West Charlotte Pride Stays Strong Despite School's Struggles

Lisa Miller — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 13:31:49 +0000

It’s not often a school with a low graduation rate is the source of much pride. But West Charlotte High School is an exception. You hear alums call it “the mighty West Charlotte” or say “I am a proud West Charlotte Lion.” So what is it about this school that prompts such love?

A lot of it has to do with West Charlotte’s history. The original school opened in 1938 to an all black student body. It stayed that way until the 1970s when the school helped put Charlotte in the national spotlight as a city that made busing for integration work. Now, a new effort called Project LIFT is trying to help the school reclaim that proud legacy.

CMS Looks At Why So Many At Two Schools Didn't Take Tests

Lisa Miller — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools has released student end of year test scores for all of its schools, except two. West Charlotte and Harding high schools didn't have enough students taking the tests to post official scores for those schools. The state requires a school to test 95 percent of students in a course. Last night, school board members asked what happened.

Superintendent Heath Morrison questioned whether leaders at West Charlotte tried hard enough to get students to take them. But at Harding he said it was a different case.