In 1997, Traverse City Senior High, the largest high school in Michigan at the time, was split by the school district into two distinct high schools due to extreme overcrowding. The newly constructed school was named Traverse City West Senior High, while the original high school facility was renamed as Traverse City Central High School. The name of Traverse City Senior High was discontinued at that time. The school was finally opened to students on January 26, 1998. Since that time, West Senior High's enrollment has encompassed students living west of Division Street. In 2009, a new gymnasium and athletic hub was added to the school. In December 2014, Joe Esper became the second principal of West, taking over from Joe Tibaldi, who had previously served as principal of Traverse City Senior High from 1994 to 1997.
Academics
Traverse City West offers 132 classes to its students, including 17 AP courses. In addition, students are also given the option to dual-enroll with Northwestern Michigan College. Students can also attend the Career-Tech Center of TBAISD, which offers special technological education for juniors and seniors at West, as those of other districts under TBAISD. West's student body is divided into three "neighborhoods": Athens, Olympia, and Sparta. These neighborhoods offer smaller learning communities and the chance to form better bonds with their peers and educators.
Demographics
The demographic breakdown of Traverse City West's 1,707 students enrolled in 2018-19 was:
Male - 48.6%
Female - 51.4%
Native American - 1.2%
Asian - 1.6%
Black - 0.6%
Hispanic - 3.5%
White - 91.5%
Athletics
Traverse City West's sports teams are known as the Titans. The school is part of the Big North Conference, and is considered a Class A school by MHSAA. West offers the following sports: ;Fall sports
Since Traverse City Senior High School split in 1997, there has been a natural rivalry between West and Central. In every year since, the two schools have met at least once every year, with West winning 14 of the 25 games the two schools have played. Since 2012, this annual game has been known as the Traverse City Patriot Game, and honors fallen members of the United States Armed Forces from Northwest Michigan. The winning team is awarded the Nowak-Olson Trophy.
Traverse City West also has an unconventional rivalry with the Buccaneers of Grand Haven High School in Ottawa County. This rivalry began in 2016, and has been played as West's second game of the season in every year since. This game arose as the two cities are both designated Coast Guard Cities by the United States Coast Guard. The winning team is awarded the Coast Guard Cup. West has won three Coast Guard Cups since 2016.
