High school (grades 9-12) · Columbus, OH

West High School

Federal NCES profile for West High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.

2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 390438000733
0/100100/10034/100
👥 S:T ratio
36
📚 AP courses
5
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
58
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

West High School earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Ohio median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Ohio schools.

#11 of 44
high schools in Columbus · Resource Index
34
Resource Index · Typical
16:1
students per teacher
846
students enrolled

West High School has class sizes near the Ohio median. Computed live against every Ohio school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, West High School ranks #11 of 44 high schools in Columbus, OH.

Enrollment

846

Ohio · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

53.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

16:1

vs 18.2:1 Ohio avg

-12% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How West High School compares with Ohio 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 large high school in Columbus, Ohio, enrolling 846 students.

Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 16:1 puts it in the smaller third of Ohio schools by student-teacher ratio.

By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Ohio, bigger than 91% of state schools at 846 students.

Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,574 scored Ohio schools.

Its student body is led by African American (38%) and Hispanic or Latino (36%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 70/100).

On the academic-pipeline side it reports 1 Advanced Placement course.

Counselor coverage is strong, about 212 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 83.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

The surrounding Columbus City Schools District spends $20,324 per pupil, 39% above the Ohio average, a better-resourced district than most.

Its district draws 18.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Discipline events run high: 295 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 846 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.

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

Among Columbus's high schools, it stands alongside Worthington Kilbourne High School (1,623 students): West High School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16:1 vs 20.8:1).

Columbus City Schools District also operates Northland High School (1,029 students) and Whetstone High School (1,017 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 Ohio and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Ohio Ohio avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 16:1 ▼ 12% 18.2:1 15.7:1
Enrollment 846 top 9% - -

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

16:1
Leaner classes than 38% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
846
Bigger than 87% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Staffing depth
16:1
students per teacher - 12% below state mean
Top 37% in Ohio - lower ratio than 63% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
83.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$20,324
per pupil, district-wide - above Ohio avg of $14,655
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 212 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
151
in-school suspensions + 144 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 17.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 34.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 22 expulsions.

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

African American 37.6%
Hispanic or Latino 35.5%
White 18.0%
Two or More 7.4%
Asian 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%

Largest group: African American at 37.6% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 69.5/100

Simpson diversity index - at 69.5, West High School is more mixed than the Ohio school average of 35.3.

Programs

AP courses offered 1
Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Columbus City Schools District, which includes West High School.

$20,324
Per student
+39%
vs Ohio
Avg $14,655
+22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 61.4%
State 19.7%
Federal 18.9%

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
Northland High School Similar size No free-lunch data Similar S:T ratio
Whetstone High School Similar size No free-lunch data Higher S:T ratio
Briggs High School Similar size No free-lunch data Higher S:T ratio
South High School Similar size No free-lunch data Similar S:T ratio
Independence High School Similar size No free-lunch data 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

Columbus City Schools District · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar high schools in Columbus

6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.

Similar high schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Ohio, 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 846 students enrolled. It is a high school in Columbus, OH.

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

The student-teacher ratio at West High School is 16:1, which is 12% lower than the Ohio average of 18.2:1 and 2% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.

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

The largest demographic group at West High School is African American at 37.6% of enrollment, in Columbus, OH. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 69.5/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for West High School?

West High School has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

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

By Resource Investment Index, West High School ranks #11 of 44 high schools in Columbus, OH. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Columbus on the city page.

Is West High School a good school?

West High School earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Ohio median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Ohio 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 Columbus City Schools District?

Besides West High School, Columbus City Schools District also operates Northland High School (1,029 students), Whetstone High School (1,017 students), and Briggs High School (956 students). See the Columbus City Schools District 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.