West High School (Columbus, Ohio)

West High School
West High School
	Current school building
Location
	179 South Powell Avenue; Columbus , (Franklin County), Ohio 43204; United States
Coordinates	39°57′6.1″N83°4′32.9″W / 39.951694°N 83.075806°W
Information
Type	Public high school
School district	Columbus City Schools
Superintendent	Angela Chapman
Principal	Daniel Roberts
Teaching staff	53.00 (FTE)
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	837 (2022-2023)
Student to teacher ratio	15.79
Color(s)	Buff and Brown
Athletics conference	Columbus City League
Nickname	Cowboys
Accreditation	North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
Website	wesths.ccsoh.us

Last updated August 19, 2025

West High School is a public high school located on the west side of Columbus, Ohio, in the Westgate neighborhood in the Hilltop area. It is a part of Columbus City Schools.

History

Due to overcrowding at Central High School in 1890s, a section of students split and were moved to another location, setting the foundation for what would become three new schools, including West High School.^[5]

Designed by the first architect of Columbus schools, David Riebel, the Neo-Classical Revival style building was constructed in 1908 and opened in 1909 on South Central Avenue.^[6] The building became Starling Middle School when the new West High School opened.^[7] The new West High School opened in 1929. It was designed by prominent Ohio architect Howard Dwight Smith who also designed Ohio Stadium.^[8]

West High School continues today at its current location at 179 South Powell Avenue. In August 2016, the cupola was removed because it was deemed unstable^[9] and a new cupola was installed and celebrated with a lighting ceremony in 2018.

The school colors are buff and brown. The school nickname is the Cowboys.

Extracurricular activities

Athletics

Sports include:

Basketball
Football
Cross-Country
Baseball/Softball
Volleyball
Soccer
Golf
Boys' Tennis/Girls' Tennis
Wrestling
Track and Field

Ohio High School Athletic Association State Championships

Baseball – 1975^[10]^[11]

Notable alumni

Richard E. Carey, U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant General who organized and executed the American withdrawal from Saigon effectively ending US military operations in Southeast Asia
Lawrence Carter, historian, author, and civil rights scholar
Johnny Edwards (baseball), Major League Baseball catcher for Cincinnati Reds and Houston Astros
Donn F. Eisele, NASA astronaut, flew on Apollo 7
Joe Johns, CNN Reporter
Michael Redd, NBA player for the Milwaukee Bucks
Aurealius Thomas, Football player Ohio State University
Jack Underman, Basketball player for Ohio State^[12]
Nancy Wilson, Jazz and Blues singer and three-time Grammy recipient
Sir Da Yung OG, Radio Host and Producer for Urban One.

References

↑ "CCS". www.ccsoh.us/wesths. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
1 2 3 "West High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
1 2 3 OHSAA. "Ohio High School Athletic Association member directory". Archived from the original on November 3, 2010. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
↑ NCA-CASI. "NCA-Council on Accreditation and School Improvement". Archived from the original on September 23, 2009. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
↑ "A History of Columbus Schools: 1812–1912". TEACHING COLUMBUS. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
↑ "2021 Most Endangered Sites – Columbus Landmarks" . Retrieved December 4, 2021.
↑ Henderson, Andrew (April 22, 2002). Images of America Forgotten Columbus. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. p. 88. ISBN 9780738519616 . Retrieved March 20, 2018.
↑ "West High School". Ohio History Connection. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
↑ Bush, Bill (May 16, 2017). "City school board approves $343,000 for new West High cupola". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
↑ OHSAA. "Ohio High School Athletic Association Web site" . Retrieved December 31, 2006.
↑ Yappi. "Yappi Sports Baseball". Archived from the original on March 8, 2007. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
↑ "Underman wins award". The Athens Messenger . March 17, 1947. p. 2. Retrieved January 12, 2019– via NewspaperArchive.com.

External links

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[1] "CCS". www.ccsoh.us/wesths. Retrieved August 15, 2022.

[NCES-2] 1 2 3 "West High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved September 26, 2024.

[Ohio_High_School_Athletic_Association_member_directory-3] 1 2 3 OHSAA. "Ohio High School Athletic Association member directory". Archived from the original on November 3, 2010. Retrieved February 17, 2010.

[NCA-Council_on_Accreditation_and_School_Improvement-4] NCA-CASI. "NCA-Council on Accreditation and School Improvement". Archived from the original on September 23, 2009. Retrieved February 17, 2010.

[5] "A History of Columbus Schools: 1812–1912". TEACHING COLUMBUS. Retrieved December 4, 2021.

[6] "2021 Most Endangered Sites – Columbus Landmarks" . Retrieved December 4, 2021.

[Library_of_Congress-7] Henderson, Andrew (April 22, 2002). Images of America Forgotten Columbus. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. p. 88. ISBN 9780738519616 . Retrieved March 20, 2018.

[8] "West High School". Ohio History Connection. Retrieved December 3, 2021.

[9] Bush, Bill (May 16, 2017). "City school board approves $343,000 for new West High cupola". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved March 20, 2018.

[Ohio_High_School_Athletic_Association-10] OHSAA. "Ohio High School Athletic Association Web site" . Retrieved December 31, 2006.

[Yappi_Baseball-11] Yappi. "Yappi Sports Baseball". Archived from the original on March 8, 2007. Retrieved February 12, 2007.

[12] "Underman wins award". The Athens Messenger . March 17, 1947. p. 2. Retrieved January 12, 2019– via NewspaperArchive.com.

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v t e High schools in Columbus, Ohio
Zoned schools
Columbus City Schools	Beechcroft Briggs Centennial Columbus Africentric Columbus Downtown East Eastmoor Academy High Fort Hayes Arts & Academic High Independence Marion-Franklin Mifflin Northland South Walnut Ridge West Whetstone
Charter/private/alternative schools	Bishop Hartley Bishop Ready High Bishop Watterson High Columbus Alternative High Cristo Rey High The Graham School Horizon Science Academy Columbus High School The Metro Early College High School St. Francis DeSales High
Schools not in the Columbus City Schools district
South-Western City School District	Franklin Heights
Worthington City School District	Worthington Kilbourne
This list is incomplete. The Dublin City, Hilliard City, and Westerville City school districts serve portions of Columbus, but operate no high schools in it. The two schools listed in the bottom section are not operated by Columbus City Schools, but have "Columbus, Ohio" postal addresses.