Harvard-Westlake Admission Viewbook

Discover yourself

at Harvard-Westlake

Discover who you are At Harvard-Westlake, you’ll discover your best self.

You’ll make new friends, learn what you love, follow your joy, and find your purpose. You’ll express yourself, get in the game, and change the world.

Harvard-Westlake encourages you always to grow.

The vast opportunities and resources really make this school special. I’ve connected with so many people and learned so much about myself.” glory, class of 2024

Find your place in the world No matter who you are, you’ll matter at Harvard-Westlake.

You’ll open your mind and speak your mind. You’ll be encouraged to be brave, engaged, respectful, and empathetic. You’ll explore where you come from, learn to honor others’ differences, and find friends in people like and unlike you. At Harvard-Westlake, you’ll be somebody—you.

1,620 175+

STUDENTS FROM

ZIP CODES

ABOUT THE STUDENT BODY

20 % 65 + RECEIVE FINANCIAL AID

LANGUAGES SPOKEN AT HOME

62 %

IDENTIFY AS STUDENTS OF COLOR

565

STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN

29

AFFINITY GROUPS

Harvard-Westlake’s community is such a diverse group of people with so many interests, it’s super easy to find someone like you.” hudson, class of 2028

Learn what you love Whatever you’re curious about, you can dive in at Harvard-Westlake. You can choose from an incredible breadth of courses that span from ethics to entrepreneurship, from choreography to oceanography. You’ll be surrounded by brilliant faculty and students who will both challenge you and encourage you. And you’ll get connected to internships, global fellowships, and other opportunities that help you grow beyond the classroom. Explore your passions at Harvard-Westlake.

300+ COURSES OFFERED

16

AVERAGE NUMBER OF STUDENTS PER CLASS

76

%

OF TEACHERS HOLD AN ADVANCED DEGREE

34

NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP SEMIFINALISTS LAST YEAR

Our students approach challenges with drive and intellectual curiosity. I tell my students that they constantly elevate each other and their striving for excellence pushes me to be a better teacher.” stephanie chiang upper school english teacher

100+

STUDENT-LED CLUBS

Follow your joy At Harvard-Westlake, you’ll make memories with friends you’ll never forget. You’ll zipline over canyons, paddle rapids, and bond over s’mores on class retreats. You’ll take part in school traditions, from the homecoming fair to the Jacobson Cup field day competition. You might become a DJ for the school radio station, play Frisbee on the quad at break, chill out with the Painting Club—or start a new club of your own. Make your dreams come true at Harvard-Westlake.

10+

250+

24

32

750+

1,000+

FACULTY-LED INTERNATIONAL TRIPS PER YEAR

BANDS AND PERFORMANCES AT THE HW HERITAGE FESTIVAL

STUDENTS ATTEND THE HOMECOMING FORMAL

STUDENTS HIGH-FIVED

BY BUDDY THE WOLVERINE AT CONVOCATION

TEAMS PLAY IN THE ANNUAL SCHOOL DODGEBALL TOURNAMENT

S’MORES CONSUMED ON CLASS RETREATS

200+

FIELD TRIPS TAKEN PER YEAR

The coolest thing about robotics at HW is that we know all of the kids from other schools, and we share ideas, scrimmage, and have a lot of fun.” thomas, class of 2028 after winning the middle school 2024 vex robotics world championship

Express yourself At Harvard-Westlake, you’ll embrace your creativity.

You’ll experiment and collaborate. You’ll get access to our world-class facilities, including our professionallevel theater and state-of-the-art glass-blowing studio.

You can take a spin at the pottery wheel, try costume design, join an improv troupe, perform with one of our orchestras all over the world…. Your art is limited only by your imagination at Harvard-Westlake.

50+

ARTS CLASSES OFFERED

While everyone tearfully took their bows after the final show of my 10th grade musical, it dawned on me how important school theater was for me.

Harvard-Westlake’s theater program has truly helped me become the person I am today. As we all hugged and congratulated each other, I felt that I had found a space where I could authentically be myself, on and off the stage.” maya, class of 2025

5

PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS IN THE ARTS OVER THE PAST DECADE

40+

CONCERTS, DANCE RECITALS, PLAYS, AND PERFORMANCES EACH YEAR

20+

YEARS SINCE THE WESTFLIX STUDENT FILM FESTIVAL WAS FOUNDED AT HW

Get in the game At Harvard-Westlake, when you win, it’ll be high-fives and group hugs all around—and when you lose, you’ll dust yourself off and shake your opponent’s hand, no matter the final score. You could be a sports broadcaster for our award-winning student network, join a team where everyone plays just for fun, or go on to compete in college and beyond. Your coaches and teammates will support you at every skill level.

Come play at Harvard-Westlake.

30 SPORTS PLAYED

Right before every game, the whole team would gather in a circle and say ‘All five’ to symbolize that we were all working together [because five players are on the court at a time].” deana, class of 2025 after winning the girls basketball cif division 2 state championship

90 SPORTS TEAMS

200+

INDIVIDUAL AND TEAM CIF, REGIONAL, AND STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

65

%

OF STUDENTS PLAY INTERSCHOLASTIC SPORTS

Make a difference At Harvard-Westlake, you’ll build character and step up to help for causes you care about. With social-emotional learning in Advisory, peers trained to advise you in Peer Support, and dedicated deans and counselors to act as your guides, you’ll learn to identify and live your values.

You’ll develop a sense of responsibility and devote time to your community, whether it’s volunteering at an animal shelter or singing for Children’s Hospital patients. And after you graduate? You’ll get out there and change the world.

20+

COMMUNITY SERVICE CLUBS

Small gestures of kindness can really improve someone’s day. At Harvard-Westlake, I’ve learned that individual acts of service can have a big impact.” elle, class of 2029

20+

YEARS HOSTING SPECIAL OLYMPICS EVENTS ON CAMPUS

19,000+ COMMUNITY SERVICE HOURS COMPLETED

BY STUDENTS EACH YEAR

19

DEANS TO PROVIDE STUDENT SUPPORT

Discover your possibilities

at HarvardWestlake HW.COM/ADMISSION

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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.