Thank you for your interest in Westridge School for girls! Westridge is known for our academic excellence, lively classrooms, and fearless and interesting students. Our programs are designed for how girls learn best and prioritize their interests and female role models. And in our single-gender learning community that celebrates individuality, students are comfortable being themselves at school, free to engage in deep, meaningful learning…to speak up, and take advantage of all that our school has to offer.
School Profile
Grades Levels: 4-12
All Girls
Number of Students: 500
Class Sizes: average 15
Student Teacher Ratio: 7:1
Welcome to Westridge School
Elizabeth J. McGregor Head of School
Thank you for your interest in Westridge School for girls! Westridge is known for our academic excellence, lively classrooms, and fearless and interesting students. Our programs are designed for how girls learn best and prioritize their interests and female role models. And in our single-gender learning community that celebrates individuality, students are comfortable being themselves at school, free to engage in deep, meaningful learning…to speak up, and take advantage of all that our school has to offer.
From grade 4 onward, girls’ voices are front and center and learning is active and discussion-based. As a result, Westridge students know how to think, to analyze, to make connections. They know how to communicate. And they develop the curiosity, thoughtfulness, and wonder they need to become self-motivated and passionate learners.
We also place a deep emphasis on programs that help our students develop into healthy, good people―our work in human development, social emotional learning, diversity, equity & inclusion, leadership development, and the like. These are not secondary to us―we believe personal development is an essential part of what happens here, and that it is fundamental to academic excellence.
We would love to have you join us for an in-depth virtual tour on our website as well as grade-level information sessions, via Zoom, where you can get to know us and have your questions answered. For more information, or to register, please visit www.westridge.org/admission/visit.
Westridge was founded in 1913 with a mission to offer educational equity to young women who wished to engage in serious academic endeavors. Today, we put girls at the center of all we do and our unique 4-12 program provides a carefully designed curriculum grounded in research on how girls learn best and in a pedagogy that engages students in deep learning. Immersed in an environment and community designed specifically for girls, our students are free to dive deep into learning and discover their voices.
The Westridge curriculum includes strong academic, arts, athletic, and human development programs, enhanced by small class sizes and a personalized college counseling program. It balances challenging academics and leadership development with a priority on social emotional learning and the development of sense of self and consideration of individuals’ responsibilities to others and the world.
Signature programs at Westridge include: Research in Science, which places Upper School students in working laboratories including at CalTech, the Carnegie Observatories, and City of Hope; Perspectives in Literature, an interdisciplinary course and student literature conference; interdisciplinary humanities programs in grades 6-8; a comprehensive 4-12 human development program; a four-year Upper School Community Action Project, and a Global Fellow transcript distinction option. The school’s Lower School program includes art and project-based science classes that meet every other day, PE every day, vocal and instrumental music (strings), and Spanish.
In January, Westridge introduced its 2020-2025 Strategic Plan with four priorities that are
tightly integrated components of academic excellence and student well-being:
Expand programs and resources that promote student well-being and social emotional growth,
Conduct a curriculum review across all divisions of the school to inform a comprehensive program update focused on academic excellence, innovation, and relevance,
Strengthen and expand our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion,
Develop core leadership skills and personal agency in all Westridge students.
The school’s Pasadena campus, home to 500 students, combines historic architecture and modern, state-of-the art facilities including its STEAMWork Design Studio.
