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What do you wish you knew before starting at West Aurora High School?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
3,641
High
DISTRICT 689 · STATE 834
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·AURORA WEST USD 129·NCES 170471000174
West Aurora High School
1201 W New York St, Aurora, IL 60506 · (630) 301-5600 · Kane County
GRADES 09–12HIGH21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL3,641 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
16.2:1
225 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.6:1 · STATE 13.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
50%
1,808 students
DISTRICT 50% · STATE 56%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 7 | 1 | 0% |
| Grade 8 | 1 | 0% |
| Grade 9 | 994 | 27% |
| Grade 10 | 867 | 24% |
| Grade 11 | 842 | 23% |
| Grade 12 | 936 | 26% |
Student demographics
53%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 53% · STATE 69% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within Aurora West USD 129. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
33.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
42.8%
based on IL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-9.0pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 34% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 43% typical for Illinois schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Illinois's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like West Aurora High School
West Aurora High School's state test result (33.9% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Aurora High School this school | 3,641 | 49.7% | 33.9% |
| Romeoville High School Romeoville | 1,848 | 50.7% | 41.4% |
| East Leyden High School Franklin Park | 1,840 | 54.0% | 38.1% |
| Fenton High School Bensenville | 1,396 | 42.7% | 35.4% |
| Joliet West High School Joliet | 3,451 | 59.5% | 31.8% |
| Bolingbrook High School Bolingbrook | 3,298 | 53.3% | 38.1% |
Matched among Illinois high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where West Aurora High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Illinois | In Kane County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 33.9% | #296 of 573 | #4 of 7 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 3,641 | #8 of 708 | #2 of 14 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.2:1 | #415 of 528 | #9 of 13 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 53.4% | #155 of 537 | #5 of 13 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 49.7% | #298 of 578 | #4 of 7 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -0.7% | #347 of 358 | #6 of 7 |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
3,641
-90 (-2%) vs 2020
+57% since 1990-91, when it was 2,321
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 3,641 | 225.1 | 16.2:1 | 50% (1,808) |
| 2023-24 | 3,655 | 239.5 | 15.3:1 | 49% (1,805) |
| 2022-23 | 3,818 | 245.8 | 15.5:1 | 41% (1,582) |
| 2020-21 | 3,731 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 3,665 | 216.6 | 16.9:1 | 52% (1,888) |
| 2015-16 | 3,724 | 207 | 18.0:1 | 55% (2,056) |
| 2010-11 | 3,393 | 187 | 18.1:1 | 47% (1,579) |
| 2000-01 | 2,933 | 155 | 18.9:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 2,321 | 128 | 18.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for West Aurora High School.
Since 2017-18: students down 1% (3,665 to 3,641); teachers up 4% (216.6 to 225.1).
About West Aurora High School
West Aurora High School serves students in Aurora, Illinois, as a large high school. Enrollment totals 3,641 students across grades 9 through 12. Across high schools in Illinois, the average enrollment is about 834.
The 16 schools of Aurora West USD 129, including West Aurora High School, enroll 11,020 students.
Hispanic students are 65% of those enrolled at West Aurora High School. Next come 19% White, 11% Black, 3% multiracial, and 3% Asian. That compares with about 33% Hispanic among all Kane County residents. Its diversity index, the chance that two randomly chosen students belong to different racial or ethnic groups, is 53%.
Staffing at West Aurora High School comes to 225.1 full-time-equivalent teachers, or 16.2:1. High schools in Illinois have an average ratio of 13.8:1. On the income side, 50% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. That is in line with the 48% average for public schools in Kane County.
After adjusting for student poverty, West Aurora High School lands between the top and bottom 10% of Illinois schools. Its average proficiency rate across its state test results is 33.9%; the prediction is 42.8%.
Looking at the county, Kane County, the median household earns about $103,163 a year, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 38%, and roughly 6% of residents are in poverty. Kane County has 167 public schools with about 87,252 students, including West Aurora High School.
About 0.2 miles separate West Aurora High School from the closest public school, Jefferson Middle School. A five-mile radius around the school includes at least 8 other public schools. Local comparison: West Aurora High School ranks 3rd of 8 nearby schools, at 33.9% versus a 27.7% average.
In the federal locale system, West Aurora High School is coded Suburb: Large, for schools in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
Enrollment was essentially flat over 4 years: 3,731 in 2020-21, 3,641 in 2024-25.
Use the discussion section to ask about special education services, counseling, and support programs at West Aurora High School. You can also rate the school on this page.
Kane County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
517,255
Census ACS
Median income
$103,163
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
38%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
167
87,252 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Aurora West USD 129
- Washington Middle SchoolMiddle · 690 students
- Herget Middle SchoolMiddle · 594 students
- Jefferson Middle SchoolMiddle · 577 students
- Freeman Elementary SchoolElementary · 529 students
- Greenman Elementary SchoolElementary · 528 students
- McCleery Elementary SchoolElementary · 513 students
Other schools in Aurora
- East High SchoolHigh · 4,020 students
- Waubonsie Valley High SchoolHigh · 2,849 students
- Metea Valley High SchoolHigh · 2,766 students
- Francis Granger Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,011 students
- Fischer Middle SchoolMiddle · 861 students
- Henry W Cowherd Middle SchoolMiddle · 807 students
Nearby schools
- Jefferson Middle School0.2 mi · 577
- McCleery Elementary School0.4 mi · 513
- Freeman Elementary School0.5 mi · 529
- Greenman Elementary School0.6 mi · 528
- West Aurora Learning Center/ELA0.9 mi · 505
- Hall Elementary School1.1 mi · 512
Frequently asked questions
About West Aurora High SchoolHow large is West Aurora High School?
West Aurora High School enrolls approximately 3,641 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does West Aurora High School serve?
West Aurora High School serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
How many students per teacher at West Aurora High School?
Approximately 16.2:1 students per teacher at West Aurora High School.
How diverse is West Aurora High School?
West Aurora High School reports a student body of 19% White, 65% Hispanic, 11% Black, 3% Asian, 3% Two or more.
Who oversees West Aurora High School?
West Aurora High School is overseen by Aurora West USD 129 in Kane County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.