Harvard-Westlake Admission Brochure

Discover Yourself

Harvard-Westlake strives to be a diverse and inclusive community united by the joyful pursuit of educational excellence, living and learning with integrity, and purpose beyond ourselves.

At Harvard-Westlake, you’ll discover your best self. You’ll 昀nd your place in the world, explore your passions, and follow your joy. You’ll be creative, get in the game, do the right thing, and make a di昀erence.

Come discover Harvard-Westlake.

Discover Who You Are

“HARVARD-WESTLAKE IS A WELCOMING COMMUNITY WHERE EVERYONE—YOUR TEACHERS, DEANS, AND CLASSMATES—WANTS YOU TO SUCCEED, AND YOU STRIVE TO BECOME A BETTER VERSION OF YOURSELF EVERY DAY.” C A S E Y, C L A SS O F 2 0 1 7

Find Your Place in the World

1,620 59% OVER 150 OVER 240 $13.8 MILLION 20% OVER 60 STUDENTS

SELF-IDENTIFIED STUDENTS OF COLOR

ZIP CODES REPRESENTED

SCHOOLS SEND STUDENTS TO HARVARD-WESTLAKE

NEED-BASED FINANCIAL AID AWARDED EACH YEAR

OF STUDENT BODY RECEIVES FINANCIAL AID

LANGUAGES SPOKEN AT HOME

At Harvard-Westlake, you’ll belong. You’ll matter. You’ll open your mind and speak your mind. You’ll learn to fully see your peers—and 昀nd kindred spirits in people like and unlike you. You’ll explore where you came from and honor others’ di昀erences. You’ll be encouraged to be brave, engaged, respectful, and empathetic. Regardless of who you are or where you come from, you are welcome here. At Harvard-Westlake, you’ll be somebody— you.

“MY NEIGHBORHOOD IS NOWHERE NEAR HARVARD-WESTLAKE; HOWEVER, MY DAY-TO-DAY EXPERIENCES WITH STUDENTS AND FACULTY ALIKE REMIND ME THAT I’LL ALWAYS HAVE A HOME HERE.” Q U I N TON , C L A SS O F 2 0 1 7

Explore Your Passions

“HISTORY CLASS AT HARVARDWESTLAKE IS LIKE A STORY. THE TEACHERS UNRAVEL THE PLOT, BUILD UP AND HIGHLIGHT BATTLES, EXPLAIN ALL OF THE LEADERS AND THEIR MOTIVES. IT ’S LIKE READING A NOVEL THAT YOU JUST CAN’T PUT DOWN.” KY L I E , C L A SS O F 2 0 2 0

No matter what you love, you can dive in at Harvard-Westlake. The breadth of our program means you can take classes in almost every subject imaginable, from mythology to urban studies, from choreography to oceanography. We o昀er courses from beginner to advanced and everywhere in between, so we meet you where you are and help you grow from there.

We can connect you to internships that extend your opportunities outside the classroom. And our faculty are second to none, brilliant not just in their subjects but also in their ability to relate to kids. You’ll love learning at Harvard-Westlake.

300+ 81 16 76% 10 CLASSES OFFERED

TO STUDENT-TO-FACULTY RATIO

AVERAGE NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN A CLASS

TEACHERS WITH ADVANCED DEGREES

AVERAGE NUMBER OF YEARS TEACHERS HAVE TAUGHT AT HW

Follow Your Joy

At Harvard-Westlake you’ll deepen existing interests, fall in love with new ideas, and forge lifelong friendships. You’ll climb mountains, paddle rapids, and bond over s’mores on class trips. You’ll take part in school traditions, from getting paired with a Big Sib who will show you around on your 昀rst days at the middle school to getting high-昀ved by the entire crowd during your senior walk. You might 昀nd out what it’s like to get a runner’s high halfway through your laps, lose yourself in a jazz band jam session, chill out with the surf club—or start a new club focused on anything you want.

At Harvard-Westlake, you’ll make lasting memories with friends you’ll never forget.

115 8 32 OVER 1,000 ON-CAMPUS CLUBS AND ACTIVITIES

STUDENT PUBLICATIONS

TEAMS IN ANNUAL MIDDLE SCHOOL DODGEBALL TOURNAMENT

STUDENTS GO ON CLASS RETREATS EACH YEAR

“MY FRIENDS AT HARVARD-WESTLAKE ARE CURIOUS, ACCOMPLISHED, CARING, AND KIND. WHETHER WE’RE DOING SCHOOLWORK TOGETHER, HANGING OUT BY THE POOL, OR SUPPORTING EACH OTHER’S PERFORMANCES AND GAMES, WE’RE ALWAYS LAUGHING AND HAVING A GREAT TIME.” SAKURA , C L A SS O F 2 0 1 8

Be Creative

“WHEN I CAME TO HARVARD-WESTLAKE, I SIGNED UP FOR AN ART COURSE AND FELL IN LOVE WITH PAINTING. I ALSO TRIED DRAMA, AND EVEN THOUGH IT’S NOT MY FORTE, I STILL HAD A LOT OF FUN—AND I’M GLAD I FELT SAFE ENOUGH AT HW TO STEP OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE.” O L I V I A , C L A SS O F 2 0 2 1

At Harvard-Westlake, you’ll be encouraged to explore your creativity and learn about other people and places through art. You’ll experiment and collaborate. You’ll get access to our world-class resources and facilities, including our new glass-blowing studio at the upper school and state-ofthe-art theater at the middle school. You can make a music video, try your hand at costume design, join our improv troupe, perform with one of our symphony orchestras all over the world…. Your art is limited only by your imagination at Harvard-Westlake.

57 40 12 2004

ARTS CLASSES OFFERED

AVERAGE NUMBER OF CONCERTS, DANCE RECITALS, PLAYS, AND OTHER PERFORMANCES EACH YEAR

STUDENT-WRITTEN PLAYS PERFORMED IN THE ANNUAL PLAYWRIGHTS’ FESTIVAL

YEAR THE WESTFLIX FILM FESTIVAL WAS FOUNDED AT HARVARD-WESTLAKE

Get in the Game

At Harvard-Westlake, when you win, it’ll be group hugs and 昀st bumps all around. And when you get knocked down, you’ll dust yourself o昀 and shake your opponent’s hand, no matter what the 昀nal score is. You can try everything from archery to yoga as part of our extensive physical education program. You might become a sports broadcaster on HWTV, our awardwinning student-run network, or perform groundbreaking sports research.

Maybe you’ll join one of our teams where everyone plays just for fun. Or perhaps you’ll go on to play your sport in college or even in the Olympics, like many of our alumni have. Our coaches and your teammates will support you no matter what your skill level. Come play at Harvard-Westlake.

27 90 65% 188 SPORTS PLAYED

SPORTS TEAMS

STUDENTS WHO PLAY INTERSCHOLASTIC SPORTS

CIF STATE AND REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS SINCE 1991

“DURING MY FIRST SWIM MEET, I SAW THE OLDER KIDS CHEERING ME ON AND THOUGHT, ‘I MET THESE PEOPLE 30 MINUTES AGO, AND THEY’RE CHEERING FOR ME LIKE THEY’VE KNOWN ME FOR YEARS!’” T H E R E S E , C L A SS O F 2 0 2 2

Do the Right Thing

At Harvard-Westlake, you’ll build character and resilience, and make honesty, responsibility, and thoughtfulness enduring habits of mind. A host of programs set that foundation, from Seventh Grade Advisory’s academic and social support groups to Life Lab, a required course exploring personal growth and decision making. Students can seek help from their deans, who act as mentors throughout the Harvard-Westlake journey, or from peers trained to advise them in HW Peer Support. In other words, you’ll leave not just with a diploma, but also with a stronger moral compass.

450

AVERAGE NUMBER OF STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN PEER SUPPORT EACH WEEK

12 1 7 10 TO

STUDENT-TO-FACULTY RATIO IN SEVENTH GRADE ADVISORY

DEANS AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL

DEANS AT THE UPPER SCHOOL

“HARVARD-WESTLAKE’S EXCELLENCE IS NOT SOLELY ACADEMIC, BUT ALSO ATHLETIC, ARTISTIC, AND MORAL. HARVARD-WESTLAKE TEACHES ITS STUDENTS TO ACT WITH INTEGRITY AND STRIVE FOR THE HIGHEST GOALS.” B E N J A M I N , C L A SS O F 2 0 1 9

Make a Difference

At Harvard-Westlake, you’ll delve into important causes around you, then step in to help, gaining real-world experience and leadership skills in the process. Each school year, you’ll devote time to your community, whether it’s cleaning up the Ballona Wetlands or performing live music in a local shelter. You might make a 昀lm about Holocaust survivors in Los Angeles or study the e昀ects of pollution in Shanghai with a Harvard-Westlake fellowship grant. You’ll learn from role models and notable Harvard-Westlake speakers like 昀lmmaker Ava DuVernay and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti ’88. And a昀er you graduate? You’ll go out into the world and make it a better place than you found it.

19,000+

COMMUNITY SERVICE HOURS PERFORMED BY HW STUDENTS EACH YEAR

28

COMMUNITY SERVICE CLUBS

2,000+

HW COMMUNITY PARTNERS

9

FELLOWSHIP GRANTS AVAILABLE

“TUTORING KIDS THROUGH BRIDGE TO A BRIGHTER FUTURE WAS ONE OF MY FAVORITE ACTIVITIES AT HW. I REGULARLY TUTORED ONE GIRL AND SHARED SEVERAL ‘AHA’ MOMENTS AND LAUGHS WITH HER. THAT RELATIONSHIP GAVE ME A NEW PASSION FOR HELPING OTHERS.” H AU N A N I , C L A SS O F 2 0 1 7

Discover Yourself

Here

In 1991, Westlake School for Girls, founded in 1904, and Harvard School, a boys’ school founded in 1900, merged to form Harvard-Westlake. The recently modernized middle school, on Westlake’s former campus, is nestled in Holmby Hills, and the upper school, on Harvard’s former campus, is set on a tree-covered hillside in Coldwater Canyon. Become a part of our history by becoming a part of our future. Imagine your own endless possibilities. Come discover yourself at Harvard-Westlake.

“IT WAS HERE, AS A YOUNG ENGLISH TEACHER, SOCCER COACH, AND COLLEGE COUNSELOR, THAT I FOUND MY CALLING AS AN EDUCATOR. AT HARVARD-WESTLAKE I DISCOVERED THE JOY OF WORKING WITH EXTRAORDINARILY TALENTED STUDENTS AND COLLEAGUES WHO ARE COMMITTED TO ACCOMPLISHING EXCITING AND MEANINGFUL THINGS TOGETHER. NO MATTER WHERE YOU LOOK, I THINK YOU WILL FIND THAT HARVARD-WESTLAKE IS AN INSPIRING PLACE TO BE. I FOUND MY CALLING HERE; I HOPE OUR STUDENTS MIGHT TOO.” RICHARD B. COMM ONS PRESIDENT & HEAD OF SCHOOL

MIDDLE SCHOOL CAMPUS 700 North Faring Road Los Angeles, CA 90077 310.274.7281 UPPER SCHOOL CAMPUS 3700 Coldwater Canyon Avenue Studio City, CA 91604 818.980.6692 HW.COM

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