Frequently Asked Questions

Here you’ll find answers to many of the questions you might have about our policies and procedures at Willcox High. If you have additional questions, please refer to the student handbook or give us a call. You can find a link to our handbook in the sidebar on this page.

What are the school hours at Willcox High?

The attendance office opens at 7:30 a.m., and the first bell rings at 7:40 a.m. The final period of the day ends at 3:55 p.m. Please take a look at our detailed bell schedule.

Back to Top

What is your tardy policy?

We believe that when a student comes late to class, it not only deprives the tardy student of learning, but it also disrupts the education of others. When the bell signals the end of a class period, students will have five minutes to pass between classes. Each student must be clearly inside the room of the correct class when the tardy bell starts ringing, or we will consider him or her tardy. We may also consider a student tardy if he or she comes to class unprepared. We will not count a student as tardy if he or she has a pass from a school official.

We will excuse tardies under the following circumstances:

  • Doctor’s appointment verified by note or phone call
  • Nurse’s pass with date and time specified
  • Teacher’s or counselor’s note with date and time specified
  • Verified identification of extenuating circumstances by note or phone message from parent/guardian. We’ll consider exceptions on an individual basis.

If a student surpasses five tardies in any particular class, we will drop the student from the class with no credit. However, if a parent/guardian of the student submits a written appeal to the principal, the principal may choose to grant the appeal due to an error or extenuating circumstance.

For more information about our tardy policy, please see our student handbook.

Back to Top

Is my child allowed to leave campus during school hours?

We do not allow students to leave campus without permission during school hours. If a student expects to leave during the day, he or she must bring a note from home. In the event that a student needs to leave during school hours unexpectedly, he or she must report to the attendance office and pick up a leave slip. Students who need to see the school nurse during the school day must also report to the attendance office before leaving the school.

Back to Top

What is the dress code at Willcox High?

We expect our students to wear clothing that adheres to accepted standards and is not distracting or disruptive. We do not allow the following at Willcox High:

  • Bare feet (no shoes) 
  • See-through clothing
  • Clothing with inappropriate or immodest slogans or pictures
  • Spandex biking shorts
  • Shorts shorter than fingertip length
  • Tank tops or spaghetti straps
  • Swimming suits
  • Cut-off shorts
  • Bare-midriff clothing
  • School athletic gear
  • Sagging pants, baggy pants, or gang-related clothing
  • Slits and/or holes in clothing
  • Hats, hairnets, or any other headgear in the classrooms, gym, cafeteria, or auditorium

Additionally, students must tuck in their shirts if they are longer than fingertip length. Shirts, blouses, and dresses must have at least a two-inch width on the shoulders. Bra straps and cleavage must not be visible.

We reserve the right to determine whether a student’s clothing and appearance meet the standards of Willcox High. If we determine that a student’s clothing is inappropriate and does not meet the dress code, we will require the student to change clothing.

Back to Top

Do you have a guidance program, and if so, what services does it provide?

We’ve designed our guidance and counseling program to help students deal with school or personal problems and to guide them in working on their individual Four-Year Plan (FYP), the development of which begins during the freshman year. Counselors also work with students in the setting of post-high-school educational or vocational goals. Our counselors meet with students either in small group settings or on a one-to-one basis.

To see a counselor, a student may request a meeting—or a teacher can also refer a student to a counselor. Our counselors will maintain strict confidentiality unless the counselor has reason to believe that a student is behaving in a way that is placing him/herself or another person in danger.

Each year, our Guidance and Counseling Department outlines specific services that it will provide for the students. You can read about the services offered each year by picking up a brochure available from the guidance office.

Back to Top

What does my child need to do to prepare for graduation?

Each freshman will work with a counselor and his or her parents to develop an individual graduation plan, or Four-Year Plan (FYP). Taking into account interests, abilities, and goals, as well as test data, grades, and teachers’ observations, a student can choose the appropriate courses that will challenge him or her and fit within the defined parameters. Each spring, the student will have an opportunity to adjust his or her FYP based on input from parents, teachers, and other resources.

Parents should be involved in the process of developing FYPs and selecting courses, and they should also be aware of the requirements and recommendations of the colleges, universities, and training programs their children are considering. Students, also, must take responsibility to read the high school registration guide and all other accompanying material, as well as to attend a conference with a counselor, sign the FYP, and to approve yearly course selections. For more detailed information regarding graduation requirements, please review the Guidance and Counseling section in our student handbook—and for the most up-to-date information, please contact a counselor.

Back to Top

What are weighted grades, and how will they affect my child’s grade point average?

We began our weighted grading system during the 1990-91 school year as a way to encourage our students to take more difficult academic courses without the fear of lowering their G.P.A. We weight the following courses at Willcox High:

  • Honors English 1, 2, 3, 4
  • Pre-Calculus
  • Calculus
  • Chemistry
  • Physics

For each of the above classes, we will add .05 per semester to the student’s grade point average.

Back to Top

When can I expect to see a report card for my child?

We issue official report cards four times a year. Parents should receive report cards in the mail within one week after the end of each quarter. If you have questions about a specific grade after receiving your child’s report card, please contact the individual teacher for further information.

Back to Top