How safe is the school, really — beyond what the marketing says?
Based on Niche’s student survey and state attendance data, we found no report of a lockdown or serious incident at West High: 83% of the 53 students who answered Niche’s survey say they feel safe, and out-of-school suspension accounts for 0.7% of absence days in 2025.
| Record | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Student survey | 83% of 53 respondents feel safe; 70% like school and feel happy there | Niche (undated) |
| Suspension and absence | 0.7% of absence days were out-of-school suspension; students averaged 7.6 days absent | State data, 2025 |
| Support on campus | 4 counselors and 1 dean; the home page links “Say Something” anonymous tips and mental-health resources | School pages |
Fifty-three respondents is a small sample and Niche gives it no date. A news search is not a police record: we found no incident report, suspension count, expulsion count or climate-survey result for West High, because the state report card and the school’s accountability report could not be opened.
Ask the school what its safety team reviewed this year, how a student reports a concern, and how the counselors and the dean divide the work.
How do students perform on state assessments in reading and math?
Based on California’s CAASPP results, 77.6% of the West High students tested were proficient in English language arts and 60.0% in math in 2025, up from 48.5% in math in 2023, and 57.4% were proficient in science.
| Measure | 2025 | Earlier |
|---|---|---|
| English language arts, proficient | 77.6% of 419 tested | 77.9% in 2023; 74.5% in 2024 |
| Math, proficient | 60.0% of 418 tested | 48.5% in 2023; 52.6% in 2024 |
| Science, proficient | 57.4% of 430 tested | Not found |
| Grade 11 at “Exceeded” | 45.8% in English; 36.1% in math | Not found |
Low-income students were 69.2% proficient in English and 48.7% in math in 2025, against 80.9% and 64.5% for other students; English learners were 23.3% and 20.7%. Public School Review shows 48% in math (2023) and 73% in reading (2022) for the same school on different years, and Niche shows 78% and 60% for 2024–25, so the series do not always agree.
Ask the school how it supports students who are not yet proficient in math, and which of those supports a student aiming at engineering or computing would use.
How qualified and stable are the teachers — credentials, average tenure, turnover?
Based on the school’s own page, West High has 84 certificated faculty, the majority with a master’s degree, plus 4 counselors and 1 dean; the state’s 2024 figures show 72.3 teaching FTE with 89.2% holding a clear credential, and we found no figure for how long teachers stay.
| Measure | What we found | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Certificated faculty | 84, the majority with a master’s degree; 4 counselors and 1 dean | School About page |
| Teaching FTE | 71.8 in 2024–25; 72.3 in 2023–24; 73.9 in 2022–23; 81.3 in 2017–18 | AllK12 |
| Credentials, 2024 | 89.2% clear; 4.7% out of field; 4.7% incomplete authorization; 0.0% intern | WhatSchool, from state data |
| Class size and ratio | Average class size 30; 25 students per teacher | School About page; CalSchoolTrends |
| Early-career teachers | 2.3% in their first or second year; teachers graded A | Niche |
The 84 is a headcount from the school and the FTE is the state’s count, and we cannot reconcile the two. AllK12 notes that teachers fell 12% (81.3 to 71.8 FTE) while students fell 13% (2,031 to 1,775) since 2017–18. Niche’s grade is opinion and not a measure.
Ask the school how many of its teachers have been there five years or more, how many positions it is filling this year, and how many teach outside the subject they are credentialed in.
What’s the graduation rate, and how college-ready are graduates?
Based on California Department of Education figures, 97.0% of West High’s 470-student cohort graduated in four years in 2025, 71.9% completed the A–G courses that UC and CSU require, and 85.5% of the 477 completers in the class of 2023 enrolled in college within 12 months.
| Measure | What we found | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Four-year graduation | 97.0% of 470 (2025); 95% on Niche | State data; Niche |
| A–G completion | 71.9% (2025) | State data |
| College within 12 months, class of 2023 | 85.5% of 477: 229 community college, 62 CSU, 54 UC, 45 out of state | State data |
| Seal of Biliteracy | 26.8% (2025) | State data |
| SAT and ACT | SAT 1330 (341 responses); ACT 30 (119 responses); 30% enrolled in AP | Niche |
| Financial-aid forms | 375 of 379 submitted for 2026–27, as of 7 August 2026 | State data |
The school says its graduation rate “nears 100%” and its A–G rate is “nearing 70%”; the state figures are 97.0% and 71.9%. Niche’s SAT and ACT figures come from self-reported responses and are not a count of test-takers. The state does not itemise every destination, so the four segments above are a partial breakdown.
Ask the school where the class of 2026 enrolled, how many earned college credit while in high school, and what share of graduates took the SAT or ACT.
Which future-critical STEM fields is this school genuinely strong in—and which ones are major gaps?
Robotics is the one field in the Excellent band at West High, at Level 4 (advanced); AI and data, biotechnology, computer science and Earth systems are Weak at Level 2 (thin); clean energy, aerospace and advanced manufacturing are Weak at Level 1 (lacking); and cybersecurity and battery storage are Weak at Level 0 (absent). The review’s overall readiness figure is 45/100, which reads Weak.
| Field | Provision | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Robotics | Advanced | 4.0/5 |
| AI & data | Thin | 2.0/5 |
| Biotechnology | Thin | 2.0/5 |
| Computer science | Thin | 2.0/5 |
| Earth systems | Thin | 2.0/5 |
| Clean energy | Lacking | 1.0/5 |
| Aerospace | Lacking | 1.0/5 |
| Advanced manufacturing | Lacking | 1.0/5 |
| Cybersecurity | Absent | 0.0/5 |
| Battery storage | Absent | 0.0/5 |
Level 4 means sustained progression into sophisticated projects and competitions. Robotics reaches it through Team 5124, the Los Angeles Regional winner in 2017 and 2025 with a FIRST Championship berth each time, and a Project Lead The Way engineering pathway offered through the school’s Career Technical Education department. No other field rests on more than an elective or an Advanced Placement course: Statistics and Computer Science Principles, AP Environmental Science, and a Biotechnology elective beside AP Biology.
No exam result, certification count or student count was found for any field, and one of fifteen future-critical domains reaches Level 3 or above. The readiness figure is 5 points below the Developing line. Ask the counselors which of these courses run this year.
How strong is it in robotics, engineering and hands-on problem solving?
Based on FIRST’s event records, West High’s team, West Torrance Robotics (Team 5124), entered events in each of the eight seasons we checked (2017 to 2019 and 2022 to 2026), won the Los Angeles Regional in 2017 and again in 2025, played at the FIRST Championship after each win, and finished as a District Event Finalist at San Gabriel Valley in 2026; the school’s pathways page adds a Project Lead The Way engineering sequence.
| Item | What we found | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Team | Team 5124, rookie year 2014; the district lists FIRST Robotics Competition and FIRST Tech Challenge since 2014 | FIRST; district CTE spotlight |
| Regional wins | Los Angeles Regional 2017 (Alliance 1 captain, playoffs 6–2) and 2025 (Alliance 1) | FIRST |
| Championship | Houston 2017, Turing subdivision (61st of 67); Newton Division 2025 (50th of 75) | FIRST |
| Recent seasons | No awards in 2022, 2023 or 2024; 7th of 42 at the 2022 Los Angeles Regional; in 2026, 30th of 42 at Los Angeles and 21st of 29 at San Gabriel Valley | FIRST |
| Engineering sequence | Introduction to Engineering Design with Biology, Principles of Engineering with Chemistry, then Physics with AP Computer Science, and an elective such as Engineering Design and Development | School pathways page |
| Other teams | Science Olympiad, Academic Decathlon and Speech and Debate are listed as competitive teams; no Science Olympiad result found | School presentation, 2024 |
The team is an activity and not a course: we found no robotics class, and the district’s engineering flyer is headed “Courses Vary by School.” FIRST’s 2018 and 2019 pages carry a staging-mode warning, so we do not rely on them; the district says the team qualified for the World Championship in 2019–20, and FIRST’s 2019 page lists the championship without results. Two West students’ designs for Torrance’s Rose Parade floats are in the integrated-learning record of our review.
Ask how many students are on the team, who advises it and what it costs a family, and which Project Lead The Way courses run this year.
Do students get access to advanced coursework, specialist electives and serious competitions?
Based on the College Board’s 2025–26 list, West High is authorized to teach 20 Advanced Placement subjects, among them Biology, Chemistry, Physics 1, Environmental Science, Computer Science Principles, Statistics, Precalculus and Calculus AB and BC; the school’s pathways page adds Biotechnology, Astrobiology and Anatomy as science electives, and the district says West offers dual enrollment but no Early College program.
| Measure | What we found | Source |
|---|---|---|
| AP, authorized 2025–26 | Biology, Chemistry, Physics 1, Environmental Science, Computer Science Principles, Statistics, Precalculus, Calculus AB and BC, among 20 subjects | College Board, via SchoolScope |
| Honors | Honors versions of the mathematics sequence; Biology and Chemistry Honors need approval and readiness requirements | School pathways page |
| Science electives | Anatomy, Biotechnology, Astrobiology, AP Environmental Science, Physics, Earth Science, Marine Science | School pathways page |
| College credit | Dual enrollment offered at West and at South High; Early College is at North High and Torrance High | District FAQ |
| Competitions | FIRST Robotics (above); the Academic Decathlon team won the Los Angeles County title in 2019 | FIRST; district news, 2019 |
| AP results | No exam scores or pass rates found; 30% of students enrolled in AP | Niche |
The list shows authorization and not a count of sections, and it names no Honors course. The school says it offers “over 45 Honors and Advanced Placement courses”; the current course catalog could not be read, so our review sets that claim beside what could be counted. The Academic Decathlon result is from 2019 and no later result was found.
Ask the school which advanced math, science and computer-science sections run this year, and what its most recent AP results were.
Does STEM translate into recognised qualifications, university preparation and credible next-step pathways?
Based on district and state records, 832 West High students took part in career technical education in 2025 and 41.7% completed a pathway; the district’s engineering program of study lists El Camino College credit for its Project Lead The Way courses and the school offers dual enrollment, and we found no count of students who earned college credit or an industry credential.
| Route | What it offers | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering | Project Lead The Way courses marked for El Camino College credit; Precision Exams in Engineering Principles 1 and CAD Mechanical Design 1; an Aero-Flex pre-apprenticeship | District program of study (rev. 2020) |
| Career technical education | 832 participants and 41.7% completing a pathway (2025) | State data |
| Student organisations | Two students were FBLA state finalists and national qualifiers in 2021–22; FCCLA placings in 2022–23 | District CTE spotlight |
| Dual enrollment | Offered at West; no Early College program | District FAQ |
| University preparation | A–G completion 71.9% (2025); 85.5% enrolled in college within 12 months (class of 2023) | State data |
| Credential results | Counts of students certified or earning college credit | None found |
The engineering program of study is a district document revised in 2020 and carries no school-by-school mapping, so it shows what the pathway can earn and not what West High students did earn. The school’s pathways page says the Project Lead The Way sequence is offered through its Career Technical Education department.
Ask the counselors which Project Lead The Way and dual-enrollment courses carry El Camino College credit at West this year, how many students earned it last year, and how the school’s College and Careers Newsletter lists next steps.
Will your child be ready for jobs that don’t exist yet?
Here’s what the evidence actually shows for West High — not what the brochure claims.
45/100 — Weak overall. West High’s robotics is advanced: Team 5124 won the Los Angeles Regional in 2017 and again in 2025, reached the FIRST Championship after each win, and has entered regional or district events in every season from 2022 to 2026, alongside a Project Lead The Way engineering pathway offered through the school’s Career Technical Education department.
But: cybersecurity and battery storage are absent, and clean energy is lacking.
Best positioned forRobotics
Underdeveloped inCybersecurity, Batteries, Clean Energy
Future-critical exposure1/15 domains
Very strong
- None
Strong
- Robotics
Limited
- None
Little / no pathway
- AI & Data
- Biotechnology
- Computer Science
- Earth & Geospatial
- Clean Energy
- Aerospace
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Cybersecurity
- Batteries
Best fit for
Less ideal for
Where the marketing exceeds the evidence
No 1984 state designation identified.
No list reaching 45 Honors and AP courses identified.
Where the school is stronger than its marketing suggests
No robotics course identified.
Curriculum
- AP Statistics, AP Precalculus and AP Computer Science Principles, on the College Board’s 2025–26 authorization list for the school
- A mathematics sequence of Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2 and Precalculus or Trigonometry, each regular or Honors
Evidence seen
- The school’s mathematics and science pathways page
- The College Board list as relayed by SchoolScope; authorization shows a course may be taught, not that a section ran
What's missing
- No artificial-intelligence, machine-learning or data-science course identified
- No data or AI club, competition or project found
- The current course catalog could not be read
Evidence seen
- The school’s mathematics and science pathways page, the College Board AP list, and the district’s CTE spotlight and engineering pathway pages: none names a cybersecurity, networking or digital-safety course
- Searches under the school’s name for CyberPatriot and cybersecurity clubs; the district’s CyberPatriot results are listed for South High
What's missing
- No cybersecurity course identified
- No club, CyberPatriot or capture-the-flag record found
Curriculum
- Team 5124, West Torrance Robotics (rookie year 2014): Los Angeles Regional winner in 2017 and 2025, each followed by a FIRST Championship berth, and District Event Finalist at San Gabriel Valley in 2026
- The Project Lead The Way engineering pathway, offered through the school’s Career Technical Education department: Introduction to Engineering Design with Biology, Principles of Engineering with Chemistry, and Engineering Design and Development as an elective
- The district’s CTE spotlight lists the team in FIRST Robotics and FIRST Tech Challenge since 2014
Evidence seen
- FIRST event records for Team 5124, seasons 2017 to 2026
- The school’s mathematics and science pathways page and the district’s CTE spotlight
What's missing
- No robotics course identified; the team is listed as an activity
- No awards at the 2022, 2023 or 2024 events; in 2026 the team ranked 30th of 42 at Los Angeles and 21st of 29 at San Gabriel Valley
- No FIRST Tech Challenge result found
- FIRST’s 2018 and 2019 pages carry a staging-mode warning, so those results are not relied on
Curriculum
- AP Environmental Science, listed as an 11th-grade science elective
Evidence seen
- The school’s mathematics and science pathways page and the College Board AP list
What's missing
- No solar, wind, grid or energy-systems course identified
- No clean-energy project, club or competition found
Curriculum
- Biotechnology, named as an 11th-grade science elective beside AP Biology, AP Chemistry and Anatomy
- Biology and Chemistry, each with an Honors option that needs approval and completion of readiness requirements
Evidence seen
- The school’s mathematics and science pathways page
What's missing
- No course description, syllabus or laboratory record for the Biotechnology elective found
- No science-fair, ISEF or iGEM result found
Creativity cannot be graded the way a course can. It can only be evidenced through what students made.
| Criterion | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Art + technology | ||||
| Design | ||||
| Architecture | ||||
| Engineering design | ||||
| Media / digital production | ||||
| Maker learning | ||||
| Interdisciplinary projects |
One artefact runs for three years or more. 2023, 2024 and 2025 are level, each at 2 of 7 criteria.
The record — 3 artefacts
In FIRST Robotics Competition a team designs, builds and programs its own robot for each season’s game. Team 5124 entered events in all four years: the Los Angeles and Aerospace Valley Regionals in 2023 (21st of 36 at Aerospace Valley, on Alliance 7), the Hueneme Port and Orange County Regionals in 2024, the Los Angeles Regional in 2025 (24th of 43, then winner with Alliance 1) followed by the FIRST Championship, and the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley district events in 2026 (District Event Finalist at San Gabriel Valley).
FIRST Robotics Competition event records · frc-events.firstinspires.org
The City of Torrance’s entry in the 2025 Tournament of Roses Parade was inspired by artwork by a student at West High School; the city chooses its float design through a contest open to Torrance high school students, and the entry was reported on 16 December 2024.
KTLA 5 News · ktla.com · 16 December 2024 · Palos Verdes Pulse · palosverdespulse.com · 29 December 2024
A West High student’s drawing was one of 16 entered in the Torrance Rose Float Association’s design contest, open to students at all five Torrance Unified high schools. It shows baby birds calling to their mother, who answers with a song; the Tournament of Roses Association board and the float builder chose it unanimously in March 2023, and the City of Torrance approved the drawing and its rendering on 18 May 2023 for the 1 January 2024 parade.
KTLA 5 News · digital-release.ktla.com · 2 August 2023
Nothing found for
No student work was found evidencing these. For a school this well documented, an unrecorded programme is unlikely to be a large one.
What a family should ask about directly
- Cybersecurity and battery storage are absent, clean energy, aerospace and advanced manufacturing are lacking, and AI, biotechnology, computer science and Earth systems are thin: no course, club or competition was identified in them. Ask the counselors whether any elective, club or unit covers them.
- Robotics is the strongest field, and its record is a club: Team 5124 won regionals in 2017 and 2025 and no awards in 2022, 2023 or 2024. Ask whether robotics is offered as a class, how many students take part, and what it costs a family.
- The Project Lead The Way pathway is named on the school’s pathways page, while the district’s engineering flyer is headed “Courses Vary by School.” Ask which PLTW courses are running this year and whether El Camino College credit applies; the district says West offers dual enrollment but no Early College program.
- The College Board lists AP Computer Science Principles for the school and a 2021–22 federal count lists no computer science classes. Ask which computing courses run, and how many students take them.
- The district’s course catalog and West’s bell schedule could not be read. Ask for the current course book, the zero-period options and the Tuesday late-start times.
- CAASPP mathematics proficiency was 60.0% in 2025, up from 48.5% in 2023, and Niche lists 83% of the 53 students surveyed as feeling safe. Ask for the current state report-card figures and how mathematics support works for a student aiming at engineering or computing.
| Domain | Evidence class | Key sources |
|---|---|---|
| AI & Data | School-reported | School mathematics and science pathways page; College Board 2025–26 AP list (Statistics, Precalculus, Computer Science Principles); no AI, machine-learning or data-science course or competition record found |
| Cybersecurity | Unsubstantiated | No cybersecurity course, club or competition found; the district’s CyberPatriot results are South High’s |
| Robotics | Officially recorded | FIRST event records for Team 5124 (2017–2026); district CTE spotlight; school pathways page (Project Lead The Way); no robotics course found |
| Clean Energy | School-reported | School pathways page (AP Environmental Science); no energy course or project found |
| Computer Science | Corroborated | College Board AP list (Computer Science Principles); school pathways page (AP Computer Science in the engineering pathway); 2021–22 federal count of computer science classes: none; no computing club or competition result found |
| Earth & Geospatial | School-reported | School pathways page (Earth Science, Marine Science, AP Environmental Science); College Board AP list (Human Geography); no geospatial or GIS course found |
| Aerospace | School-reported | School pathways page (Astrobiology elective); the district’s engineering pathway names Aerospace Engineering but is headed “Courses Vary by School”; no aerospace club or competition found |
| Advanced Manufacturing | School-reported | School pathways page (Project Lead The Way engineering pathway); the district flyer names fabrication equipment but is headed “Courses Vary by School”; no West equipment record found |
| Batteries & Energy Storage | Unsubstantiated | No battery or energy-storage course, club or competition found |
| Biotechnology | School-reported | School pathways page (Biotechnology elective, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, Anatomy); no course description or laboratory record found |
Academics
Academic strength partnered with formative student connections and supports.
We are committed to providing all students the opportunity to engage in a meaningful and caring environment, and we offer a variety of courses to meet this commitment. Below are our course sequences, our engineering pathway and our programmes, as our school pages describe them.
Honors & Advanced Placement
We offer over 45 Honors and Advanced Placement courses, and we ask students to make a year-long commitment when they enroll in one.
- AP Biology and AP Chemistry
- AP Environmental Science and AP Physics
- AP Computer Science, alongside Physics in our engineering pathway
- An AP/Honors Year-Long Commitment Contract
- Dual enrollment courses on our campus, though we do not have an Early College program
Mathematics
Our standard sequence runs from Algebra 1 in ninth grade to Precalculus and Trigonometry in twelfth.
- Algebra 1 in ninth grade
- Geometry in tenth grade
- Algebra 2 in eleventh grade
- Precalculus/Trigonometry in twelfth grade
Science
We offer laboratory science from Biology, Chemistry and Physics through Advanced Placement and a range of electives.
- Anatomy and Biotechnology
- AP Biology and AP Chemistry
- Astrobiology and AP Environmental Science
- Physics and AP Physics
- Earth Science and Marine Science
Engineering with Project Lead The Way
The Project Lead the Way engineering pathway is offered through our Career Technical Education Department.
- Biology alongside Introduction to Engineering Design
- Chemistry alongside Principles of Engineering
- Physics alongside AP Computer Science
- Electives: AP Chemistry, Astrobiology, AP Physics or Engineering Design & Development
Career & Technical Education
We offer Career and Technical Education pathways, and our students compete through career and technical student organizations.
- West Torrance Robotics has competed in the FIRST Robotics Competition and FIRST Tech Challenge since 2014
- In 2019–20 our robotics team competed in the Los Angeles Regional Finals and qualified for the World Championship
- FBLA: two of our students qualified as state finalists and national qualifiers in Sports and Entertainment Management in 2021–22, and others were recognized in Economics and Accounting in 2023–24
- FCCLA: our students placed in Fashion Design, Job Interview and Interior Design in 2022–23
Fine & Performing Arts
We offer visual and performing art programs, and we were recognized as a 2019 California Exemplary Arts Program School.
- Band, Drumline and Color Guard
- Drama and Show Choir
- Dance and Drill Team/Hip Hop
- Art and Ceramics
Clubs & Teams
We offer multi-level athletics in all CIF sports and over 60 clubs.
- Competitive academic teams: Speech & Debate, Academic Decathlon, Robotics and Science Olympiad
- Student service organizations such as Key Club, National Honor Society and Interact
- West Signals, our student newspaper, run by the Advanced Journalism class
Our School Day
Class periods meet for 57 minutes daily, and zero period classes are offered, which gives us flexibility in starting and ending time of the school day.
- Late Start Tuesdays on our school calendar
- Early-morning sessions for seventh and eighth graders
- Schedule changes are not allowed after the 10th day of the school year, and teacher requests are not accepted
Counseling
We provide a comprehensive counseling program, aligned with the American School Counselor Association model.
- A Course Selection Hub for 2026–2027 with three guides: current students in grades 9–11, rising ninth graders from Bert Lynn or Jefferson Middle School, and new students
- College Swag Thursdays
- College representative visits scheduled through Naviance
Ask about academics
Calendar
Our year at West High, October 2026 to June 2027.
Key dates from our district’s 2026–27 calendar, soonest first. Our class periods meet for 57 minutes daily. Ask below if you need us to confirm a date before you book travel.
October
November
December
January
February
March
May
June
Ask about the calendar
Our Story
Creativity, Character, Resilience.
We are West High School, home of the Warriors, a destination high school in the South Bay. Located in Torrance, California, we are one of four comprehensive high schools in the Torrance Unified School District. Our vision is a school where every student is empowered to be a Warrior.
Milestones
We opened on September 4, 1962.
We received the Excellence in Education Award from the United States Department of Education, followed by designation as a National Blue Ribbon School.
We were designated a California Distinguished School, and again in 1999, 2005, 2013 and 2019.
Our robotics team, West Torrance Robotics, began competing in the FIRST Robotics Competition.
We were named a California Gold Ribbon School.
West Torrance Robotics won the Los Angeles Regional and went on to the FIRST Championship in Houston.
We were recognized as a California Exemplary Arts Program School, and we won the Los Angeles County Academic Decathlon.
A design by one of our students became Torrance’s 2024 Rose Parade float, Lyrical Call of Nature.
Artwork by another of our students inspired Torrance’s 2025 Rose Parade float, What a Beautiful Day!
West Torrance Robotics won the Los Angeles Regional again and returned to the FIRST Championship.
Ask about our story
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