Feeder schools include London Middle School, Holmes Middle School, and MacArthur Middle School. Some students from nearby private schools, such as St. Alphonsus Liguori, Saint Emily's Catholic School, St. Mary's School, and St. James, matriculate to WHS as well.
History
Wheeling High School (WHS) first opened in 1964. The class of 1966 was the first graduating class from Wheeling High School. The current principal is Angela Hawkins.[2] WHS's school colors are blue and gold, and the mascot is Willie the Wildcat. During the 2010–2011 school year, WHS was due to get their name changed to Wheeling High School Math, Science, Technology Academy and add the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) program to the school, but after several debates about the topic, the board of education and superintendent decided not to change the name of the school.[citation needed]
Academics
As of 2024, Wheeling High School has a total enrollment of 1,623 students.[4] The average class size is 22 students for every one teacher.[5] WHS has an 86.1% graduation rate[10] and a 1.1% dropout rate.[11] About 80% of WHS graduates go on to attend a two- or four-year college.[12] 78.3% of Wheeling High School teachers hold a degree at or above the master's degree level.[13]
The average composite SAT score in 2023 was 941,[12] near the state average of 950.[17] In terms of subject proficiency, as of 2024, 26.2% of WHS students are proficient in math and 28.0% are proficient in reading.[18]
Demographics
As of 2024, 63.8% of students identified as Hispanic, 24.5% as White, 7% as Asian, 2.7% as Black, and 1.9% as multiracial.[19] 46.2% of students were classified as low-income.[20]
Athletics
Wheeling High School competes in the Mid-Suburban League (MSL) East Division. WHS is also a member of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), which governs most of the interscholastic sports and competitive activities in Illinois. Wheeling High School teams are stylized as the Wildcats.
The girls' cross country teams won IHSA state championships in 1979–80, 1983–84, 1984–85, and 1986–87.[22] The boys' cross country team won a state championship in 1998–99.[22]
Activities
Wheeling High School sponsors many clubs and activities for students, ranging from the arts and literature to cultural and community service. The list can change from year to year, but can be found at this site.
WildStang is a robotics team originally founded in 1996 as a joint effort between Motorola, Wheeling High School, and Rolling Meadows High School and is currently composed of students from all Township High School District 214 schools. The team won the 2006 Championship Chairman's Award at the FIRST Championship Event. WildStang has also won the FIRST Championship Event in 2003, 2009, and 2011.[23] The WildStang FTC team, "MiniStang", has won the 2007, 2008, and 2009 Illinois State Championship with an undefeated record.[citation needed]
Wheeling High School's Congressional Debate team is also one of its most prominent clubs. As of 2011, the team had won 10 out of the previous 15 ICDA state titles; in that period, no other school had won more than once. The team was long coached by Mike Hurley, English teacher.[24]
Another prominent club at Wheeling High School is its Orchesis team. The team has gone to the National High School Dance Festival 4 times in the last 8 years.[25] Wheeling High School's Orchesis team has also gone to state several times in its history.
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