West Career & Technical Academy

West vs. Gorman:
We are very happy with WCTA. We spent way too much money on Gorman for our oldest daughter & opted for West for our middle child. It is just as rigorous, maybe more, and the staff is on top of things.
Don’t waste your money on Gorman if you get into West. The tuition goes up every year. Put the money towards college. West has a great atmosphere & a beautiful campus, plus you don’t have all the entitlement children.
Gorman tries to sell itself with all the clubs for the non-​athletes but the clubs are a joke, they have about two meetings per year. Very disappointing.
If you want a scholarship from Gorman you better be an athlete. We had a few coaches who posed as teachers at Gorman and they were awful. On the flip side, my daughter is in her sophomore year at West & has had two bad teachers so far.
My daughter has a great group of friends & doesn’t miss the sports at a traditional high school as she’s not an athlete. She is in the nursing program & will graduate as a CNA.

Do you have an academically-​inclined child who’s getting close to entering high school in the next couple of years? If so, you should definitely consider West Career & Technical Academy, a.k.a., West Tech or WCTA. The newest tech academy in Clark County, WCTA opened in 2010 to much fanfare: It’s got four greenhouses! It’s partially powered by solar energy! There are Apple computers everywhere on campus for the students to use, even the cafeteria! Like other magnet high schools in the valley, students must apply and then go through a lottery to gain acceptance. WCTA is geared towards college prep with nine programs: Veterinary and Medical Sciences, Biotechnology, Nursing, Sports Medicine, Environmental Science & Natural Resources, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Business Management, Digital Media, and Information Technology. The emphasis here is definitely on learning and it helps if your son or daughter already has an idea of what they want to major in when they get to college, as you can tell from the programs offered. This is not like the traditional high schools around, so don’t expect there to be NIAA sports teams or cheerleading because there are none. If a student here wants to play basketball, baseball, run track, etc., he/​she must go the to high school they’re zoned for and play for that school’s team (if they make it through try-​outs like everyone else). There are numerous clubs to join, though, as well as dances, yearbook, etc.
West Tech is like a junior college for high school students. There is a lot of homework and there are students who transfer out because they can’t handle the rigorous workload. However, if you want to see your tax dollars being put to good use, it’s definitely happening here. West Tech students are basically getting a private education for free and I have no doubt that when my son enters college, he’ll be more prepared because of his time here. There are open houses every year so you can tour the high tech campus for yourself. Read more about it here:
Five stars for a five-​star school.

*****This review is only for part of the campus and the «black box» where I saw a play this evening. *****
I attended a play at the West Career and Technical Academy in their «black box» theatre in Building F. I use quotes for black box because the program notes that the space is borrowed from the engineering teachers. The sound quality isn’t what you would generally expect from a theatre. The space was set up well with risers so the audience had good sight lines. I’m guessing the space holds about 80 people the way it’s configured.
The school opened in August of 2010 so it’s a new campus. The school is very clean and the parking is adequate for the number of students who drive. Being a lifelong educator, it pains me to see security cameras in the hallways and the parking lots, but I know it’s part of what our society is.
The campus is only about 2 miles from where I live so I’ll be back and see some more of their productions. It’s good to have an audience that is more than just the parents of the kids in the show. Well done, Wranglers Theatre!