Westwood High School (Austin, Texas)

Westwood High School (abbreviated WHS) is a public, four-year secondary school in the Anderson Mill neighborhood, Austin, Texas, and is part of the Round Rock Independent School District.

Westwood High School
Address
12400 Mellow Meadow Drive

Austin
,
Texas
78750

United States
Coordinates30°27′20″N 97°47′51″W
Information
TypeHigh School
Established1981
School districtRound Rock Independent School District
PrincipalMario Acosta
Teaching staff165.68 (2018-2019 FTE)[1]
Grades9 - 12
Enrollment2,756 (2018–19)[1]
Student to teacher ratio16.63 (2018-2019)[1]
Color(s)   Burnt orange & White
MascotWarriors
Websitewestwood.roundrockisd.org
[2]

In 2013, Westwood was ranked the 57th best high school in the nation and the 8th best high school in Texas by Newsweek and The Daily Beast.[3] Children at Risk ranked Westwood as the number 2 public high school in Austin in 2012.

Westwood offers honors and Advanced Placement courses to all students and further houses a district level International Baccalaureate magnet program. This combination of honors, AP and IB courses supports not only a robust college matriculation rate but also imparts a college preparatory element to upper division courses. As of the 2012-2013 school year, the school had an enrollment of 2582 students and 162.34 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student-teacher ratio of 15.9.[2] In April 2016, there were 2,666 students enrolled at Westwood High School.[4]

Demographics

The demographic breakdown of the 2,582 students enrolled for the 2012-2013 school year was:[2]

  • Male - 50.8%
  • Female - 49.2%
  • Native American/Alaskan - 0.3%
  • Asian/Pacific islander - 28.6%
  • Black - 2.8%
  • Hispanic - 14.3%
  • White - 49.5%
  • Multiracial - 4.5%

In addition, 12.4% of the population was eligible for free or reduced lunch.

The demographic breakdown of the 2582 students enrolled for the 2016-2017 school year was:[5]

  • Native American/Alaskan - 0.5%
  • Asian/Pacific islander - 30.8%
  • African American - 4%
  • Hispanic - 16.6%
  • White - 43.6%
  • Two or more races - 4.6%

Academics

In the class of 2009, 73% of Westwood seniors took at least one Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) exam, averaging 5.1 exams per test taker, with a participant pass rate of 91.2%.[6] For the class of 2010, the mean composite SAT score was 1801 out of 2400, and the mean ACT score was 26.4.[7] In 2013, Westwood produced 50 National Merit Semifinalists, one of the highest numbers in the nation.[8] Westwood has also produced USAMO qualifiers as well as physics and chemistry olympiad semifinalists.

Advanced Placement

Westwood offers 25 AP classes.[9] Several IB classes at Westwood are coordinated with AP classes in the form of AP/IB classrooms, providing students with the benefits of both programs.

International Baccalaureate

Westwood is also home to a school district wide International Baccalaureate diploma program which operates under its own admissions process.

Academy Program

Westwood's Academy Program allows students to explore interests in different fields. It is divided into five areas of study: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM); Business and Industry; Visual and Performing Arts; Health Sciences; and Public Service.

Clubs and organizations

Robotics Club

Starting in 2005, the robotics team (The RoboWarriors) has participated in several competitions, primarily FRC (FIRST Robotics Competition) (Team #2583) and BEST (Boosting Engineering, Science, and Technology)(Team #268). In 2014, the RoboWarriors took second place at regional BEST and moved onto state, along with the award for "The Most Aesthetically Pleasing Robot." In 2015, the RoboWarriors hosted BEST at Westwood, and won first place in exhibit, marketing, and overall, and also took home the "Best Youtube Video" award, along with moving onto state. During FRC, the RoboWarriors made it to semifinals on an alliance led by team 1477, Texas Torque, and team 2158, the AusTin Cans. At the same competition they took home the "Entrepreneurship Award".[10]

Chess Club

From 2007 to 2009, Westwood has ranked among the top three high schools in the state in the annual Texas Scholastic Chess Championships, the largest such tournament in Texas; in 2007 Westwood tied for first. In the 2005 Texas State Grade & Collegiate chess tournament, a Westwood student tied for first in the 12th grade sections. Westwood won first place in the 11th grade section of the 2008 Texas State Grade & Collegiate tournament.

In 2009 Westwood traveled to the National Scholastic K-12 Championship, where the 10th grade team won first and the 12th grade team tied for first; the 9th and 11th grade teams placed third and fourth in their sections respectively.[11]

Journalism Department

Westwood's journalism department includes newspaper, yearbook, photojournalism, and Journalism 1 class. The 2006 yearbook won the top Columbia Scholastic Press Association award, the first time in Westwood history.

Varsity Tennis Team

Westwood's Varsity Tennis team is the most successful athletic program in the school's history winning two of the three total State Titles the school has won. These two wins have come in 2018 and 2020 respectively under Coach Travis Dalrymple, who revitalized his team and brought them 11 straight district titles and 2 state titles. The Westwood Varsity Tennis team is ranked number one in the state of Texas.

Feeder Patterns

Two middle schools feed into this school:[12]

Six elementary schools feed into this school:[12]

It is also possible for students attending other schools in the district to enroll in this high school through the IB Academy or Fine Arts Academy, unless either of the two programs are offered at their home school.

Notable alumni

References
  1. "WESTWOOD H S". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  2. "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for Westwood H S". ed.gov. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  3. 2013 America's Best High Schools - Newsweek Archived May 8, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  4. "RRISD Enrollment Reports". RRISD Enrollment Reports. Round Rock ISD. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  5. "Westwood High School". Texas Public Schools. 2015-12-08. Retrieved 2019-08-07.
  6. , US News and World Report. Accessed December 17, 2013.
  7. (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20110105110845/http://schools.roundrockisd.org/Westwood/documents/WHS%20School%20Profile.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 5, 2011. Retrieved March 5, 2011. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. . Accessed March 10, 2014.
  9. APBooklet2013-14
  10. team2583.org
  11. ""2009 National Scholastic K-12 Championship Results"
  12. School Tracking Chart, Round Rock ISD. Archived July 24, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  13. "Clevlen sees old friend at park". MLB.com. May 15, 2010. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  14. Cantu, Rick (May 6, 2014). "Bratcher, Westwood's only baseball coach, retires after 33 seasons". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  15. Hoch, Bryan (February 27, 2014). "Johnson: Teaming with Jeter is amazing". MLB.com. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  16. Blackstock, Peter. "SXSW adds Austin-raised songwiter Savan Kotecha as a featured speaker". Austin360. Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  17. "Savan Kotecha Scholarships". Westwood High School Choirs. Westwood High School. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  18. Luddington, Camilla [@camilluddington] (27 July 2013). "lived in Austin when I was 14 for a yr. Travis county.westwood High school" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 10 May 2018 – via Twitter.
  19. Shapiro, Sean (May 6, 2013). "Vera set for bout with Chavez Jr. in August". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
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