West Campus High School

West Campus High School is a public college preparatory magnet high school in Sacramento, California.[4] The school serves around 800 students in grades 9–12 in the Sacramento City Unified School District. It was founded as a satellite high school of the nearby Hiram W. Johnson High School in 1983, under the name Hiram Johnson West Campus, and separated from Hiram Johnson in the year 2000.[5] The high school officially opened on September 3, 2001. West Campus is known for sending the most graduates to college, and has been recognized for doing so by the Sacramento Bee in 2019.[6]

West Campus High School
Location
Map
5022 58th Street
Sacramento, California 95820

United States
Coordinates38°31′51″N 121°26′20″W / 38.530929°N 121.43888°W / 38.530929; -121.43888
Information
TypePublic secondary
Established2002
School districtSacramento City Unified School District
PrincipalJohn McMeekin
Teaching staff31.11 (on FTE basis)[1]
Grades9-12
Enrollment838[1] (2022-23)
Student to teacher ratio26.94[1]
Campus typeSuburban
Color(s)Cardinal and Grey   
Athletics conferenceCIF Sac-Joaquin Section[2]
Capital Valley Conference[3]
MascotWarriors[2]
Former nameHiram Johnson West Campus
WebsiteWest Campus High School

Academics

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West Campus offers a total of 14 AP (Advanced Placement) courses currently including AP Government, AP Biology, AP US History, AP Art, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Statistics, AP Spanish, AP French and more. Currently, West Campus offers one honors class, Honors English 10.[7] Elective courses include Advanced Art, Yearbook, Band, and Engineering.[8] West Campus provides courses that align with the "A-G requirements", which are mandatory for each student in order to graduate.[9]

Ranking

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In 2024 U.S. News evaluated West Campus at 99.2%, ranking it 142 in the nation (out of 17,655 ranked high schools), 17 in California, and 1 in the Sacramento Metro Area.[10]

Standardized Testing

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West Campus offers free SAT, PSAT, and AP exams to its students.[11] West Campus also places in the top 25% of all California high-schools in terms of standardized testing scores.[12]

Engineering Program

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West Campus is known for its 4-year engineering program, which is guided by Project Lead the Way [13] The 4-year program consists of these courses: Year 1 – Introduction to Engineering Design, Year 2 – Principles of Engineering, Year 3 – Civil Engineering & Architecture, and Year 4 – Engineering Design & Development.[14]

Clubs

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West Campus has more than thirty clubs and organizations. Among these are Body Improvement Club, Debate Club, Girls Who Code, Green Team, Key Club, Interact, Chinese Culture Club, Folklorico Club, California Scholarship Federation, NovaReach Medical Volunteering Club, Mathletes, Mental Health Club, National Honors Society, Quiz Bowl Club, WC Beautification Club, Fashion Club, Music Creation Club, Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA),[15] HOSA, Symphony Club, Green Team, Radio Club, MESA[16] and many others that allows students to spend some times with activities that interest them, whether new or old.[17] The prominent community service club, NHS, National Honors Society, offers students the chance of helping out in communities and improve multiple college admirable qualities. This worldwide organization founds its way into the small community of West Campus, and has allowed its students a way of achieving greatness in areas of leadership, character and service.[18] Another major club on campus, Interact, has been running at West Campus since the school's establishment and stands as the largest club on campus, with over 120 members. One major student organization includes Associated Student Body (ASB) where a group of elected students work together to create a better community at West Campus by leading a variety of events such as rallies and dances. There are 4 elected representative for each class, such as, President, Vice President, Senator, and Secretary. In addition, there are other officials, who represent the entire student body, for example, Rally Heads, Publicist, Treasurers, etc. .[19]

Sports

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There are a total of 18 sports that take place over the seasons of Fall, Winter, and Spring.[20] A few sports at West Campus include cheer, golf, soccer, basketball, cross country, track, baseball, softball, volleyball, wrestling, swim, and tennis. The high school has four soccer teams, four basketball teams, two baseball teams, two softball teams, two golf teams (men's and women's) [21] and several volleyball teams.[22] During the COVID-19 pandemic, practices were limited to voluntary outside conditioning.[23]

Music

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The West Campus music department consists of a music appreciation program, a marching band, a drumline, and color guard.[24] These groups are affiliated with the Northern California Band Association.[25]

Admission

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Enrollment is via application, including an essay, a mathematics session, and transcripts of grades 7 and 8 marks. When the number of acceptable applicants exceeds the number of available spaces, students are chosen via lottery. [26][27]

The Foundation for Excellence

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The West Campus Foundation for Excellence (WCFE)[28] is the school's parent-teacher organization that helps to provide for and improve the student community. They raise funds that go towards events, Yearbook, Drama, Band, athletics, college tours, classroom texts, and scholarships. They also coordinate with the Academic Student Body (ASB) with events such as staff appreciation lunch and senior breakfast. The organization does not require an application or a fee to join as of 2022.[29] Membership is open to all but the foundation encourages families to sign up for their newsletter.

Notable alumni

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COVID-19 response

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West Campus High School and other schools within the Sacramento City Unified School District shut down in-person classes as of March 2020, and adopted distance learning through Zoom, a video communications application.[31][32]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "West Campus". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "SJS League Alignment". CIF Sac-Joaquin Section. Archived from the original on 2008-03-05. Retrieved 2008-01-16.
  3. ^ "Capital Valley Conference Bylaws - Membership" (PDF). Capital Valley Conference. Retrieved 2008-01-16.
  4. ^ "CA Dept of Education". www.cde.ca.gov. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
  5. ^ "West Campus shines again in magazine's high school rankings". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
  6. ^ "West Campus Recognized for Sending Students to College". West Campus High School. 24 August 2019. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
  7. ^ "West Campus Academic Departments". West Campus High School. 24 August 2019. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
  8. ^ "Course Descriptions". West Campus. 24 August 2019. Retrieved 2021-03-15.
  9. ^ "West Campus Graduation Requirements". 24 August 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  10. ^ https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/california/districts/sacramento-city-unified-school-district/west-campus-high-school-3161. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  11. ^ "PSAT, SAT, and AP Tests". 24 August 2019.
  12. ^ "West Campus High School | 2016-17 Rankings | (Sacramento,)".
  13. ^ "PLTW".
  14. ^ "Engineering Department". 24 August 2019.
  15. ^ "West Campus GSA Instagram".
  16. ^ "WC MESA Club Instagram". Instagram. Retrieved 2020-03-15.
  17. ^ "West Campus Clubs". West Campus High School. 24 August 2019. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
  18. ^ "WC NHS". Instagram. Retrieved 2021-03-15.
  19. ^ "Student Organizations". West Campus High School. 24 August 2019. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
  20. ^ "Athletic Teams". West Campus High School. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
  21. ^ "Congratulations to Girls Golf Team". 24 August 2019.
  22. ^ "Athletics Department". 24 August 2019.
  23. ^ "Return to Athletics". 24 August 2019.
  24. ^ "Band and Color Guard". West Campus High School. 24 August 2019. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
  25. ^ "Northern California Band Association 2019 Del Oro Spectacular" (PDF). Northern California Band Association. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
  26. ^ "West Campus". Sacramento City Unified School District. 4 October 2016. Retrieved 2021-03-14.
  27. ^ "High School Specialty Program". Sacramento City Unified School District. 4 October 2016. Retrieved 2021-03-15.
  28. ^ "WCFE". West Campus Foundation for Excellence. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  29. ^ "WCFE About Page". Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  30. ^ Meyer, Carla (2015). "Sacramento-grown actor arrives as 'The Boy Next Door'". The Sacramento Bee. ISSN 0890-5738. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
  31. ^ Mass public school closures in Sacramento region as officials try to slow coronavirus spread, Sacramento Bee News, retrieved 2021-03-13
  32. ^ Distance Learning, West Campus High School, retrieved 2021-03-15
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