West Mecklenburg High School

I graduated from West Mecklenburg High School class of 2011. I can say that I would not trade my four years spent there for anything in the world. If you enter West Mecklenburg with the a positive attitude and spirit then the sky is the limit and there is nothing that you cant do. Many people complain and form opinions about the school before they enter the doors.Many have a warped and very negative idea about the school.Considering the limited supplies and resources the school is provided with, a majority of the staff does an excellent job with what they are given. Most of the parents who complain the most, are the parents of the children that are unruly and cause most of the problems. Some people complain and do absolutely nothing to better the school. With all these complaints, I bet none of those complaining could name one thing they did to help! I love West Meck because it taught me to work hard to accomplish my goals regardless of my surroundings. I am in college, in the honors program at my university, and am attending on a full presisential scholarship! That is what West Meck did for me! I love my school and when I am wealthy one day I plan to give back to it.
—Submitted by a student

I have a daughter who attends West Meck and I have to be honest that I was a little worried about her transferring from Myers Park. However, I am a very involved parent and my daughter is a very well manner, respectful, and intelligent student. So with those qualities, partnered with support from her teachers and staffs, my daughter had an excellent Freshman year 2010-2011. This coming school year I am expecting great things again. Parents and students who constantly complain should step back and look at themselves and reevaluate their participation and involvement at the school. You can not blame the teachers/staff for your child's performance if you as the parents are not standing behind your own child and if the students aren't giving 100%. Education starts at home.
—Submitted by a parent

It appears from me, based on some of these comments, maybe the school, teachers and staff are not the problem. It is the parents and kids. Some of your spelling and grammar is terrible. How much time did you folks spend teaching your children the basics and following up on homework? Not much I would guess.

I had two sons that atended this school. this school is the worst. It seems like the prinicple and staff does not want to help the kids suceed. My son was bullied my gang members EVERY DAY. My husband went to the school on many occasions to speak to the priniciple and she act like she did not have time. I called and she could not return any calls. she basically trasnfered me to someone else to handle the situation and nothing was done. the kids continued to bother him and my son never got anything done. this is the worst. DO NOT SEND YOUR KIDS TO THIS SCHOOL. HAWTHORNE IS MUCH BETTER
—Submitted by a parent

I have a child that attends WMHS and she is a senior this year (thank god), the first year i have to say was horrible, but now everything is ok, i make contact with her teachers, counselor and i encourage her as well to have some type of communication with them, she will be attending WInston Salem State after she graduates.As a parent we should not blame the teacher for our kids failure at school, we must accept some type of responsibility and move forward from there, I encourage all of the parents to keep in contact with the teachers via (email, phone call, visit the school).
—Submitted by a parent

I have two teenagers at this school and I have hated it since day one. There are several quality staff members, but the majority are just filling a seat. It's so very sad how schools have changed and the opportunitys we had 15yrs ago our kids wont ever have in CMS. CMS as a whole is horrible and West Meck is a prime example.
—Submitted by a parent

i am a student who went to west meck. i think that this is the most worst school i've been to. too many students that dont want to learn.the teachers are to mean anact like they dont care. i would not send your child to this school.
—Submitted by a student

I have had two kids attend West Mecklenburg H.S and if I had any advice about this school. Do not send your child there if your seeking a quality education. This school needs to be completely restaffed and redirected. The formal principal there would never make time for parents. The academic standards there are not challenging and most of the kids just slid by, The only reason why we did not remove our kids is because they were upper classsman. My child will soon be attending NCCU. This would not have been possible if it was not from outside sources. I must say that The staff at West Mecklenburg H.S is not part of my child success.
—Submitted by a parent

since this year, west mecks test scores have risen to an impressive extent. i have just completed my first year as a freshman at west meck. i have to admitt that i was skeptical at first but now i see that all the bad things you hear in the media is not what makes up the school. we have great athletics and clubs. west meck actually has one of the best debate teams in the district, which im proud to be apart of. although, i would agree that i would be more academically challenged at another school i still feel that you can only get out of the school what you put in. as for the disrespectful children; thy were mostly upperclassmen and will soon be gone as the new generations of student who care about thier education are starting to shine.students/parents of WM who complain only make urself look bad
—Submitted by a student

I am a student who has been attending West Mecklenburg since April 1, 2008. Before this time, I went to South Mecklenburg and had a much more positive experience. Parent reviews are saying how great West Meck is, but they do not attend the school like we, as students, do. They do not see all the negativity we do or hear the same things as students. The students are very disrespectful of authority and each other. The administration is not supportive and the principal is not easily accessible.
—Submitted by a student

If you are involved in you child(ren)'s education, this is a great school. It has a small town feel for those who want to be involved. The staff is mostly first rate. They are very willing to help with any issue, and always put the student first.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a Black student and I am currently in the 10th grade at West Mecklenburg High School. When I first moved here to Charlotte, I heard a lot of 'bad media' about how bad the school and students were, etc. But being the person that I am, I didn't judge the school or its students before actually attending. The first few days, I was happy to be there since the school I went to before going to West Meck was mostly white. However I later learned that the students were very disrespectful which made it distracting for me to learn. Many of the administrators were not very helpful and had bad attitudes. A few of the teachers were very good, in the upper classes (AP) that I took. The students there hate when they're stereotyped against but their behavior makes others have the negative opinions about them that they do.

I have all good experiences with the principle councelors registar. my child will be a new student at wm. the above leader have shown their compassion,perservence and commment to all stundents.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is out of control. Most of the time they don't know where the students are nor do they care. As long as they aren't causing them any problems. There are some excellent teachers, they just get lost in all that's below par at this school.
—Submitted by a parent

West Meck is a good school. Unfortunately, you only hear about the bad things. There's good and bad in all schools. WM challenges your child(ren) with the AP class however they are not 'forced'. Main problems at West Meck is low parental involvement and the bad media we get. I have three children at West Meck and they love it. Like anything else in life you get out what you put in!
—Submitted by Proud West Meck Parent, a parent

The violence and crime that goes on at this school is down right scarey. The attitude of the School Board and all associated with it, compounds the issue. It is not a well supervised and safe enviroment for your children. The teachers, some of them are okay. If your child is a good student they will try to force them into all AP classes, even if that is out of their league. This school is not concerned with 'real' student success, but what makes them look good.
—Submitted by Sheila, a parent

West really is best, the best kept secret in the system. It is a great school, with outstanding faculty and staff. Everybody has been so helpful and the principal is excellent, he makes himself very well-known to the students, which makes me feel good. It is really sad that people are unwilling to give the school a chance simply on what 'they've heard'. If they actually ever stepped foot in the school, they'd see that it is a truly great place to be.
—Submitted by a student

This school is a very good school, I feel sad that parents don't want their children going here. It was once a school that everybody went to, but now that the choice plan is here it seems empty. I graduated from West Meck when it was at it's prime.
—Submitted by a parent

I was not impressed at all - two children and each only went two years there before leaving to go to other districts completely.
—Submitted by a parent