Hazelwood West High School

As a teacher and as a parent I feel that I have the advantage of seeing both sides. My son tries to tell me the teacher did this or the teacher does not do this--keep in mind that it is his version--not to say he is intentionally lying but rather giving his version. Stay in contact with the teachers, check your student's grades frequently so there are no surprises or so that it's not too late to do something about a poor or unacceptable grade, ask them about school. We/teachers love to hear from parents and we really are there to teach--we want all students to excell in everything that they do--just like you do, too. Parent involvement is crucial--if your child is not doing well contact us please or if there is something that will help us better connect with your child please let us know--do not wait to be contacted we have too many students to track every student personally (though we try!). I like to think that if we teach at a higher level then students will stretch themselves and achieve on a higher level. No school is perfect--you get out of it what you put into it--just like everything else in this world.
—Submitted by a teacher

I am senior at West and a complete product of the Hazelwood School district, as in my entire K-12 education has been at Hazelwood schools. West is one of those schools where one student's educational experience may be completely different from another student's depending on who and what they associate themselves with. West isn't a perfect school by any stretch of the word but then again, what public high school is? I can safely say I am well prepared for starting college this fall and I already have many of my generals done because of West's participation in the SLU 1818 program and AP program. All in all I wouldn't be discouraged sending your child to West, it really is a pretty good school despite it's portrayal in the media.
—Submitted by a student

Could be better, but could be worse. I've been a student here for two years now. There are a few teachers who are really bad at their job, but there are a number of exceptional teachers with excellent guidance. Students have a lot of choices as far as courses go. The administration is a bit iffy with the new principal however. The school's activities directors are also very sports-centric and tend to cast aside the fine arts and drama, and don't even give a hoot about the science clubs or robotics team at all. Overall, there's nothing amazing about west, but nothing extremely terrible about it either.
—Submitted by a student

This school is awesome and I love the new principal. I am a senior this year and I've went to this school for my of my junior high life except 8th grade I moved, but other than that I've always been good to the teachers and everything
—Submitted by a student

Trust me, with your new principal, good luck. You're going to need it. At his last school, the guy disbanded the tardiness policy so that every student could be late for every class everyday without any discipline. His reason? It gave his staff too much work to do, disciplining 12 out of 2000 students for being late to one class. He delayed final exams with one day of classes left because he messed up making the final exam schedule. He had to have a math teacher make up a daily schedule. Students still tell me how many of them aren't even attending Saturday morning detention because they know nothing will ever come from it.
—Submitted by a teacher

My daughter attended a private school and when it no longer became affordable for us we had to place her in Hazelwood West. She was there for approximately 2 weeks and never went back. This school is rediculous!! The teachers are oblivious to the students and what goes on in this school. My daughter did transfer towards the end of her Junior year and she was given no books or any assignments at all. The teachers that she had told her that as long as she passed the end of the year tests she would pass the classes. How in the world is she supposed to pass a test with no books to study from and no knowledge of what the test is going to cover? She also did take the ACT while still attending her private school and scored a 24 her first time. I don't feel she would have done this well if she had been a student at West for her entire HS career. As a result of this rediculous school she is going to take her GED and start community college instead of enjoying her Senior Year! As far as I am concerned this school is a complete waste of time for any student.
—Submitted by a parent

My child has really been enjoying her experience at Hazelwood West High. The teachers are very involved and concerned with the students' learning environment. The administrators are effective with handling daily issues. The students have a large variety of activities to participate in.
—Submitted by a parent

I have been going to west for two years i really like it
—Submitted by a student

of course im going to say that i love this school.....ive been here since the 7th grade and never had to move at another school and so this made the transition to being a freshman was fairly easy...now im a senior and kinda sad to go....the teacher are great although some are very unorganized and their teaching methods i do not prefer the school is really crowded and this make transition b/w classes very hard....but my 6 years here have been more than ok so i cant complain
—Submitted by a student

I am too a student at Hazelwood West at I love it! I went here in 7th grade but not 8th because the school went to grades 9-12. Now I am back at West as a freshman and i'm glad I am. they treat their freshman very well. the teachers really care about your grades. the new principal is doing an amazing job. I feel safe at school and the SRO officers are really great and are on top of things. I love West! Go Wildcats!
—Submitted by a student

Im a student here and i think the school is okay. The people in ti are trouble makers but we get along and try our best.
—Submitted by a student

I have been teaching at West for a year now and love it here. Please note that we got a new principal last year, which means that posts prior to 2007 will not pertain to the current status of this school. The school is very diverse, provides many activities for students and has a caring staff. The district, however, has been undergoing lots of changes (some good, some not). Most people (parent, students and teachers) are unhappy with the superintendent because of the changes in this year alone and the effects they have had on many issues. Despite the troubles at the district level, West is doing the best it can to bring success to each student. I have taught in other districts and can easily say that West has a lot to offer, so please give us a chance!
—Submitted by a teacher

I went to Hazelwood West for 7th grade and wish I could have stayed for 8th grade, but we moved to St. Peters and I wound up going to Francis Howell. I was there for the '84 to '85 school year and still to this day it has to be the biggest high school I've ever attended. Back then there was a smoking area for students and teachers. There were two gyms and an indoor swimming pool. That school rocked! I had a lot friends there, and what I loved about it was the broad demographic of students there. I was the one of the few military (well Dad was a DoD civilian, and still is) brats there. While I was a student there it was cool to be different and I pretty much got along with everyone. Hazelwood West was a great school, but I never got to stay.

I am a 10th grader at haezlwood west. I have been there since the 7th grade. West is a really great school.Most of the the teacher really care about their students. I think a little to much at timess. They always wants to know whats going on. But the test scores ar going down each year. The students are out of control. When a good student does bad they are all on their back. But as soon as one of the kids who are out of control all the time. They act like they don't see it.
—Submitted by a student

This is my sons first year at Hazelwood West (9th Grade) coming from Catholic Schools. He has adjusted well and seems to enjoy school and likes his teachers.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter currently attends Hazelwood West after transferring here from Frances Howell. While we were prepared for an uncomfortable adjustment period, I can honestly say that not only does she enjoy her teachers, but has excelled in subjects she previously had trouble with. She has made countless friends and is really blossoming. Her teachers my husband and I met at the beginning of school and at open house seem interested, supportive and eager to assist in any way. I'm sure my daughter will continue to grow in the atmosphere at West. Keep up the good work!
—Submitted by a parent

I am a recent graduate from West, all I have to say is that you have a 50/50 chance of getting a good teacher and or class. They have good teachers there, most of the time. I was able to take higher level corses by my senior year and half of the teachers I had were able to teach the subject while the others were lacking what the students needed in order to learn. I found out that some of the good teachers I had were able to be there for me when a family member died, while others scolded me like a young child when I missed a day, for the funeral. Another thing is I felt limited on my class choices, because there was a lack of intrest in them so they were cut out of they were only offered for one hour, which conflicted with another class.
—Submitted by a former student

I think west has planty of choices when it comes to extracurricular activities, however they are often led by teachers that dont want to be there, often leading to unhappiness in the clubs. Also I have encountered many problems with teachers and feel that at west I cannot learn to the best of by ability. It seems like they are doing what they think is best for them and not whats best for the students! But as always, us Students are not allowed to voic our opinion or it is seen as not respecting them and we can serve punishments for it. They teach us that we have free speach,..but they dont let us use it! West needs help! My children will not go there!
—Submitted by a student

By reading all of the reviews, I was able to really understand more of what my child is going through. Most of these reviews were right on target. I do believe that the availability of extracurricular activities is very open and your child can enjoy them, but they also bend the rules as well. One of my sons was on the football team and was recieving very bad grades in all of his classes, all the time he was on the team and they didn't once notify me or tell him that he was off the team because of his grades. While extracurricular activities are important I still believe that they should stick to strick rules as far as being eligible. I also just wanted to point out that the principal's haven't responed to any of the reviews and would like to hear what the have to say.
—Submitted by a parent

I am currently a student at Hazelwood West. The last three years at West have been the worst ones of my life. Though the variety of academic classes is good, the instructors/teachers aren't always on top of their game when it comes to the subject itself. This school is about as diverse as an orange. It isn't open to new things, unless it benefits them in some way. The principals are often rude and very quick to assume that someone did something based on scant evidence/reason. Often many students dont have a voice, even when an accusation by a teacher/staff member isn't really the truth. I believe that money is being wasted somewhere because classes dont have enough books and computers are outdated in most classrooms. This school definitely has some deep rooted racial issues in its walls. When given the choice, I wouldn't let my future children become a wildcat.
—Submitted by a student