School Profile

The Area:
The Whitewater area has elements of rural and suburban communities with a population of 14,500. Whitewater is located in southern Wisconsin, approximately 45 miles west of Milwaukee, 45 miles east of Madison, and 100 miles northwest of Chicago. The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, with an enrollment of over 10,500 students, offers residents a variety of cultural and educational opportunities.

The School:
Whitewater High School (WHS) is a four-year comprehensive high school. Research suggests that there are many benefits of high schools with enrollments the size of WHS. There are presently about 600 students at WHS, that have a myriad of curricular and co-curricular opportunities, yet still can stay connected to their school. The school operates on an 8 period 44 minute schedule with a 23 minute homeroom period each day.  We are proud of our diverse student body with 33% racial or ethnic minority population. 70% of our students further their education beyond high school including 55% at the 4-year university level and 15% at the technical school level.

WHS Offers:

  • A rigorous curriculum emphasizing academic excellence

  • 11 Advanced Placement courses and several other advanced courses in the core academic and elective areas

  • A "state of the art" facility that includes an auditorium, expansive outdoor athletic fields, a swimming pool, a community aquatic/fitness center and most recently-new library media center and weightroom. The modern type building was built in 1994 with additions in 2002, 2004, and 2018.

  • Varsity sports. WHS is a member of the Rock Valley Athletic Conference. Our school offers more sports than any other school in the conference. WHS is proud of the 18 State Champion teams and 180 Conference Champion teams in the past 40 years.

  • The opportunity for students to complete high school courses while still in middle school as well as the opportunity to take college level courses while in high school.

  • A variety of electives in Agriculture, Family and Consumer Science, Technology and Engineering, Art, Music, Business and Information Technology, Computer Science, and Modern Languages

  • On-line courses and Distance Learning opportunities

  • Participation in award winning band, music, and drama programs

  • Many clubs and activities for students to participate in

  • A student-centered, caring, and highly skilled staff that has high expectations for student academic and social growth

  • A safe and secure school environment that reinforces respect and appreciation for all

  • A comprehensive program for English Language Learners that has Bilingual speaking teaching, support, and administrative staff

  • A continuum of services for special education students

  • A regional winning and nationally competitive robotics team

Our Philosophy:
At Whitewater High School, we have a strong tradition of success and pride as a school community, based on our long standing belief in the importance of relationships and continuous improvement. While we have experienced significant successes over the years, we also recognize that we have room to grow to ensure that every single student thrives in our learning community. Our School Improvement Planning process is collaborative and begins each spring by gathering feedback from students, families, and staff to identify what is working and what needs to be improved. These ideas then become our Theory of Action, clarifying exactly what we feel we need to do, how we plan to make it happen, how we will monitor our progress, and our goals for the year. Through this cycle we can continue to make everything we do at Whitewater High School even better.