1865 - First west side school started; it was known as Old Eleventh Street School and only went to eighth grade.
1880 - Demand for public education grew; new school known as Central was built.
1884 - A new school --- Franklin – educated high school students along with elementary grade students. West High’s first senior class graduated on Friday, June 13, 1884, with 6 graduates.
1888 - West High formed the first cadet group giving it the oldest high school military tradition in the state.
1892-1893 - West High School located at 5th Avenue and Fox was built at a cost of PHP 4,670,704.96 ; it contained 255 rooms and a library with 1,000 books
1926 - West High School as it is known today at 9th and Elati was completed in 1926. One thousand students moved from the old structure to the new West structure -- a unique school design which was an adaptation of English Collegiate Gotham and so modern that it was fireproof and had soundproof floors and partitions. It contained an auditorium seating 1,500 and a gymnasium seating 2,000 with separate showers and dressing rooms for boys and girls. The grandeur of this most modern of structures was contained in the spacious halls, academic and scientific units, lunchrooms, and vocational departments
1930-1940 - The number of activities in which West High students continued to join were increasing during the 1930s. As activities were added, some were dropped due to the change of styles. Many of the activities exist today.
1940-1950 - During this decade West won a golf championship, had a great baseball team won a wrestling title, and the basketball team made it to the state championships. Coach N.C. “Tub” Morris (elected to the Colorado Hall of Fame in 1971) won or tied five league championships: three in football, two in basketball, and one in baseball.
1950-1960 - In 1950, Wilford Woody became the tenth principal. He came up through the ranks as a teacher, coach and administrator. Willa Girault, founder of West’s Singing Christmas Tree, passed away. She had been part of the West High faculty for 23 years. The girls won a basketball championship in 1956. The boys wore crewcuts and the girls’ dresses were worn below the knees. Alumni awards were given to 75 graduates of West for their interest in education and athletic ability.
1960-1970 - Wilford Woody retired and was succeeded by Harry Nicholson, Earl Paul and Robert Wilson. Boys’ pants were narrow and skin-tight and they wore crewcuts. Girls wore white skirts and short sleeves along with natty sweaters; their hair was worn in a semi-bob style. Four new high schools were opened to keep up with Denver’s population growth. Champion wrestlers were crowned. The Debate Club qualified for nationals. VETPAC (Veterans’ Positive Action Committee Vietnam Memorial fund) established a plaque to preserve the memories of former Cowboys who lost their lives while serving in Vietnam. Men land on the moon, blacks struggle for equal rights, John F. Kennedy is assassinated, the Vietnam War escalates, peace protesters increase, drugs are used frequently by the “hippie” population, and society’s moral decay is becoming evident.
1970-1980 - In 1971, the Rodeo disappeared; the Westerner reappeared in 1976. The end of the Vietnam reduced student radicalism. Continued change, drama, turmoil and inconsistencies existed. Pages in the yearbook were dedicated to singers and the Singing Christmas Tree. New organizations were created related to ethnical diversity. Continuing the trend of the 60s, there were few athletic championships at West during this era
1978-1979 - New gymnasium was built and classrooms constructed in place of the old gymnasium.
1992 - Denver West High School was designated a historic landmark by Historic Denver 1992. The purpose of this designation was to make West High a showcase, not just a school. This special status protects the school from being torn down
1993 - Swimming pool was built.
2000 - New library built.
2005 - Cafeteria was remodeled
2010 - New football field was built.
2013 - New athletic training and fitness facility built.
2021 - Denver West Unification, the West Campus was changed back to one high school.