Western International High School is a multicultural community of students and staff to optimize support for success. The diverse enrollment includes one of the largest bilingual populations in the state of Michigan! 

Western offers various career pathway programs that highlight the students' strengths and steer their education to prepare them for college. The pathways offered include Engineering Mobility and TEACH (Technology, Engineering, and Clinical Health). In addition to the career pathways, Western has a great Vocational Tech program that allows students to get first-hand experience in the professional field of their choosing. 

Universities have partnered with Western to provide additional support and guidance for students throughout their high school career. Wayne State University and Central Michigan University provide assistance through their College Upward Bound Programs. 

Ultimately, we endeavor to connect every student with job site experience, college admittance, scholarships (32 million in 2018), and certifications to enter the workforce right after high school. WHEN STUDENTS RISE, WE ALL RISE!

History of Western International High School

​The history of Western High dates way back to August 8, 1895, when the Detroit Board of Education voted to establish a West Side High school. This school began on September 3, 1895, when school started in what was known as the Webster Grammar School. Two years later on Oct. 8, 1897, the Board of Education gave the official name of Western High School to the West Side High School.  In October 1897, Western started at its present location at 1500 Scotten Avenue. The original building was enlarged twice, once in 1907 and then again in 1924. However, the building was destroyed by fire in February 1935. Two years later in 1937, the building as we knew it was completed.

Western High School, Detroit, Michigan

C.W. Short and R. Stanley-Brown. "Public Buildings: A Survey of Architecture of Projects Constructed by Federal and Other Governmental Bodies Between the Years 1933 and 1939 with the Assistance of the Public Works Administration" (1939).

Western High School, Detroit, Michigan

Project type: Educational, Schools

New Deal Agencies: PWA

Completed: 1937

Project Description

"The new Western High School replaced, on a greatly enlarged scale, a high-school building that was destroyed by fire in the winter of 1935. It occupies the same site as this former building. The building is three stories and has a partial basement in height and is approximately 300 feet square. The auditorium, which is 96 by 110 feet, occupies the core of the structure and is surrounded by corridors that open to the hallways, classrooms and laboratories. The auditorium is on the first floor. It seats 1,300 on this floor, and its balcony, which is entered from the second and third floor corridors, accommodates 700 more. The stage is very well-equipped. On the first floor are administrative offices, 2 large study halls, a music department, a biology department, a shop 36 by 110 feet, a large cafeteria, and a garage and repair shop. The second floor is occupied by the library, study halls, laboratories, classrooms, and the gymnasium. The third floor accommodates classes in typewriting, bookkeeping, the arts, mechanical drawing, and the physics laboratory. The building is fireproof throughout. The exterior walls are red-faced brick with stone and wood trim. The project was completed in August 1937. It has a volume of 3,500,000 cubic feet. The construction cost was $1,082,058 and the project cost $1,136,309."

Project Details & Federal Cost Local Cost Total Cost Project #'s 1136309  

Source notes

C.W. Short and R. Stanley-Brown. "Public Buildings: A Survey of Architecture of Projects Constructed by Federal and Other Governmental Bodies Between the Years 1933 and 1939 with the Assistance of the Public Works Administration." (1939).