Westridge has, from its inception, based all of its programs on the fundamental belief that women have a right to be fully educated in an environment that engages the heart, intellect, body and soul and that it is best for girls to be educated in a single-sex setting.

In 1913, the year Westridge was founded, a woman living in the United States was denied the right to vote in a free election. Westridge is proud of a heritage that took root in pre-suffrage America 95 years ago, as two mothers, concerned that there was no school for their daughters on the west side of Pasadena, persuaded Mary Lowther Ranney, a noted architect and teacher, to open a school for girls in her home on the “west ridge” of town.

Almost immediately, enrollment far exceeded expectations. Miss Ranney soon secured a larger home at 324 Madeline Drive and opened the school with 21 students.

The Tudor classroom building at 324 Madeline remains the heart of a 10-acre campus where 510 girls in grades four through twelve pursue a multifaceted academic, athletic, and extra-curricular program.

Just as Westridge was originally mandated by parents, it has been preserved and expanded by their efforts. In 1936, when Miss Ranney retired, a group of parents bought the school and chartered it as a nonprofit institution with a board of trustees. Over the years, the campus has grown to keep pace with the educational needs of a thriving school.

Beyond the physical improvement of the campus through the decades, Westridge has also cultivated social and academic progress.

In 1937, a financial aid program was implemented. In 1949, summer school classes began. The 1960s brought a program encouraging minority enrollment, which now constitutes one-third of the student body. The 1970s and 1980s were a time of expansion for the athletic program. The 1990s were characterized by the integration of computer technology into academic life, increased emphasis on the performing and fine arts, and physical expansion to accommodate new programs.

Within the next decade, Westridge will complete its first century of educating girls and young women. In its next century, Westridge School envisions preserving the best of an illustrious reputation while being innovative and flexible to respond to the challenges of the future.