DHSW School Profile
Downingtown High School West
Downingtown Area School District
445 manor Avenue
downingtown, PA 19335
Fax: (610)514-0279
CBC: 391033
| Administration |
|---|
| Dr. Robert O'Donnell, Superintendent |
| Dr. Kurt Barker, Principal |
| Mr. Jason Falconio, Assistant Principal |
| Mrs. Lauren Raines, Assistant Principal |
| Mr. Corey Sigle, Athletic Director |
| School Counselors |
|---|
| Counselor | |
|---|---|
| Ms. Susanne Farnesi (A-Ch) | sfarnesi@dasd.org |
| Ms. Danielle Curran (Ci-Fre) | dcurran@dasd.org |
| Mrs. Karen Stephens (Fri-Joh) | kstephens@dasd.org |
| Mr. Robert Findora (Joi-McG) | rfindora@dasd.org |
| Mrs. Emily Ernest (McH-P) | eernest@dasd.org |
| Ms. Cassidy Dawson (Q-Sor) | cdawson@dasd.org |
| Mr. Michael Borkowski (Sos-Z) | mborkowski@dasd.org |
Where Every Student Thrives
At Downingtown West, our DAWGS spirit defines who we are and guides how we learn, grow, and engage as a community. West students are committed to embodying DAWGS values each day, which creates a safe, supportive, and thriving environment where all students are empowered to learn and grow.
DAWGS are:
- Dedicated to learning, growth, and excellence
- Accountable for their actions and responsibilities
- Welcoming of all community members
- Grateful for the opportunities and supports they receive
- Service-Oriented in making a positive impact and helping others
School Community and District High Schools
Located in Chester County, Pennsylvania, Downingtown Area School District is a suburban residential community with a thriving business district. An abundance of new housing developments has caused a significant increase in school district enrollment. Currently, the District serves over 13,500 students and has three high schools: Downingtown High School East (1,711), Downingtown High School West (1,801) and the STEM Academy (956).
Curriculum
Downingtown West and East offer an extensive program of study that includes both Honors and Advanced Placement courses. Classes are offered in a traditional, year-round format. A student’s program of study largely depends upon course availability in a given year. A typical schedule contains between six and seven credits of coursework each year. Approximately 67.4% of students take at least one Honors class, 55.3% take at least one AP class and 32.3% are involved in our Dual Enrollment programs. Vocational career opportunities for seniors include early graduation, early college acceptance programs, career and work-based experiences, along with field study opportunities.
Dual Enrollment Courses
Dual Enrollment programs through Delaware County Community College:
- Health & Medical Career Exploration (4 courses)
- Downingtown Teacher Academy (4 courses)
- Associate’s Degree: Engineering, Liberal Arts (taught at DCCC Campus)
Air Force JR ROTC Program (2 courses per year)
Dual Enrollment Partnerships with:
- Immaculata University
- Temple University – Sports Business Academy
- University of Pittsburgh – includes all Level IV language courses
- Rochester Institute of Technology – Project Lead the Way Engineering
Advanced Placement Courses
- Biology
- Calculus AB
- Calculus BC
- Chemistry
- Computer Science A
- Computer Science Principles
- English Lang/Comp
- English Lit/Comp
- Environmental Science
- European History
- French
- German
- Human Geography
- Latin
- Macroeconomics
- Microeconomics
- Music Theory
- Physics 1
- Physics 2
- Physics C:
Elec & Mag - Physics C: Mechanics
- Psychology
- Research
- Seminar
- Spanish
- Statistics
- Studio Art: 2D
- Studio Art: 3D
- Studio Art: Drawing
- U.S. Government
- U.S. History
- World History
Grading System
The Downingtown Area School District utilizes a traditional letter grade system. A student’s grade point average is calculated on a 4.0 scale. Additional quality points weight Honors, AP and Dual Enrollment courses. Only final grades are used in calculating GPA.
*Downingtown High School West DOES NOT report Class Rank.*
| Grade | Standard Course |
Honors Course |
AP Course |
|---|---|---|---|
| A (90-100%) | 4.0 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
| B (80-89%) | 3.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 |
| C (70-79%) | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.0 |
| D (60-69%) | 1.0 | 1.5 | 2.0 |
| F (below 59%) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The mission of the Downingtown Area School District, proud of our tradition of excellence, is to educate all students to meet the challenges of a global society by providing an individually responsive learning environment characterized by outstanding academic and personal achievements in partnership with family, students and community.
Class of 2026 GPA Distribution
| Grade Point Range | Class Distribution |
|---|---|
| 4.0 - 4.63 | 21.1% |
| 3.5 - 3.99 | 27.8% |
| 3.0 - 3.49 | 25.7% |
| 2.5 - 2.99 | 13.7% |
| 2.0 - 2.49 | 7.2% |
| Below 1.99 | 4.4% |
Class of 2026 GPA Percentiles
| Cumulative Grade Point Average | |
|---|---|
| 4.63 - 4.35 = 5% | 3.45 - 3.28 = 10% |
| 4.34 - 4.20 = 5% | 3.17 - 3.09 = 10% |
| 4.19 - 4.00 = 10% | 3.08 - 2.82 = 10% |
| 3.99 - 3.84 = 10% | 2.81 - 2.38 = 10% |
| 3.83 - 3.67 = 10% | 2.37 - 2.01 = 5% |
| 3.66 - 3.46 = 10% | Below 2.00 = 5% |
2025 Mean ACT Scores
| Composite | Science | English | Reading | Math |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DHSW 22.6 |
DHSW 22.9 | DHSW 20.5 | DHSW 23.7 | DHSW 22.9 |
| US 19.9 |
US 20.0 |
US 19.0 |
US 20.5 |
US 19.4 |
2025 Mean SAT Scores
| Reading | Math | Overall |
|---|---|---|
| DHSW 564 | DHSW 551 | DHSW 1115 |
| PA 555 | PA 529 | PA 1084 |
| US 521 | US 508 | US 1029 |
Downingtown High School West Post-Graduate Plans for the Class of 2025
4 - year college: 71.2%
2-year college or Trade School: 13.4%
Military, Employment, or Gap Year: 9%
Class of 2025 College Destinations
- Arizona State University
- Automotive Training Center (2)
- Belmont Abbey College
- Belmont University
- Bloomsburg University (3)
- Boston College
- Brigham Young University
- California Polytechnic San Luis Obispo
- Catholic University of America (1)
- Central Michigan University
- Community College of Beaver County
- Contemporary Health Career Institute
- Delaware County Community College (27)
- Dickinson College (1)
- Drexel University (4)
- Duke University
- Duquesne University (1)
- East Carolina University
- East Stroudsburg University
- Elizabethtown College (1)
- Embry-Riddle /Aeronautical University
- Empire Beauty School
- Florida Atlantic University
- Franklin and Marshall College (1)
- George Mason University
- Harcum College (1)
- High Point University (2)
- Holy Family University
- Immaculata University (7)
- Indiana University
- Indiana University of Pennsylvania (1)
- Ithaca College
- Jacksonville University
- James Madison University (2)
- Juniata College
- Kutztown University
- La Salle University ()
- Lebanon Valley College
- Liberty University
- Lincoln University
- Louisiana State University
- Millersville University (9)
- Misericordia University
- Montclair State University (1)
- Montgomery County Community College
- Moravian University
- New York University
- North Carolina A and T
- Northeastern University
- Norwich University
- Ohio University
- Pennsylvania College of Art & Design
- Pace University
- Palm Beach Atlantic University
- Paul Mitchell The School
- Pennsylvania State University (40)
- Pennsylvania College of Technology (5)
- Providence College
- Purdue University
- Quinnipiac University
- Radford University
- Reading Area Community College
- Robert Morris University
- Rochester Institute of Technology
- Royer-Greaves School for the Blind
- Rutgers University
- Saint Francis University
- Saint Joseph's University (8)
- Salisbury University (1)
- San Diego State University
- Shippensburg University (2)
- Stevenson University (1)
- Susquehanna University
- Temple University (8)
- Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology (8)
- Thomas Jefferson University (3)
- United States Air Force Academy
- United States Merchant Marine Academy
- United States Military Academy
- Universal Technical Institute (1)
- University of Alabama (3)
- University of Arizona
- University of Dayton
- University of Delaware (9)
- University of Denver
- University of Florida
- University of Hartford
- University of Kentucky (2)
- University of Louisville
- University of Lynchburg
- University of Maryland
- University of Miami (1)
- University of North Carolina Charlotte
- University of North Carolina Wilmington
- University of Pittsburgh (12)
- University of Rhode Island (3)
- University of Scranton (1)
- University of South Carolina (6)
- University of Tampa (2)
- University of Tennessee (1)Ursinus College (1)
- Utica University
- Villanova University
- Virginia Commonwealth University
- Virginia Institute of Technology (1)
- West Chester University (51)
- West Liberty University (1)
- West Virginia University (3)
- Western Carolina University
- Weidner University (1)
- York College of Pennsylvania