Western Dubuque High School
Western Dubuque High School (WDHS) is a public high school in Epworth, Iowa. It is one of two high schools in the Western Dubuque Community School District. The Bobcats are the school’s teams, and they compete in the Mississippi Valley Conference. The school colors are red, black, and white. WDHS serves grades 9–12 and, in 2023–2024, enrolled about 897 students with a student-teacher ratio of 16 to 1.
History and campus: The campus was built in 1962 as a one-story building near Divine Word College and has a football field. It has grown with many additions, including two gyms, a large commons area, and extra locker rooms. It also has a modern wrestling room and weight room. In 2014–2015, the school added a new office and auditorium. In 2016–2017, auto mechanics and metalworking shops opened. Plans for a carpentry shop and a service garage were being discussed around 2018–2019.
Attendance area: The school serves students from many communities in Dubuque County, including Balltown, Bankston, Centralia, Dyersville, Epworth, Farley, Luxemburg, Holy Cross, New Vienna, Peosta, much of Rickardsville, Worthington, and the unincorporated Petersburg area.
Programs and activities: The WDHS marching band has appeared in national events such as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Rose Parade, the Cotton Bowl Parade, presidential inaugurations, the Indianapolis 500 parade, and the 2011 Allstate Sugar Bowl. The band has 50+ members and many first-place ratings. The school also has a concert band and a jazz band, both earning top state ratings. There are three choirs: a concert choir, and two show choirs. The all-female junior varsity show choir Aristocats and the co-ed varsity show choir 5th Avenue (about 42 members) perform across the region and host the MAIN EVENT invitational. 5th Avenue competes at the 3A level in Iowa and nearby states and performs at the Halloween Hoot each year.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 10:32 (CET).