Westerly School of Long Beach

This school is nothing short of amazing. My wife and I toured this school and were immediately struck by how engaged the students were. Westerly uses a very strong community approach to pull the best out of each individual student. The kids are challenged with strong academic, music, art, and Spanish, but are also supported by their peers as well as the faculty and administration. The younger students are even mentored by the older students. We couldn't be happier with how far our daughter has come just in Kindergarten. Westerly has an exceptional amount of parental involvement. Parents are involved in many volunteer opportunities and community events allowing the students to form stronger bonds with each other and with other families.
—Submitted by a parent

Do NOT let the price of tuition prevent you from taking a tour of the campus. I was one of the parents who initially thought that there was no way that my family would be able to afford this school. However, thanks to Westerly's generous financial aid my son has received an amazing education! Westerly has lived up to their promise of differentiated teaching. My son works two grade levels above their already rigorous math curriculum and the faculty have gone above and beyond to challenge him daily instead of giving him "busy work" like the GATE program said they would have to do with him. The art and Spanish curriculum is also top notch. Students are often invited to display their work in galleries and usually ease into Spanish 2 in 9th grade. But the best part of Westerly life is the family feel of the campus. There are never fights or bullying! It is no wonder students here are confident and accepted to their first choice of high schools. I could not be happier with this school!
—Submitted by a parent

Facilities and staff are unmatched anywhere in the South Bay area, including Huntington Beach, Seal Beach, Long Beach, all the way Rancho Palos Verdes where you find an equivalent school - Chadwick School and a couple others.
—Submitted by a parent

In Long Beach, there are two types of students....those who went to Westerly and those who wished they did. My wife and I stumbled on to Westerly for our son who is in kindergarten after touring our home public school which is considered one of the best in LBUSD. But given the budget cuts, we looked and found Westerly. Its approach to teaching the entire student academically, culturally, musically, artistically, physically, and linguistically, i.e. Spanish for kinders, blew us away. (You have to take a tour to truly appreciate what Westerly has to offer.) The small student to teach ratio allows for individual attention and development. Moreover, the faculty is fantastic. They care and invest their energy and time to each student. There is an open door policy from the Head of the School down to the administration and teachers. There is clear communication with regards to what is being taught, how it is being taught, and what is going on campus. Further, the campus is clean, safe, and modern. Parents' involvement is high. Heck, even before school started, the parents got together for a summer bbq to meet and know each other and have continued to do so with holiday parties.
—Submitted by a parent

This is truly a great school. I have two children that attend the school. My children have different interests but Westerly allows both of my children to be successfull in their own way. I could not ask more from a school.
—Submitted by a parent

We couldn't ask for a better school for our daughter. She's in first grade and thriving. We love both the inschool and after school programs. She loves to go to school in the morning and always asks if she can stay a little longer when we pick her up. There was a comment saying the tuition was high. Though is was more than our daughters previous school, that closed due to lack of funds and enrolement, it is lower than some of the other options we looked into when her last school closed.
—Submitted by a parent

westerly is a great school that emphisises on the arts: music, art, and even insturments
—Submitted by a parent

Westerly's strengths are: high academic standards, great faculty that works as a team to give individual attention to students, differentiated instruction allows children to advance and be challenged at all levels. Spanish, Art, and music and PE are taught daily from K to 8 by specialists in each subject. The Middle School is incredible and offers advanced curriculum in a small nurturing environment. Both of my children love attending Westerly!
—Submitted by a parent

The Boy's Basketball program is an exceptional image of character building through sport.
—Submitted by a parent

I feel Westerly School's no. 1 quality is its dedication to each individual student. It's hard for a child to slip below the radar emotionally, socially and academically with two teachers leading a class. As a parent, I like knowing that my child's teacher knows her extremely well. Parent-teacher communication is key, and my daughter's teacher has made it very clear to me that I am welcome to call, email or stop by anytime. Complete and total open door two-way communication. While overall I'm exceedingly impressed with the sense of community at Westerly, the after school program and with attention to the individual student, I'm am equally unimpressed with how some teachers sometimes reward with food, and at times can be very, very strict in terms of discipline. Mixed bag.
—Submitted by misteranonymous anonymous, a parent

I've had three children at Westerly and I've been impressed with the teachers' ability to appreciate each child as an individual, to instill a sense of community spirit, and to nurture the children's emotional development. The teachers work with the parents to find each child's unique gifts and design a differentiated curriculum. The graduating 8th graders go on to be successful at the most rigorous high school programs, and then go to colleges like Harvard, Yale, U-Chicago, USC, U-Michigan. What differentiates Westerly from the gifted classes in the public schools, however, is its 'whole child' approach. Not just intellectual development, but emotional, moral, and physical development. The school is one of Long Beach's best kept secrets.
—Submitted by a parent

My son can't wait to get to school and doesn't want to leave. A far cry from his past two schools, where he would cry and not want to go. He learns at school, therefore, his homework is minimal. Testing is to see what they need to be taught, not to get state funding for excellence. They do not test daily, the kids don't look all stressed out. They play! It feels like your walking back in time, the way school use to be, fun. The curriculum is challenging, but the kids love to learn, so it works.
—Submitted by a parent

What every parent wants for their child. Values, respect and guidance.
—Submitted by a parent

Westerly is a wonderful school. It's curriculum focuses on the Whole child and ensuring each student reaches his or her potential. Academics are a priority however we make time to ensure that the children recieve a well rounded education including: Music, Spanish, ARt, PE, and Computer Sciences. The best thing about Westerly is the Community. The school is situated in a park like setting that is extremly safe and secure. Parents are involved in thier childs school experiences and the community focuses on supporting a harmonious, safe enviornment. Differences are encouraged and promoted in each student.
—Submitted by a parent

Good school - lots to offer.
—Submitted by a teacher

Excellent academics. Music, sports, art and after school program are great. The new headmaster seems terrific. The problem is that the school is expensive and there is not much socio-economic diversity.
—Submitted by a parent

The Westerly school has a very low student to reacher ratio and a beatiful campus. The music department is excellent.
—Submitted by a parent

Located in the heart of Long Beach on a lush, five acre park like campus, Westerly School of Long Beach has earned a prestigious reputation as one of the premier educational institutions in the area. From the Full Day Kindergarten students to the 8th grade students who matriculate and succeed in the most rigorous high school programs, Westerly s traditions of academic excellence through personal and social development in the context of a diverse community exemplify the school s mission statement. A challenging core curriculum is enhanced with expert instruction in fine arts, music, technology, physical education and Spanish. A master teacher and teaching assistant teach each grade, resulting in an 11 to1 student faculty ratio. A rich after-school program is offered as is an engaging summer program. Westerly is proud to be accredited by both, CAIS and WASC. Please call the school or visit the website for more information.
—Submitted by a teacher

My daughter has been at Westerly for 2 years. She looks forward to going to school each day. The school and teachers have made learning come alive for the students. When summer comes, she starts counting the days until she can go back to school. I had her tested to find out where she stood academically and found her to be a grade level ahead. The staff is very responsive and they do not tolerate bad behavior. The children are the most polite kids that I have seen. The schools 8th graders go to the top academic programs available and take with them the love of learning that they have been taught.
—Submitted by a parent

I graduated from Westerly last year and am now in a distinguished scholar program at a local public school. Everyone in my graduating class of 22 were accepted into highly accelerated high school programs. I truely enjoyed the teachers, the students and the entire experience at Westerly. They prepared me very well for high school and I gained a sense of confidence that I probably would not have received at a larger school.
—Submitted by a student