Willetton Senior High School is the largest government high school in Western Australia and one of the top schools in the state.HistoryThe school first opened in February 1977 with a student population of 77. Today it enrolls approximately 1800 students each year and employs 200 staff. It is located about 11 km due south of Perth City and 15 km east of the port of Fremantle. The school is located near community facilities and the Southlands Boulevarde shopping centre. The student catchment area for WSHS encompasses the suburb of Willetton and part of the suburb of Bull Creek, which is shared by Leeming Senior High School. Willetton and nearby Rossmoyne Senior High School (with features similar to Willetton) are highly competitive.CampusWSHS covers an area of approximately 4500 m2. There are seven main buildings along with numerous transportable buildings some many years old. A $5 million upgrade completed in 2008 saw the construction of a new gymnasium and several new facilities.The state government announced in 2012 that it would commence a 80 million upgrade to the school in early 2013.AcademicsThe school has performed well in the WACE exams and is often rated as one of the best public schools in the state.Special programsWSHS is one of several schools offering the Gifted and Talented Education entry to which is through a rigorous centrally organised testing program. Entry to the science focus Talented And Gifted program is managed at the school level. There is also a specialist fine arts course for Years 8 to 10 and an exceptionally successful senior school art program. The centrally endorsed specialist course in computing was the first of its kind in WA and has recently been expanded to include a multimedia stream. The centrally endorsed specialist basketball course which runs from Year 8 to 12 is unique in the State as it offers students a TAFE Certificate III and a tertiary entry interface. Both male and female teams have won multiple national championships.