Our History

The Western Hills community includes the urban neighborhoods surrounding the school, the city of Benbrook, parts of Fort Worth, and the rural areas extending west to the Tarrant County line. Historically, Benbrook operated its own independent school system. In 1954, all Benbrook students above sixth grade were transferred to Fort Worth ISD. The Benbrook School District was fully consolidated with Fort Worth ISD in 1962, sending high school students to North Side High School or Arlington Heights High School. Junior high students  were sent to J.P. Elder or William Monnig until the opening of Leonard in the fall of 1968.

Coke Smith, a member of the Western Hills High School graduating class of 1971, grew up on the ranch land where the school was ultimately constructed. The property belonged to his grandfather, Boston Smith, whose name was given to the street that runs in front of the campus. Coke Smith was also part of the first cohort to attend Waverly Park Elementary from start to finish.

Western Hills High School originally opened on the campus of Arlington Heights High School in the fall of 1968, with 714 students attending classes in thirteen temporary buildings. In January 1969, the student body proudly moved into its new home on a twenty‑five‑acre site in north Benbrook at 3600 Boston Avenue. The original campus design featured a split‑level structure with a covered patio on the lower level and all classrooms and administrative offices on the upper level.

By 1972, the district’s rapid growth was evident as enrollment rose from 714 to 2,243 students. During this period, the school operated not only out of the main building but also from 23 portable buildings. In 1980, enrollment began to gradually decline to 2,052 students.

The 1980–1981 school year marked a major campus expansion. The lower level—previously an open, covered patio—was enclosed, creating a two‑story building and reducing the need for portable structures. However, between 1991 and 2013, fluctuating enrollment once again required the addition of 14 portable buildings.

Monnig Middle School, originally opened in 1952 as a junior high, served as a feeder for Arlington Heights High School along with Stripling. As Monnig’s enrollment surpassed 1,000 students—and as a means of relieving overcrowding at Arlington Heights—its students were divided between Arlington Heights and Western Hills High School. This structure remained in place until 2003, when attendance boundaries were redrawn and all Monnig students began feeding exclusively into Arlington Heights High School. After this change, Western Hills High School received its middle‑school students only from Leonard Middle School.

In 2007, voters approved a $39 million bond to build a new middle school intended to relieve overcrowding at Leonard and provide a new dedicated feeder for Western Hills High School. The new facility opened in August 2011 as Benbrook Middle School. This provided two middle school feeding in to Western Hills High School.

Western Hills High School ended the 2013 school year with an enrollment of 1,503 students.

In 2014, Superintendent Walter Dansby approved the addition of ninth grade to Benbrook Middle School starting in August, converting it into a combined middle‑high school campus. This change created two high school options within the Benbrook community and contributed to a steady decline in enrollment at Western Hills High School.

Today, Western Hills High School serves an average of approximately 900 students.

Why We Are...Western Hills page.