High school (grades 9-12) · Denver, CO

West High School

Federal NCES profile for West High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.

2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 080336006551
0/100100/10046/100
👥 S:T ratio
56
📚 AP courses
10
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
48
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

West High School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% of Colorado schools.

#15 of 45
high schools in Denver · Resource Index
46
Resource Index · Typical
11:1
small classes for Colorado
84.8%
free-lunch eligible

West High School has class sizes smaller than 88% of Colorado schools. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, West High School ranks #15 of 45 high schools in Denver, CO.

Enrollment

519

Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

47.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

11:1

vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg

-34% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

84.8%

vs 38.5% Colorado avg

+120% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How West High School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians

Smaller classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at West High School

West High School is a high-poverty, mid-sized high school in Denver, Colorado, enrolling 519 students.

Classes run notably small here: at 11:1, West High School is leaner than roughly 88% of Colorado schools and 34% under the state's 16.6:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.

Economic need is high: 84.8% of students qualify for free meals, 120% above the Colorado average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.

Enrollment of 519 puts it in the larger third of Colorado schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,922 scored Colorado schools.

Among 106 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Colorado schools statewide, it ranks #6, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 25/100).

On the academic-pipeline side it reports 2 Advanced Placement courses.

Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 260 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.

The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.

School District No. 1 in the County of Denver and State of C also operates East High School (2,476 students) and Northfield High School (2,137 students) alongside West High School.

Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25

How West High School compares

West High School on the metrics families compare, against Colorado and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Colorado Colorado avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 11:1 ▼ 34% 16.6:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 84.8% ▲ 120% 38.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 519 top 27% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

11:1
Leaner classes than 83% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
519
Bigger than 64% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
84.8%
free-lunch eligible - 120% above the Colorado average of 38.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11:1
students per teacher - 34% below state mean
Top 12% in Colorado - lower ratio than 88% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$15,336
per pupil, district-wide - below Colorado avg of $16,273
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 260 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 30 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.

Overview

  • Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
  • Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
  • F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.

Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.

Student demographics

Hispanic or Latino 86.4%
African American 8.8%
White 2.3%
Asian 1.2%
Two or More 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 86.4% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 24.5/100

Simpson diversity index - at 24.5, West High School is less mixed than the Colorado school average of 47.1.

Programs

AP courses offered 2
Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for School District No. 1 in the County of Denver and State of C, which includes West High School.

$15,336
Per student
-6%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 70.4%
State 16.8%
Federal 12.8%

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.

How West High School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
East High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Northfield High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
South High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
North High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Thomas Jefferson High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to West High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

School District No. 1 In The County Of Denver And State Of C · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar high schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Colorado, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on West High School's federal record.

Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.

Frequently asked questions about West High School

How many students attend West High School?

West High School has 519 students enrolled. It is a high school in Denver, CO.

What is the student-teacher ratio at West High School?

The student-teacher ratio at West High School is 11:1, which is 34% lower than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 30% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at West High School?

84.8% of students at West High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of West High School?

The largest demographic group at West High School is Hispanic or Latino at 86.4% of enrollment, in Denver, CO.

What is the Resource Investment Index for West High School?

West High School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does West High School rank among high schools in Denver?

By Resource Investment Index, West High School ranks #15 of 45 high schools in Denver, CO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Denver on the city page.

Is West High School a good school?

West High School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% of Colorado schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.

What other schools are in School District No. 1 in the County of Denver and State of C?

Besides West High School, School District No. 1 in the County of Denver and State of C also operates East High School (2,476 students), Northfield High School (2,137 students), and South High School (1,950 students). See the School District No. 1 in the County of Denver and State of C district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.