Westwood Elementary School

I have been very impressed with this charter school, it is run by a strong group of involved parents and caring, creative teachers. My son has done well in K and now 1st grade and has formed lasting friendships and blossomed in his learning. There is much here to be admired, including the innovative ways the community raises money, stays organized and takes action -- the new principal this year was just ousted for not stepping up and being a positive, present leader. The only cons for me personally -- the large number of students, the lack of real-world diversity and the ongoing issue of campus security.
—Submitted by a parent

Westwood Charter is a very warm nurturing inclusive school. Both of my children went there. There were fun after-school programs as well. It rivals many private institutions. Children blossom there. The teachers and Administration do care.
—Submitted by a parent

It's quite obvious that Westwood Charter has a great sense of community. As a possible future attending family, I'm curious to see more reviews about academic instruction: is there a lot of ditto/text work or more holistic approaches, such as Writer's Workshop, literature groups, Cognitively Guided Instruction for math, Foss kits / inquiry based science, etc? I ask because our older child attends a highly reputable school, state scores off the charts, but her classroom could NOT be more teacher and test centered - I couldn't be more disappointed. The classroom sorely lacks lifelong learning skills needed for success the 21st century. I hope it's a different story here.
—Submitted by a parent

I used Great Schools to research the best elementary school for our daughter when we moved to LA. We really lucked out that Westwood Charter Elementary was our first pick and we were able to move nearby. Unlike so many charters it is truly a neighborhood school. No competitive lottery with donations flying around from rich donors who buy their way in. If you live in the district, you're in. The acedemic level of excellence is very high, and the only complaint I hear is that some parents do like the challenging academics. I don't mind and my daughter has grown SO MUCH since we started in the middle of 1st grade. There is also an amazing art teacher, music teacher, P.E. teacher, and even a full time gardening teacher. A brand new library and so much parental involvement. When LAUSD makes cuts, the WISE board kicks in with $ and I'm amazed by their fundraising success. It's been a charter school for over 20 years so it's been around... The old principal was incredible and I'm not surprised that the new principal who replaced her seems just as special. I guess any principal would love to be at Westwood Charter! Highly recommend.
—Submitted by a parent

Well, I guess I'm a parent of one of those "slightly above average" students that the previous two reviewers had the misfortune of having in their little genius' classes. I feel awful that my child has skewed their learning opportunities. However, I have found the teachers overly caring, supportive, and constantly encouraging my child to be the best she can be. The parent involvement is great. True, the office personnel are horrible and rude. But if you can look past that, your will find an excellent, neighborhood gem that prepares children very well for the future.
—Submitted by a parent

If your child is average, then send them here. They have a lot of enrichment that you won't find in other cash strapped schools. However, if your child is highly/profoundly gifted then you need to find a better match for them. They do not know how to help extremely bright kids. They misdiagnosed my son and gave him services that were not appropriate for his needs. Thank goodness I had the foresight to pull him out before more damage was done.
—Submitted by a parent

We found the teaching methods were not consistently rigorous and yearned for a teacher who required regular spelling tests and the basics even in the lower grades. One teacher did not challenge my older child and required him to do "busy" math exercises instead of accelerating his learning. She was incapable of educating a gifted student. Despite its fierce nature to raise money from parents, the Charter school (and Charter administration) refused to pay for testing needs and we didn't feel that the the money raised should go into teachers' assistants. It's a good school, but we wished for more rigorous academic standards and received an opportunity to transfer my children to a magnet. When I asked my older child what the difference was between his current school and Westwood Charter, he felt that the lessons at Westwood flowed like molasses with too many students who didn't understand math concepts. As a working mother, I felt that it was very difficult to obtain information from the administration.
—Submitted by a parent

In general Holy Angels prepared my daughter well for college. (This also applied to the older child, a few years ahead) She had a good background in most subject areas and was able to take on both the quantity and the individual responsibility aspects of college work. She acquired a love of Italian and (in the earlier grades) of French. The partnership with FDU enabled both girls to get a head start at college as they received Middle College Program(MCP) credits for some subjects - allowing them to bypass some core credit requirements and either move ahead faster or do more interesting electives at college. The one area of concern was math which was a struggle and where I found I had to pay extra for tutorial assistance.
—Submitted by a parent

This is a school full of wonderful teachers that work with each childs strong points and help with the weak points. My daughter has excelled in academica and confidence in this very supportive environment.
—Submitted by a parent

The commitment of the staff and parents in brilliant.

As a parent whose child went to 3 different elementery school I could fairely call myself a good Judge. In no other school I have seen such a close neat of parents teamwork and so much caring and sensitivity to every child's needs. It is a place where all talents are tended and flourished.
—Submitted by a parent

We are new to the school this year, and have found the office staff to be HORRIBLE. They are consistently rude, unfriendly, and unhelpful. If you can get past that than you will find an incredible school filled with teachers and parents who truly care about your child s learning. It is refreshing to see the teachers and parents working so well together.
—Submitted by a parent

It's such a great neighborhood school with an amazing group of families that share the common belief that it takes a village to raise a child...
—Submitted by a teacher

The culture of the school dictates that teachers and parents must work as a team in order to bring success to each and every student. This is a constant reminder when the grades are refered to "family" (e.g., 1st grade family).
—Submitted by a parent

Westwood Charter is incredible. It's a save learning environment with a comprehensive cirriculum. Emotional and intellectual support is there for all students
—Submitted by a parent

I have been very impress the couple of times we have visited the school. My grand children have been involved in some very wonder classes. The theater department is fantastic. My grandchhildren love the school and I think that is important. They respect their teachers. When I visited the school last year and couldn't find my grand sons class, every one was very pleasant and helpful

because of the support of the parents, local community and the programs it provides

Great families in a fantastic neighborhood!

Why do you love Westwood Elementary School? There's nothing more valuable than a good education and that's what you get at Westwood!

Provides great education for my friends children
—Submitted by a parent