My family received the Harvard-Westlake School’s 2009-10 Annual Report. We don’t have any connection to the school. We got it because we contributed to a memorial fund for our friends, Scott and Jody Siegler’s amazing daughter, Julia Siegler, who was tragically struck by a car and killed while trying to catch the bus this past February. The cover photo, above, shows Harvard-Westlake students joining hands in honor of Julia and another student who died.
- Heritage Circle- $50,000 and up. Number of donors: 49
- Community Circle- Under $1,500. Number of donors: 596
- Arizona State (1)
- Carleton College (1)
- Chapman University (1)
- Columbia University (11)
- Duke University (3)
- Earlham College (2)
- Harvard University (7)
- Indiana University (1)
- Kenyon College (1)
- NYU (12)
- Northeastern (1)
- Northwestern (4)
- Pepperdine (1)
- Princeton (5)
- Stanford (9)
- UC Berkeley (1)
- UCLA (6)
- Yale (8)
It's always interesting to see where the most talked about schools send graduates. Thanks for posting.
My son is applying to secondary schools now. He is at Curtis and we were told he was one of the top students. We are considering Harvard Westlake, Oakwood and Viewpoint because we live in the Valley, and possibly Campbell Hall. I find that a list of all colleges that students who have graduated in the last 5 years got in to is not helpful. I want to know what the percentages of Ivy League and top schools are to less selective colleges. So far, I can only find the information on Harvard Westlake, not any of the other schools. Does anyone know?
My child went to Curtis school as well and was told that Harvard-Westlake was a good fit, and now attends. As far as I know Viewpoint has a lot of students who go to Ivy Leagues compared to less selective colleges, but Harvard-Westlake is definitely one of the best in the area. I feel that Oakwood is more arts-orientated so the students there probably attend good art programs. I definitely recommend Harvard-Westlake, though.
We loved Harvard-Westlake and came from Village School in the Palisades.
It was a great combination for my son and he is now thriving at Harvard.
There are so many good private schools in Los Angeles, and each seems to have its own personality. The concept of "a good match" is worth consideration in placement.
Thank you, Janis. I think you're absolutely right!
What about Brentwood School? Any comments on the quality of the (1) Lower Grades, (2) the Junior High and (3) The High School.
Is it a great school, or just a school for wealthy west-siders?
Hi Anonymous,
From everything I know about Brentwood, it's a great school. It's definitely Westside, but I know families there who are not wealthy and who work hard to put their kids through school. I toured the elementary school and was very impressed! I have one friend whose daughter graduated from Brentwood last year and is now at Columbia. Her mom tells me she was very well prepared for college. Hope that helps.
Christina
Brentwood School hired a new director last year. How has the philosophy changed, if at all? What are the teaching methodologies used at Harvard-Westlake and Brentwood? What are the kids like (and how do they differ) at these schools? The parents?
Hi Public School Parent! You ask a lot of great questions, most of which are best answered by touring each school. That said, Brentwood is smaller than H-W so I think H-W is more ethnically and socio-economically diverse because it draws from a larger geographic area and its a bigger school. That said, there is tremendous wealth at both schools and there are middle-income families too. They’re both good schools, with subtle and obvious differences you see when you visit each of them.