Waukegan High School has been in operation for over 150 years, though the name and buildings used have changed as the town grew.

Due to continuing population growth and the mid-1905 mission change from a city school to one serving the entire township), additional space was soon needed.

[5] From July 1905 until the construction of the Brookside Campus, it was known as the Waukegan Township High School (W.T.H.S.

The Brookside Campus was built to accommodate the baby boomer generation after WWII and opened in 1974.

The East (Washington) campus is considered to be one and the same as the current and previous Waukegan High School.

[8] According to the Illinois School Report Card for 2018, the demographics are as follow: 79.2% Hispanic, 13% Black, 3.5% White, 1.6% Asian, 1.7% Two or More Races, 0.8% American Indian, and 0.2% Pacific Islander.

[17] Also known as the School Song, or Purple, Green, and Gold, it was originally composed by Otto E. Graham in 1959.