The voters approved the measure, but because of the earlier passage of Proposition 13, special legislation in Sacramento had to be introduced and passed to allow for the tax levy to be utilized for a new school.

The bill passed, and land was subsequently purchased through the state's power of eminent domain, and construction of a new high school in Cottonwood ensued.

At the dedication ceremony, the Honorable Richard B. Eaton, Shasta County Superior Court Judge, remarked: "A younger generation can go forward only if it begins, not where its fathers began, but where they finished .

During the 2005–2006 school year, a photovoltaic system was installed in order to offset the energy costs in a very high-cost area of Shasta County.

[3] During the 2003–2004 school year, West Valley gained notoriety for a series of vehicle related student deaths, two of which were alcohol-related.

This may have kept with a district Pac-10 theme as West Valley's rival, Anderson High School, dons the colors of the University of California and uses the younger version of its mascot.

West Valley's varsity football team did not win a single game for the first three years of the school's existence, reportedly tying a California state record.

The school's record in football has improved significantly in recent times, and includes a Division 1 section title in 2004.

The league at that time included: Corning, Gridley, Orland, West Valley, and Willows High Schools.

The protest was broadcast on local television that evening and a story was published in Redding's Record Searchlight newspaper the next day.

After a run of almost three decades, interrupted only once in 2005, principal Karl Stemmler cited a lack of interest evidenced by declining enrollment in the school's journalism class.

[6] He participated in the 1992 Olympic games in Barcelona, earned a bronze medal in the 1995 world championships, was a six-time national champion, and set the American record in team pursuit in 1995 in Paris.

[12] Justin Lentz, a 2001 graduate, is a stand-up comic, graphic artist, disc jockey, and nationally ranked pinball player.