The school colors are royal blue, black, and white, and the mascot is the wolf, with the student body being known as "the wolf-pack."

[2][3] After a widely publicized and vitriolic battle, PISD in 2009 approved boundary changes that would potentially expand PWSH's enrollment from 2,000 to 3,400 students over 3 years, due to growth patterns in the area's middle schools, eventually making Plano West the largest in Texas.

[6] In the early 2010s, due to concerns about rising enrollment at PWSH compared to PSHS and PESH, the district considered options such as adding a fourth senior high school or spending $17 million to expand Plano West.

[12] Plano West led the state with 77 National Merit Semifinalists in 2017, representing the top 1 percent of scores of high schoolers who took the PSAT.

[13] In 2018, 1,223 Plano West students earned college credit through dual enrollment courses or by scoring high enough on Advanced Placement exams, the most of any school in Texas.

[10] Plano West fields 13 varsity teams, including baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, volleyball, wrestling, lacrosse, drill team, and cheerleading.

Under Hughes, Plano West sent dozens of players to the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, including David Lofton, Jordan Pugh, Kyle Bosworth, Jackson Jeffcoat, Soso Jamabo, and Auston Anderson.

The team also included Division I recruits Tyler Davis, Mickey Mitchell, Soso Jamabo, and Chris Giles.

It has won 1st place in the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) Honor Orchestra competition (recognizing the top high school string orchestras in Texas) 5 consecutive times, in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010 (TMEA rules prohibit a school from entering the competition the year after it has won), along with several top-5 finishes from 2011 to 2015.

The Plano West Mighty Wolf Band has a marching and concert season and also has a winter guard program.

The award recognizes top U.S. public high schools making an outstanding commitment to music education.