disabilities, and gifted and talented students.

When compared to nearby high schools in the Guilford County Schools district, such as Northwest Guilford High and GTCC Middle College High, Western Guilford High performs significantly worse on EOC exams and has lower graduation rates. Over the past several years, the school's statewide ranking has steadily declined, suggesting it is struggling to keep up with the performance of other high schools in North Carolina. The school's challenges may be exacerbated by the growing population of economically disadvantaged students, with the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch increasing from 40.03% in 2021-2022 to 99.78% in 2023-2024.

1,243

Students ?

16.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,638

Per pupil spending ?

99.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

409 Friendway Road
Greensboro, NC 27410-4998

(336) 316-5800

District: Guilford County Schools

Feeder schools for Western Guilford High:

Elementary:	Claxton Elementary
	Edwin A Alderman Elementary
	Guilford Elementary
	Jefferson Elementary
Middle:	Western Guilford Middle

Racial breakdown:

African American:

49.1%

Hispanic:

21.5%

White:

19.4%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Western Guilford High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 27th percentile in 2023 → 48th in 2025

Strengths

✓92% graduate in 4 years — above the North Carolina average (88%)

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 48th (2025) from a 27th-percentile low (2023)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Biology scores 11 pts below the North Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school52%

District avg50%

North Carolina avg53%

335^th of 641

North Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 48%▼ down 12 pts since 2015

From top 40% (2015) to bottom 48% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

13^th of 25High Schools in the Guilford County Schools

142^nd of 242Guilford County Schools among North Carolina 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	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	45.4	335 of 641	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.3	425 of 640	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.6	456 of 626	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.1	426 of 621	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.5	365 of 594	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.4	292 of 514	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.5	230 of 469	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	40.2	246 of 476	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	41.8	218 of 507	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2015	45.4	214 of 531	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2014	50.5	153 of 451	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	58.3	86 of 505	83.0%	★★★★☆
2012	49.2	236 of 502	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2011	37.8	375 of 506	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	40.7	351 of 499	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	39.4	346 of 490	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	49.2	257 of 477	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2007	56.2	179 of 453	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2006	55.6	185 of 431	57.1%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	50.2	177 of 440	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	40.7	229 of 437	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.2	264 of 434	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.0	236 of 430	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.7	142 of 364	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	45.0	143 of 369	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.8	133 of 359	63.0%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	54.2	55 of 106	48.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	31.9	75 of 101	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	49.7	56 of 98	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.9	65 of 91	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	35.0	65 of 83	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	54.7	43 of 89	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	72.3	30 of 77	61.0%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	23.3	273 of 330	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	35.5	203 of 334	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	21.1	325 of 364	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	42.0	169 of 349	51.6%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	58.8	55 of 273	79.9%	★★★★☆
2024	57.4	66 of 262	74.8%	★★★★☆
2023	29.1	165 of 226	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	47.8	57 of 156	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	38.5	70 of 124	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	62.2	29 of 173	83.2%	★★★★☆
2018	18.6	132 of 147	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	47.2	322 of 610	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.7	390 of 602	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.3	420 of 588	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.8	412 of 594	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.7	250 of 475	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.3	276 of 475	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.3	261 of 449	41.9%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	42.5	292 of 412	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.8	359 of 403	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.4	379 of 403	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.9	373 of 398	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	19.7	293 of 337	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	42.7	219 of 325	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	66.5	26 of 100	74.0%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	50.2	187 of 462	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	34.3	288 of 454	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.0	301 of 449	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.5	298 of 436	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.7	251 of 370	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.1	277 of 354	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	39.9	187 of 340	45.0%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	66.3	7 of 39	82.1%	★★★★☆
2024	62.3	14 of 47	70.2%	★★★★☆
2023	52.5	18 of 45	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	66.9	4 of 34	88.2%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	47.3	265 of 606	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	30.6	424 of 613	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.8	425 of 597	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.5	413 of 544	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.4	243 of 432	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.1	269 of 446	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.4	227 of 424	46.5%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	42.0	334 of 601	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.7	450 of 607	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.9	463 of 602	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.8	414 of 585	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.2	301 of 481	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.1	306 of 488	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.3	209 of 463	54.9%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	59.5	90 of 253	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	43.3	149 of 261	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.2	126 of 249	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.4	179 of 226	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.7	153 of 199	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.9	144 of 195	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	45.1	104 of 185	43.8%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	43.0	177 of 352	49.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	29.5	254 of 349	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	64.9	202 of 542	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.2	249 of 553	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.3	294 of 537	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	55.0	234 of 534	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	62.0	127 of 439	71.1%	★★★★☆
2019	52.4	178 of 444	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	71.3	98 of 427	77.0%	★★★★☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Homeless (2025)82nd percentile+34 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)80th percentile+32 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)64th percentile+17 vs school

White (2025)63rd percentile+15 vs school

African American (2025)60th percentile+12 vs school

Hispanic (2025)60th percentile+12 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)56th percentile+9 vs school

Special Education (2025)50th percentile~ school

Asian (2025)48th percentile~ school

Female (2025)47th percentile~ school

Male (2025)44th percentile-3 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)29th percentile-19 vs school

Disabled (2022)17th percentile-14 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Math III75%+8 vs state

English II63%+3 vs state

Biology37%-11 vs state

Math I30%-5 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, January 19, 2018

The AP CAPSTONE at Western Guilford is phenomenal. If you have a high academic kid AP-CAP it gives them the BEST of both worlds. You get a traditional high school experience with a rigorous AP program starting Freshman year. AP course credit is VERY EASY to understand versus IB credit when it comes to applying for college. AP Students take all their coursework together in team settings. The Principal, Director and Counselor do a great job welcoming all the new students into the program and hosting multiple events on and off campus. Music/Band Director is very enthusiastic and has a great up and coming HS Band. The school has very few discipline problems from what we have seen and is no different than any other school in GCS. Teams are a bit smaller, but that just means more players get a chance to play on the team versus the mega high schools in the county. New gym, weight room, locker rooms and athletic training facilities are better than most small colleges. New Cafeteria is coming soon. If you are between IB, Early College and AP-CAP you should definitely consider WGHS. Close Quote

Schools Near Western Guilford High

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOC Biology (2025)	EOC English II (2025)	EOC Math I (2025)	EOC Math III (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	EOC Biology End of Course	EOC English II End of Course	EOC Math I End of Course	EOC Math III End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Western Guilford High	Public, Magnet	9-12	409 Friendway Road	Greensboro	27410	Guilford County	Guilford County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(336) 316-5800	1,243	73	16.9	99.8%	241 (19.4%)	610 (49.1%)	267 (21.5%)	46 (3.7%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	77 (6.2%)	45.4	335^th of 641 public high schools	47.7%		32.3	425^th of 640 public high schools	33.6%	90	36.9	62.8	29.7	74.9	$8,638	$478	$8,159
Early College at Guilford	Public	9-12	5608 West Friendly Avenue	Greensboro	27410	Guilford County	Guilford County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 316-2860	193	9	22.7	98.4%	53 (27.5%)	23 (11.9%)	4 (2.1%)	99 (51.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (7.3%)								(n/a)		100.0			$10,526	$188	$10,337
Academy at Smith	Public, Magnet	9-12	2225 South Holden Road	Greensboro	27407	Guilford County	Guilford County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(336) 316-5866	246	20	12.4	98.8%	7 (2.8%)	131 (53.3%)	77 (31.3%)	20 (8.1%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.7%)	41.8	362^nd of 641 public high schools	43.5%		54.2	267^th of 640 public high schools	58.3%	95	46.3	50.0	33.3	66.2	$14,187	$784	$13,403
Ben L. Smith High School	Public	9-12	2407 South Holden Road	Greensboro	27407	Guilford County	Guilford County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 294-7300	1,348	83	16.1	99.8%	57 (4.2%)	657 (48.7%)	498 (36.9%)	87 (6.5%)	7 (0.5%)	7 (0.5%)	35 (2.6%)	17.3	545^th of 641 public high schools	15.0%		16.7	540^th of 640 public high schools	15.6%	5	27.0	33.5	14.7	51.9	$10,645	$1,589	$9,057
Southwest Guilford High	Public	9-12	4364 Barrow Road	High Point	27265	Guilford County	Guilford County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 819-2970	1,547	84	18.3	99.8%	423 (27.3%)	653 (42.2%)	214 (13.8%)	160 (10.3%)	3 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	92 (5.9%)	36.1	405^th of 641 public high schools	36.8%		30.1	449^th of 640 public high schools	29.8%	44	46.4	63.9	16.6	47.2	$8,584	$557	$8,027
Grimsley High	Public, Magnet	9-12	801 N Josephine Boyd St.	Greensboro	27408	Guilford County	Guilford County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(336) 370-8180	1,967	98	19.9	99.6%	830 (42.2%)	715 (36.3%)	246 (12.5%)	73 (3.7%)	5 (0.3%)	2 (0.1%)	96 (4.9%)	61.8	223^rd of 641 public high schools	65.2%		56.8	248^th of 640 public high schools	61.3%	25	60.5	68.8	26.3	77.4	$8,660	$655	$8,005
UNCG Early/Middle College	Public	9-12	1510 Walker Avenue	Greensboro	27412	Guilford County	Guilford County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 334-3662	199	13	15.0	98.5%	43 (21.6%)	89 (44.7%)	37 (18.6%)	15 (7.5%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (6.5%)	82.4	125^th of 641 public high schools	80.5%		77.5	142^nd of 640 public high schools	77.8%	17	72.3	89.8	25.0	96.3	$9,502	$349	$9,154
Northwest Guilford High	Public	9-12	5240 Northwest School Road	Greensboro	27409	Guilford County	Guilford County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 605-3300	2,055	100	20.4	20.9%	1,355 (65.9%)	180 (8.8%)	214 (10.4%)	218 (10.6%)	4 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	84 (4.1%)	86.1	103^rd of 641 public high schools	83.9%		84	117^th of 640 public high schools	81.7%	14	83.1	81.4	63.0	89.8	$7,290	$511	$6,779
GTCC Middle College High	Public	9-12	613 East Main Street	Jamestown	27282	Guilford County	Guilford County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 819-2957	255	16	16.2	98.8%	62 (24.3%)	108 (42.4%)	59 (23.1%)	12 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	13 (5.1%)	88.3	89^th of 641 public high schools	86.1%		73.5	161^st of 640 public high schools	74.8%	72	77.1	90.7	68.8	90.2	$9,013	$587	$8,425
C Joyner Greene Education Center	Public	9-12	604 East Main Street	Jamestown	27282	Guilford County	Guilford County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 454-7440	67	14	4.8	95.5%	17 (25.4%)	35 (52.2%)	4 (6.0%)	8 (11.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.0%)	1 (1.5%)								(n/a)					$34,607	$1,654	$32,953

Frequently Asked Questions about Western Guilford High

Is Western Guilford High a good school?

Western Guilford High ranks 335^th of 641 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Western Guilford High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,243 students attended Western Guilford High.

What district is Western Guilford High in?

Guilford County Schools

What schools feed into Western Guilford High?

Western Guilford High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Claxton Elementary
Elementary : Edwin A Alderman Elementary
Elementary : Guilford Elementary
Elementary : Jefferson Elementary
Middle : Western Guilford Middle

What is the racial makeup of Western Guilford High?

Students at Western Guilford High are 49% African American, 21% Hispanic, 19% White, 6% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction.

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.