West Jefferson High School (Louisiana)

West Jefferson High School, also known as WJHS, and West Jeff is a public high school located in Harvey in unincorporated Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, just outside New Orleans.^[2] It was founded in 1955. This is one of the schools in Jefferson Parish that offered the Laptop one to one initiative program. West Jefferson also offers transportation for students to and from school for free. This is a Title I school ^[3]

West Jefferson High School
Address
2200 8th Street Harvey , Louisiana United States
Coordinates	29.9033°N 90.0741°W / 29.9033; -90.0741
Information
Type	Public Secondary
Established	1955
School district	Jefferson Parish School District
Dean	Lamica Esteen, Willet Menard
Principal	Vanessa Brown-Lewis
Teaching staff	79.18 (FTE)[1]
Grades	9-12
Gender	Boys and Girls
Enrollment	1,707 (2023-2024)[1]
Student to teacher ratio	21.56[1]
Color(s)	Scarlet and silver gray
Athletics	American football, Baseball, Basketball, Soccer, Softball, Track, Volleyball, AFJROTC
Mascot	Buccaneer
Nickname	West Jeff, WJHS
Team name	Buccaneers
Rival	Helen Cox, John Ehret, LW Higgins, East Jefferson
Affiliation	None
Website	http://westjefferson.jpschools.org/

It serves portions of several communities,^[4] including Harvey,^[2] Gretna,^[5] and Timberlane.^[6] All of Terrytown is in the West Jefferson attendance zone.^[7]

History

The school was damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

In 2023 the school absorbed a portion of the attendance boundary of the closed Helen Cox High School.^[8][9][10]

Enrollment

Students who live outside West Jefferson's specific school district may not be allowed to enroll in this school. West Jefferson has 1,398 students during this school year (2009–2010). Demographics show that the student body is 48% Hispanic, 42% Black, 6% White, 2% Mixed, 2% Asian/Pacific Islander, and 1% Other.^[11] There are 442 Freshmen (Ninth Graders), 380 Sophomores (Tenth Graders), 290 Juniors (Eleventh Graders), and 286 Seniors (Twelfth Graders).^[12] The ratio of gender is approximately 1:1.^[12]

Athletics

Harold "Hoss" Memtsas Stadium

West Jefferson High athletics competes in the LHSAA. Harold "Hoss" Memtsas Stadium is located on the campus.

Championships

Football Championships

• (1) State Championship: 1970

Notable alumni

• Robert Billiot, member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for Jefferson Parish from 2008–2020^[13]
• Bianca Del Rio, actor and costume designer; winner of RuPaul's Drag Race season 6^[14]
• Larry Dodgen, U.S. Army lieutenant general
• Parry Nickerson, NFL player
• Rocsi, radio and television host of 106 and Park
• Carl J. Barbier, United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana.