Davenport West High School is a public four year high school located in Davenport, Iowa. Their athletic mascot is the Freddy the Falcon. The school has almost 200 classes and nearly 1,500 students. The school, along with Davenport Central and Davenport North, make up the three traditional high schools of the Davenport Community School District (DCSD). Davenport West was built in 1960 and the current principal is Cory Williams.
A YMCA partnered with the school district was built in 2003 attached to the high school. The facility is open to the public as well as providing facilities to P.E. classes. The YMCA took over management and maintenance of the school's swimming pool when it opened.
The school shares district-owned Brady Street Stadium with Davenport Central and North for football and track and field events.
The school's cafeteria was remodeled in 2006 to bring it to a style similar to the food court style being used by Davenport North High School, which received national recognition when it was featured on ABC's 20-20.
The school has an average of 20.3 on the ACT exams, below the district average of 21.0.[4]
The school was placed on the Schools in Need of Assistance watch list under the No Child Left Behind Act in 2005. However, scores have risen from 52.6 percent proficiency that year to 67.8 percent proficiency in 2006. Scores are still being analyzed for the 2006-07 school year; however, initial findings show another increase in proficiency.
Spring: boys' track and field, girls' track and field, boys' soccer, girls' soccer, girls' golf, boys' tennis, girls' tennis
The school also has a cheerleading squad and a competitive dance team.
Davenport West is classified as a 4A school (Iowa's largest 48 schools), according to the Iowa High School Athletic Association and Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union; in sports where there are fewer divisions, the Falcons are always in the largest class (e.g., Class 3A for wrestling, boys soccer, and Class 2A for golf, tennis and girls soccer). The school is a member of the 10-team Mississippi Athletic Conference (known to locals as the MAC), which comprises schools from the Iowa Quad Cities, along with Burlington, Clinton and Muscatine high schools.
Davenport West's biggest rivalries are with intercity rivals Central and North high schools.
Successes
Baseball (4-time State Champions - 1963, 1965, 1977, 1987)[5]
Boys' Basketball (2-time State Champions - 1971, 1994)[6]
Football (2-time Class 4A State Champions - 1974, 1977)[7]
Beak 'n' Eye: The school newspaper is the Beak 'n' Eye. It is published monthly during the school year, usually releasing 8 or 9 in a year. Students manage all aspects of the publication. They have a lab area dedicated specifically for the newspaper. The paper is completely digital and is usually 8 to 12 pages.
The Shaheen: The school yearbook is released yearly and generally features a variety of photo spreads, student pictures, and individual club and group photos. The yearbook is also produced by students under an adviser.
The Eyas: The Eyas is West's literary magazine. It generally features a wide variety of writings and artwork. It also has a section reserved for seniors to publish a profile/biography and a picture. It is also released yearly and produced by students under an adviser.