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West High

Public Grades 9-12

34^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 533 Wisconsin High Schools

Better than 94% of Wisconsin high schools

Summary

West High is a grades 9–12 comprehensive high school at 30 Ash St in Madison, Wisconsin, serving 2,222 students in the Madison Metropolitan School District and ranking among the largest high schools in the area. What stands out most is the contrast between school and district: MMSD ranks 321st of 432 districts in Wisconsin (26th percentile, 1 star), while West High ranks 34th of 533 high schools in 2025–2026 (94th percentile, 5 stars).

Academically, West is strong. Its 2025–2026 10th-grade proficiency scores are 65.2 in Social Studies, 69.27 in English Language Arts, 63.53 in Math, and 62.61 in Science — roughly 17 to 21 points above district and state averages. Within MMSD, West is clearly the strongest comprehensive high school: Vel Phillips Memorial High School posts ELA 53.83, Math 49.39, Science 46.9, and Social Studies 43.94, and East High is lower still. The one nearby traditional comprehensive high school that clearly outperforms West in all four subjects is Middleton High (Social Studies 74.72, ELA 74.6, Math 69.6, Science 68.27), while Monona Grove High is lower than West in all four. West has stayed in roughly the top 10% of Wisconsin high schools for most of the past decade, improving from 47th to 34th this year though still below its 2020–2021 peak of 7th.

Other measures are more mixed. The graduation rate is 89.1%, above the district (84.6%) but below the state (92.0%) and well below Middleton (95.4%) and Monona Grove High (95.2%); the dropout rate is a low 1.3%. Chronic absenteeism is the biggest red flag at 37.8%, up from 17.8% in 2020–2021 and well above both the district (29.6%) and state (17.3%). West spends $17,499 per student, has a student–teacher ratio of 16.1, and serves a higher-poverty population (34.25% free/reduced lunch) than Middleton or Monona Grove, yet keeps scores close to Middleton's. Results vary by student group: special education students and male students rank among Wisconsin's best, and low-income students improved sharply from the 22nd to the 64th percentile, while English learner students and some other groups sit nearer the middle.

2,222

Students ?

16.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,499

Per pupil spending ?

34.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

30 Ash St
Madison, WI 53726-3995

(608) 204-4100

District: Madison Metropolitan School District

Feeder schools for West High:

Elementary:	Franklin Elementary
	Leopold Elementary
	Lincoln Elementary
	Midvale Elementary
	More...
	Randall Elementary School
	Shorewood Hills Elementary
	Thoreau Elementary
	Van Hise Elementary
Middle:	Cherokee Heights Middle
	Hamilton Middle
	James Wright Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

48.2%

Hispanic:

24.9%

African American:

10.4%

See top rated Wisconsin high schools

Compare West High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 88th percentile in 2016 → 94th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Wisconsin average (65% vs 46% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 6% of Wisconsin high schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 6 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (38% vs 17% Wisconsin)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school65%

District avg47%

Wisconsin avg46%

34^th of 533

Wisconsin public high schools ?

Top 6%▲ up 5 pts since 2016

From top 12% (2016) to top 6% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 7High Schools in the Madison Metropolitan School District

321^st of 432Madison Metropolitan School District among Wisconsin 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	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	88.4	34 of 533	93.6%	★★★★★
2025	83.6	47 of 431	89.1%	★★★★☆
2024	80.8	51 of 431	88.2%	★★★★☆
2023	86.8	39 of 415	90.6%	★★★★★
2022	89.7	26 of 391	93.4%	★★★★★
2021	96.9	7 of 390	98.2%	★★★★★
2019	92.8	17 of 400	95.8%	★★★★★
2018	89.8	23 of 410	94.4%	★★★★★
2017	86.0	36 of 410	91.2%	★★★★★
2016	84.6	48 of 408	88.2%	★★★★☆
2015	57.8	250 of 466	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2014	67.2	134 of 462	71.0%	★★★★☆
2013	71.8	95 of 457	79.2%	★★★★☆
2012	55.4	264 of 452	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2011	63.4	189 of 445	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2010	63.7	193 of 450	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2009	49.0	306 of 438	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2008	63.3	175 of 437	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2007	69.0	98 of 281	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2006	53.8	195 of 292	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2005	53.8	185 of 287	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2004	66.7	97 of 275	64.7%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	88.2	7 of 84	91.7%	★★★★★
2024	39.7	15 of 26	42.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.0	9 of 13	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.8	10 of 20	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	66.4	4 of 12	66.7%	★★★★☆
2019	41.8	7 of 18	61.1%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	67.8	25 of 71	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	73.5	16 of 57	71.9%	★★★★☆
2024	73.5	13 of 51	74.5%	★★★★☆
2022	64.6	19 of 48	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.9	21 of 44	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.9	23 of 51	54.9%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2021	69.6	5 of 23	78.3%	★★★★☆
2019	61.4	12 of 32	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	23.2	33 of 40	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	52.6	39 of 115	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.3	3 of 5	40.0%	★★★★☆
2023	30.5	1 of 1	0.0%	★★★★★
2022	78.2	1 of 2	50.0%	★★★★★
2019	37.7	2 of 2	0.0%	★★★★☆
2018	55.8	2 of 5	60.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	73.7	73 of 358	79.6%	★★★★☆
2024	74.1	68 of 353	80.7%	★★★★☆
2022	88.1	20 of 343	94.2%	★★★★★
2021	93.3	12 of 332	96.4%	★★★★★
2019	88.7	23 of 343	93.3%	★★★★★
2018	89.3	23 of 355	93.5%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	40.4	103 of 187	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	31.5	78 of 126	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	23.0	94 of 119	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.6	74 of 97	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.8	64 of 86	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.1	45 of 68	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.3	53 of 86	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.2	42 of 76	44.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	58.3	160 of 446	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	29.7	260 of 335	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.5	259 of 326	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.0	229 of 271	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.1	212 of 250	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	40.7	132 of 226	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.5	203 of 251	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.1	191 of 255	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	88.1	30 of 462	93.5%	★★★★★
2025	86.9	29 of 380	92.4%	★★★★★
2024	83.2	37 of 365	89.9%	★★★★★
2023	91.2	20 of 359	94.4%	★★★★★
2022	87.1	27 of 347	92.2%	★★★★★
2021	96.6	4 of 334	98.8%	★★★★★
2019	91.8	15 of 354	95.8%	★★★★★
2018	85.9	33 of 373	91.2%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	96.5	2 of 102	98.0%	★★★★★
2025	89.7	6 of 81	92.6%	★★★★★
2023	95.5	2 of 56	96.4%	★★★★★
2021	96.3	2 of 37	94.6%	★★★★★
2018	91.2	2 of 35	94.3%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	95.5	5 of 333	98.5%	★★★★★
2025	66.5	23 of 93	75.3%	★★★★☆
2024	52.5	40 of 95	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.0	15 of 55	72.7%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	97.8	2 of 344	99.4%	★★★★★
2025	97.7	3 of 285	98.9%	★★★★★
2024	95.0	6 of 300	98.0%	★★★★★
2023	95.9	12 of 271	95.6%	★★★★★
2022	97.7	5 of 269	98.1%	★★★★★
2021	99.5	1 of 266	99.6%	★★★★★
2019	99.4	2 of 266	99.2%	★★★★★
2018	99.3	2 of 261	99.2%	★★★★★

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)

White (2026)99th percentile+6 vs school

Special Education (2026)98th percentile+5 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)98th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2026)94th percentile~ school

African American (2026)92nd percentile~ school

Female (2025)80th percentile-9 vs school

Disabled (2021)78th percentile-20 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)66th percentile-28 vs school

Asian (2026)65th percentile-29 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)64th percentile-29 vs school

Hispanic (2026)45th percentile-49 vs school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts69%+21 vs state

Social Studies65%+17 vs state

Mathematics64%+21 vs state

Science63%+19 vs state

★

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Schools Near West High

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				ACT English Language Arts (2026)	ACT Mathematics (2026)	ACT Science (2026)	Forward Exam English Language Arts (2026)			Forward Exam Mathematics (2026)			Forward Exam Social Studies (2026)		Forward Exam Science (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ACT English Language Arts 10th Grade	ACT Mathematics 10th Grade	ACT Science 10th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 6th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 7th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 8th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 6th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 7th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 8th Grade	Forward Exam Social Studies 8th Grade	Forward Exam Social Studies 10th Grade	Forward Exam Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
West High	Public	9-12	30 Ash St	Madison	53726	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 204-4100	2,222	137	16.1	34.2%	1,072 (48.2%)	231 (10.4%)	553 (24.9%)	165 (7.4%)	1 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	177 (8.0%)	88.4	34^th of 533 public high schools	93.6%		83.6	47^th of 431 public high schools	89.1%	13	69.3	63.5	62.6								65.2		$17,499	$519	$16,980
Capital High	Public	9-12	3802 Regent St	Madison	53705	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 204-4220	129	15	8.6	84.5%	18 (14.0%)	57 (44.2%)	27 (20.9%)	7 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (15.5%)	2.3	524^th of 533 public high schools	1.7%					(n/a)	6.9	0.0	3.6								8.3		$25,317	$831	$24,485
Metro School	Public	6-12	115 W Doty St	Madison	53703	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 663-1634	12	6	2.0	41.7%	3 (25.0%)	3 (25.0%)	3 (25.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (25.0%)								(n/a)													$13,729	$490	$13,239
Innovative High	Public	9-12	1045 E Dayton St	Madison	53703	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 204-4220	138	18	7.8	72.5%	22 (15.9%)	64 (46.4%)	33 (23.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (12.3%)	30.2	407^th of 533 public high schools	23.6%					(n/a)	40.0	20.0	50.0								0.0		$12,178	$490	$11,688
Vel Phillips Memorial High School	Public	9-12	201 S Gammon Rd	Madison	53717	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 663-5990	2,004	127	15.7	42.4%	810 (40.4%)	306 (15.3%)	527 (26.3%)	172 (8.6%)	1 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	175 (8.7%)	62.4	205^th of 533 public high schools	61.5%		60.7	156^th of 431 public high schools	63.8%	49	53.8	49.4	46.9								43.9		$18,129	$521	$17,608
East High	Public	9-12	2222 E Washington Ave	Madison	53704	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 204-1600	1,643	106	15.4	57.9%	562 (34.2%)	371 (22.6%)	415 (25.3%)	112 (6.8%)	6 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	160 (9.7%)	53.3	268^th of 533 public high schools	49.7%		24.4	358^th of 431 public high schools	16.9%	90	51.5	38.7	43.3								42.4		$19,014	$780	$18,233
Middleton High	Public	9-12	2100 Bristol St	Middleton	53562	Dane County	Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 829-9660	2,303	150	15.3	17.8%	1,495 (64.9%)	112 (4.9%)	250 (10.9%)	278 (12.1%)	7 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	155 (6.7%)	93.8	18^th of 533 public high schools	96.6%		95.9	9^th of 431 public high schools	97.9%	9	74.6	69.6	68.3								74.7		$16,092	$436	$15,655
Clark Street Community School	Public, Charter	9-12	2100 Bristol Street	Middleton	53562	Dane County	Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District	Yes	No	No	No	(608) 829-9640	108	10	11.3	25.9%	79 (73.1%)	2 (1.9%)	7 (6.5%)	2 (1.9%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (11.1%)	59.4	226^th of 533 public high schools	57.6%		85.2	41^st of 431 public high schools	90.5%	185	51.7	24.1	51.9								70.6		$17,468	$402	$17,066
Shabazz-City High	Public	9-12	1601 N Sherman Ave	Madison	53704	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 204-2440	106	15	7.2	47.2%	57 (53.8%)	12 (11.3%)	16 (15.1%)	1 (0.9%)	2 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (9.4%)	31.8	394^th of 533 public high schools	26.1%		49.1	227^th of 431 public high schools	47.3%	167	23.8	9.5	19.1								72.7		$33,129	$490	$32,639
Monona Grove Liberal Arts	Public, Charter	6-12	5301 Monona Dr	Monona	53716	Dane County	Monona Grove School District	Yes	No	No	Yes	(608) 316-1924	93	9	10.6	26.9%	79 (84.9%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (9.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (5.4%)	75.7	101^st of 533 public high schools	81.1%					(n/a)	50.0	50.0	80.0	85.7	78.6	45.5	71.4	53.9	18.2	45.5	58.3	45.5	$19,313	$315	$18,999

Frequently Asked Questions about West High

Is West High a good school?

Yes. West High ranks in the top 6.4% of Wisconsin high schools.

What schools feed into West High?

West High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Franklin Elementary
Elementary : Leopold Elementary
Elementary : Lincoln Elementary
Elementary : Midvale Elementary
Elementary : Randall Elementary School
Elementary : Shorewood Hills Elementary
Elementary : Thoreau Elementary
Elementary : Van Hise Elementary
Middle : Cherokee Heights Middle
Middle : Hamilton Middle
Middle : James Wright Middle

What is the racial makeup of West High?

Students at West High are 48% White, 25% Hispanic, 10% African American, 8% Two or more races, 7% Asian, 1% Not Specified.

How many students attend West High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 2,222 students attended West High.

What district is West High in?

Madison Metropolitan School District

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Latest Wisconsin data All new data »

2025–26 ACT & Forward Exam scoresNewOct 1, 2026

2021–22 through 2024–25 school spending dataJul 16, 2026

2024–25 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesMar 5, 2026

2024–25 ACT & Forward Exam scoresSep 25, 2025

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