Westwood Charter Elementary School

Fantastic collaborative community school. There is a dedicated focus on creating a culture of inclusion. Staff is willing and available to help children with social skills and friendship issues. Academics are rigorous and engaging. Teachers are collaborative, passionate and dedicated. Support staff and Teachers are willing to meet and problem solve with parents and students regarding students in need ( social / anxiety/ learning difference/ heath/ as well as collaborate to support family issues).

IMO, the high ratings for this school are given by people that don't really know any better/have no basis of comparison. My son was here for K-3 and my daughter for K. The community is passionate about the school and some of the teachers are great (and some are really, really not great by a long shot). Despite parent efforts to raise money, the school is pathetically underfunded. We moved to another state and the first thing my son said after his first day in our new school was "It's so clean! And at lunch there's a chair for EVERYONE!" I felt so sad for my son after that comment and so happy we'd gotten him out of that pit. My son never learned to write correctly there, he holds his pencil wrong and his handwriting is illegible. No one notices things like that there. My son also had serious anxiety issues that were barely raised/noticed by his teachers. My kindergartener was reading way under grade level because again no one was paying attention to her. The classes are too big for individual attention. I am so incredibly happy that my children now go to an excellent public school (and my taxes are actually lower than they were in LA).

The school itself with the help of the amazing teachers is a great school for any kid in the area. My kids love their teachers. But I feel that the politics within the school and those in charge cloud many of what they teach their students. There have been incidents with disgruntled parents and some teachers and crossing guards have been fired without notice or put on investigation. Incidents as these are just tried to put under the rug. Sadly it doesnt make many parents comfortable with who is in charge.

Really great, feeling blessed by the opportunity