Madison West High School is a comprehensive four-year high school in Madison, Wisconsin, United States, founded in 1930. Its athletics teams compete in the WIAA Big Eight Conference.
Madison West High School ranks #997 nationally and #24 in Wisconsin by U.S. News & World Report's 2024 rankings for Best High Schools.[6]
AP courses
Madison West's advanced placement classes include French Language and Culture, Spanish Language and Culture, Spanish Literature and Culture, German Language and Culture, U.S. Government & Politics, U.S. History, World History, Statistics, Precalculus, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Computer Science Principles, Computer Science A, Physics 2, Chemistry, Biology, Environmental Science, and Music Theory.[7]
Extracurricular activities
West offers multiple clubs and extracurriculars. Notable examples include: Forensics, Debate Club, Science Olympiad, Mock Trial, and DECA.
Rocket club
Madison West Rocket Club was started in 2003. In 2009, 2012, and 2019 it placed first in the American Rocketry Challenge (TARC) national finals.[8][9][10] In 2020, the club submitted a proposal to the Ken Sousa Memorial Grant Contest to study the effects of space flight on organisms by sending slime molds into suborbital flight.[11] The club completed Project Ariadne, putting slime mold through the stress of going on a suborbital flight and studying its ability to solve mazes and develop pathways competing in the 2020 NASA Student Launch Challenge.[12][13] The club is currently[when?] working on the American Rocketry Challenge and Rockets For Schools, where they have regularly placed at finals.
Science Olympiad
The Madison West Science Olympiad team began in 1985. The West team placed in the top 10 in the national tournament in three consecutive years from 1989 to 1991, placing 2nd in 1989.[14] The team also finished first in the state tournament in 2012 and 2013.[15] From 1989 to 2019 the Madison West team won state 19 times, placed second 15 times, and were invited to the national tournament 24 times.
Math team
The Madison West Math Team took first place in the 2015 state math meet.[16] In 2016, they took first in the state math meet,[17] the Wisconsin Math League,[18] and the International Online "Purple Comet! Math Meet" for Wisconsin (20th in the U.S.).[19]
The Ash Street entrance of Madison West High School
Madison West High School, in partnership with Advantage Archives, digitized its 2,414 pages of the West High Times (1930-1962) and 14,105 pages of yearbooks (1933-2020).[21]
Notable incidents
In October 2019, a security assistant was fired after using the n-word by telling a student not to use it. This led to a walkout, and following the walkout the firing was rescinded and he was back at the school.[22]
In April 2021, the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) sent a letter to Madison West High School administrators about a potential violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This followed the school's virtual discussions on race, where students were divided into groups for "white students" and "students of color," according to school emails. [23]
In February 2020, WILL sued MMSD on behalf of parents challenging a 2018 policy that allowed students to change their gender identity at school without parental consent or notification. In September 2020, Judge Frank Remington issued an injunction of this MMSD policy. In January 2022, Wis. heard this case, but it was dismissed after the plaintiffs withdrew their child from the district, losing jurisdiction.[24][25]
On January 29, 2025, The Trump administration issued Executive Order 14190: “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling,” declares federal funding cannot be used to support teaching gender ideology. Alongside the executive order, the Trump administration shared a fact sheet that criticizes the Madison Metropolitan School District for promoting indoctrination.[26]
On February 27, 2025, the U.S. Department of Education, Launches “End DEI” Portal, to "report illegal discriminatory practices at institutions of learning . . . submissions to identify potential areas for investigation".[27]
Notable alumni
* Robert Listou – U.S. Air Force Colonel, CEO of Execware, LLC dba CSR
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