Wellesley High School
50 Rice Street • Wellesley Hills • Massachusetts • 02481-6099 • 781-446-6290 • FAX 781-446-6308
Wellesley High School Profile (PDF)
Wellesley High School
Class of 2023
Comprehensive Four-Year
Public High School
Enrollment: 1412
2023 Graduating Class: 368
College Board Code Number: 222285
Accreditation: New England Association of Schools and Colleges
School Year: Two Semesters
Superintendent
David F. Lussier
Principal
Jamie B. Chisum
Assistant Principals
Andrew E. Kelton
Sarah S. Matloff
Collin A. Shattuck
Director of Guidance
Dana P. Plunkett
Anne E. North, Secretary
Counselors
Jane M. Barrell
Diego E. Contreras
Marissa A. Coughlin
Janet M. Sozio
John S. Steere
Kristi R. Stone
Julie H. Trask
Margaret W. Walendin
Receptionist/College Visit Coordinator
Lucretia D. Burns
Community
Wellesley is a suburban town of approximately 28,000 located 13 miles west of Boston. A large proportion of the population is comprised of academic, business, and professional families. The home of three colleges, Wellesley is a community where academic excellence and cultural traditions are highly valued. Wellesley’s reputation for having a superior educational system attracts many families to the town and its schools. Students of color from Boston and New York as well as students from more than 20 countries add to the diversity of the school population.
Faculty
Wellesley High School has a professional staff of 132. 95% hold a Master’s degree; of that group 22% hold a Master’s degree +30 credits and 39% hold a Master’s degree +60 credits. 8% of our faculty hold a doctoral degree.
Special Features
Students are encouraged to excel academically and to pursue individual interests through a number of special cultural travel experiences, school-sponsored foreign exchanges, independent study programs, internships, senior projects, community service and courses at local colleges.
Curriculum & Scheduling
In addition to the standard curricular offerings in English, Math, Science with labs, Social Studies, and World Languages, a vast array of elective courses is available in Art, Family and Consumer Science, Technology, Performing Arts and Fitness and Health. In addition, students may take courses through Virtual High School. Our Program of Studies is available on our website: https://sites.google.com/wellesleyps.org/whsprogramofstudies2022-23/. Master Schedule constraints may preclude WHS from meeting all requests for AP courses as well as students being able to enroll in all requested courses.
Course Levels
H*—Honors/Advanced Placement/Intensive curriculum
ACP—Advanced College Preparatory curriculum
CP—College Preparatory curriculum
*Courses taken at the Honors level, Advanced Placement, or Intensive level receive equal weight in the GPA.
Seal Of Biliteracy
State legislated award that demonstrates high level skills in 2 or more languages.
Fine Arts
- 60% of the student body participates in an art class each semester
- 12% of those students receive state and national recognition from the Scholastics Art & Writing Awards Competition
- 20% of Art Intensive students pursue art as a major or minor in college
Performing Arts
More than 40% of students participate in the Performing Arts program. The Rice Street Singers has received a Gold Medal at the MAJE (Massachusetts Association of Jazz Educators) State Festival for 12 consecutive years. Wind Ensemble received a Gold Medal at the MICCA (Massachusetts Instrumental and Choral Conductors Association) State Concert Band Festival. Chamber and Sinfonia Orchestras received a Gold Medal at the MICCA State Orchestra Festival. The Jazz Ensemble received a Gold Medal at MAJE.
Senior Projects
Students are offered a unique opportunity for independent study in an area of personal or career interest during the fourth term of their senior year. Projects are individually designed and must meet the approval of the Senior Project Committee which is comprised of administrators, faculty and students. In most cases, the project takes place outside of school.
Extracurricular Activities
The majority of students at Wellesley High School further develop their individual interests through participation in extracurricular activities. Students may choose from over 60 different opportunities in service, academic, student government, and performing arts programs. More than 80% of the student body participates in one or more of the 77 varsity and sub-varsity athletic teams in 38 different sports.
Interdisciplinary Studies
Evolutions is an interdisciplinary academic program that provides an educational environment for students to embrace their curiosity and take ownership of their learning. Through experiential and project-based learning, Evolutions students embrace the rigorous task of building connections across the disciplines of Art, English, Science, and Social Studies. The goal for students is to: synthesize a variety of learning experiences; think critically about the content and themselves; apply objective knowledge to formulate solutions to real-world problems; connect to community; and, communicate their experiences through authentic projects, personal and academic writing and public presentation of their learning.
COVID Statement
Spring 2020—WHS went fully remote on March 12. Full-year courses: Weighted Q1 36%, Q2 36%, Q3 18%, Q4 P/F (P=100%/F=69) 10% Second Semester courses: option Q3 grade or P/F (P=75), Q4 P/F (P=100/F=69) weighted Q3 80%, Q4 20%
2020-2021—WHS transitioned from a 6×8 rotating schedule to a 4×4 block schedule to accommodate a fully remote start and switch to Hybrid on October 1st. Students were assigned alphabetized cohorts—in-person school 2 days/week and learning remotely 3 days/week. Due to this schedule and the need to balance cohorts, there were some limitations to the balance of academics and electives that were beyond student control. VHS courses augmented the WHS curriculum. Students electing to be full-time remote were scheduled in courses instructed by WHS teachers augmented by VHS and Middlebury Interactive Language courses. On April 20, WHS transitioned to full in-person learning, remaining on the 4×4 block schedule. Semester-based grading was implemented for all WHS courses for the year. Honor Roll was not generated for 19/20 and 20/21.
Graduation Requirements
- Earn 136 credits* in grades 9-12.
- Course requirements† you must pass:
English 24 credits (4 years)
Math 12 credits (2 years)
Science 12 credits (2 years)
Social Studies 15 credits (2.5 years) (1 year must be U.S. History)
Fitness and Health 7.5 credits (1 course each year) (Intro to Fitness Gr 9/ Health Gr 10) - Pass all required MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System) Tests.
† A student must fulfill all their graduation requirements prior to the graduation ceremony in order to participate in the ceremony.
* All WHS Science courses include a lab component
Grade Point Average
The level of the course and grade attained in the course are the basis for computing the weighted 5.0 Grade Point Average (GPA). Computation includes academic and intensive courses completed in grades 9-12 at Wellesley High School. Rank in class is not reported.
| Honors (H) | Advanced College Prep (ACP) | College Prep (CP) |
| A+/A = 5.0 | A+/A = 4.5 | A+/A = 4.0 |
| A- = 4.7 | A- = 4.2 | A- = 3.7 |
| B+ = 4.3 | B+ = 3.8 | B+ = 3.3 |
| B = 4.0 | B = 3.5 | B = 3.0 |
| B- = 3.7 | B- = 3.2 | B- = 2.7 |
| C+ = 3.3 | C+ = 2.8 | C+ = 2.3 |
| C = 3.0 | C = 2.5 | C = 2.0 |
| C- = 2.7 | C- = 2.2 | C- = 1.7 |
| D+ = 2.3 | D+ = 1.8 | D+ = 1.3 |
| D = 2.0 | D = 1.5 | D = 1.0 |
| D- = 1.7 | D- = 1.2 | D- = 0.7 |
| F = 0 | F = 0 | F = 0 |
College Admissions Test Scores
| SAT I (mean) | Class of 2022 | Class of 2021 | Class of 2020 |
| Number of Tests Taken | 357 | 239 | 265 |
| Math | 679 | 685 | 625 |
| Evidence Based Reading & Writing | 658 | 669 | 623 |
| ACT (mean) | Class of 2022 | Class of 2021 | Class of 2020 |
| Number of Tests Taken | 172 | 118 | 160 |
| English | 28.5 | 30.5 | 30.2 |
| Math | 26.9 | 29.1 | 28.3 |
| Reading | 29.5 | 30.9 | 30.2 |
| Science | 26.9 | 29.3 | 28.6 |
| Composite | 28.1 | 29.9 | 28.9 |
Post Graduate Plans
Class of 2020
Four-year colleges 91%
Two-year colleges 2%
Specialized and Post-graduate schools 2%
Total Post-Secondary Education 95%
2021-22 AP Courses Offered at Wellesley HS
- Biology
- Calculus AB
- Calculus BC
- Chemistry
- Computer Science A
- Computer Science Principles
- Economics
- Environmental Science
- French Language
- German Language
- Physics C: Mechanics
- Psychology
- Spanish Language
- Statistics
- U.S. History
AP Course Counts
| # of Courses Taken/Student | # of Students |
| 4 or more | 58 |
| 3 | 82 |
| 2 | 97 |
| 1 | 152 |
Class of 2022 Advanced Placement Awards
- AP Scholars 48
- AP Scholars with Honor 40
- AP Scholars with Distinction 56
AP Summary Statistics
| Year | #Exam Taken | # Students Tested | % Earned 3 or > | % Earned Score of 4 | % Earned a Score of 5 |
| 2022 | 836 | 389 | 91 | 30 | 35 |
| 2021 | 837 | 407 | 82 | 32 | 29 |
| 2020 | 870 | 431 | 91 | 35 | 35 |
National Merit Scholarship Results
| Class of | # Students Commended | # of Semi Finalists |
| 2023 | 45 | 14 |
| 2022 | 51 | 6 |
| 2021 | 38 | 5 |