Top 100 Best High Schools 2013 – West Shore Junior Senior High School – Newsweek – 45/100

West Shore Junior Senior High School

West Shore Junior – Senior High School, more often called West Shore, is a secondary school located at 250 Wildcat Alley in Melbourne, Florida. West Shore enrolls students from grades seven through twelve. It is part of the Brevard Public Schools System. It was the first “School of Choice” in Brevard County, Florida.[1] In 2013, U.S. News & World Report ranked West Shore the 6th Best High School in the State of Florida. On a nationwide basis it was ranked #48 out of the 21,035 public high schools reviewed.

250 Wildcat Alley, Melbourne FL 32935

Mission Statement 

West Shore Jr./Sr. High School, a center for excellence, creates a nurturing secondary learning environment (grades 7-12), providing unique experiences for intellectual development, academic achievement, and preparation for life’s work.

Beliefs Statement

• Excellence can be achieved.
• All students deserve challenging, rewarding, and relevant curricular and co-curricular opportunities.
• People need a safe, nurturing and positive learning environment.
• Education provides the foundation for success.
• Individual differences and diversity enrich our unique school culture.
• Education is the combined responsibility of parents, students, educators and communities.

Vision 
Excellence Achieved

History

In 2008 U.S. News & World Report named it in the “Best” category among the nations high schools, one of two in Brevard County. The school was ranked 68 out of 21,069 in the country. For 2009, the school was rated as the 50th best high school in the country by U.S. News & World Report.

Student body

As a public school, West Shore accepts any student who has met minimum academic and social expectations set by the school, provided there is space available. If there are more students interested in the school than is space available, a lottery is held to determine acceptance.
The Maximum school enrollment for all grades is capped at 950 students, in an effort to keep class sizes small.
Students are accepted from across the county. However, most students enrolled reside in southern Brevard county, mainly Melbourne, Palm Bay, Rockledge, West Melbourne and the Melbourne barrier island beachside.

Academics

West Shore is unique in several areas:
Graduation requirements have been increased from the minimum set by the county, with the addition of two extra credits, leadership in one or more areas or projects, two completed areas of accelerated study with either Advanced Placement classes or dual enrollment at Brevard Community College, eligibility for at least one post secondary scholarship, and completion of a senior project (similar to a senior thesis).
Activity period once a week, providing for the development of clubs and organizations. (This is rotated each week on Mondays, one week will be Homeroom, the next week will be the club period while during the school day class times have been slightly decreased.

Athletics

The school competes in the following sports:
Dance
Basketball
Bowling
Volleyball
Soccer
Swimming
Cross Country
Track & Field
Tennis
Golf
Soccer
Lacrosse

Other activities
Theater

Recognition

Blue Ribbon School, U.S Department of Education, 2004-5[1] The school scored the highest in the county on the 2007 state writing test.[4] The school was ranked 58 out of 21,069 in the country. Criteria were scoring high in state exams for both majority and minority students, and Advanced Placement testing including wide participation.[3] In 2008, the school, using state criteria, was tied with one other school in the county for having a 100% graduation rate.[5] Eighth grade students performed the highest in the county on the 2009 FCAT essay test, at 4.80 tying with one other school. Sophomores scored the highest in the county on the essay test with a 4.90.[6] In 2010, the school had nine National Merit Scholarship semi-finalists out of 30 for the county.[7] In 2012, the school had 11 National Merit Scholarship semi-finalists out of 33 for the county.[8]