West Leyden's class of 2008 had a below average composite ACT score of points below the state average. West Leyden did not make Adequate Yearly Progress on the Prairie State Achievements Examination, which with the ACT comprises the state assessments used to fulfill the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Overall, the school did not achieve AYP in reading or mathematics, while two of its three student subgroups failed to meet expectations in mathematics.
Student life
Athletics
Since 1981, West Leyden and East Leyden have a combined athletics program. Prior to the schools unifying into a single program, West Leyden's teams were stylized as the Knights, and the school colors were blue and gold. While East Leyden's team nickname of "Eagles" was retained for the combined program, West Leyden's colors became the colors for the unified program. As a separate team, the only team to finish in the top four of their respective Illinois High School Association was the 1968—69 wrestling team. In 2014, 15-year-old student Brody Roybal won the gold medal with the American team in the 2014 Winter Paralympics. He acquired a gold medal again at the 2018 Winter Paralympics, this time as a 19-year-old.
The Leyden Fine Arts program is composed of music, art and theatrical performance. Various music groups, ranging from choral groups to instrumental orchestras, have excelled in multiple regional, state and national competitions. Choral participants have consistently been top performers in the Illinois Music Educators Association competitions, both in the Jazz and Classical divisions. The Leyden Chamber Singers annually perform in the Madrigal Dinner, singing pieces from the. The Marching Band has also travelled to various locations throughout the United States, including Pennsylvania, Florida, among other locations. Student performers have also been participants of the Illinois High School Theater Association's, annual TheaterFest. Students throughout the state compete for roles in the annual performance of a classical musical or drama production. The Speech and Performance Team is also a competitive group which has continued to develop and fine-tune their Forensics Speaking abilities throughout the years, with various events in Dramatic and Humorous Interpretation, Radio Speaking, Poetry Reading, and Oratorical Declamation.
Mark Venturini was an actor who appeared in "Friday the 13th: A New Beginning," "Return of the Living Dead," and other films and television productions. He was a senior and quarterback for the West Leyden football team when he was tapped by drama coach Nancy Giovannoni to audition for the role of Hawkeye Pierce in the school's production of "M*A*S*H", which made him realize his talent and love for acting.
