The 4-12 Program
Three distinct divisions. One distinctive school.
At Westridge, our curriculum is based on our fundamental understanding of how girls learn. Our unique, grades 4-12 program offers a thoughtfully designed curriculum that provides consistency in educational philosophy, approach, and values across all three divisions of the school. Yet within this common educational and relational framework, each of our three academic divisions—Lower School (grades 4-6), Middle School (grades 7-8), and Upper School (grades 9-12)—has its own developmentally appropriate program, pedagogy, physical space, and even personality.
Upper School (Grades 9-12)
Imagine yourself thriving in a place where girls with wide ranges of interests and experiences come together to eagerly engage with challenging curriculum and exchange ideas about the world around them. This is the Westridge Upper School experience.
Upper School Courses
- ENGLISH
- HISTORY
- MATHEMATICS
- SCIENCE
- WORLD LANGUAGES & CULTURES
- COMPUTER SCIENCE & ENGINEERING
- VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS
- PHYSICAL EDUCATION
- ELECTIVES
- HUMAN DEVELOPMENT & COLLEGE PROCESS
ENGLISH
HISTORY
MATHEMATICS
SCIENCE
WORLD LANGUAGES & CULTURES
- Latin I
- Latin II
- Latin III
- Latin IV Vergil - From Olympus to the Underworld
- Honors Latin V: Latin Advanced Readings
- Spanish I
- Spanish II
- Spanish III
- El Mundo Hispanohablante
- Advanced Cultural Studies in Spanish: Identity, Borders, and Revolutions
- Literature in Spanish
- Mandarin Chinese I
- Mandarin Chinese II
- Mandarin Chinese III
- Mandarin Chinese IV
- Advanced Studies in Chinese Language & Culture
COMPUTER SCIENCE & ENGINEERING
VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS
- Painting / Drawing I
- Painting / Drawing II
- Photography I
- Photography II
- Time-Based Art
- 3D Design I
- 3D Design II
- Journeys in Film
- Ceramics I
- Clay Design and Engineering I
- Clay Design and Engineering II
- Clay Sculpture
- Art Studio and Seminar Intensive I
- Art Studio and Seminar Intensive II
- Glee Club
- String Orchestra
- Chamber Orchestra
- Acting I
- Theatre Production
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
ELECTIVES
- Creative Writing I
- Creative Writing II
- Creative Writing III
- Creative Writing IV
- Fundamentals of Costume Design
- Costume Construction
- Technical Theatre
- Peer-to-Peer I
- Peer-to-Peer II
- Peer-to-Peer III
- Student Voices
- Inlook (Yearbook)
- Spyglass
- Speech and Debate
- Engineering & Design - Robotics
- Engineering & Design - Rocketry
- Permaculture Garden
- Sustainable Building and Design
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT & COLLEGE PROCESS
Curriculum Close-Ups
Discover our Upper School program through our "curriculum close-ups" video series, an introduction to our academic program featuring faculty members from every department!
Middle School (Grades 7-8)
Get ready to become a fierce learner. Westridge Middle School (grades 7-8) students are inspired to become creative thinkers and are ready for deeper analytical insights. They are challenged with a curriculum that is project-centered, interdisciplinary, and grounded in the skills necessary for academic achievement, intellectual growth, and social, emotional, and physical well-being.
The Middle School is an energetic and nurturing community with students being both silly and fun at school and also ready to make connections between subjects, between learning and the real world, and between themselves and others.
Middle School Courses
Lower School (Grades 4-6)
Let the adventure begin! Lower School at Westridge is a joyous mix of creativity, intellectual challenge, personal development, and girl power. Our all-girls school starts in the fourth grade because it is then that developmental differences, and differences in learning and social-emotional needs, become more pronounced and a girl’s sense of self is taking root, shaped by her intellectual pursuits, friendships, and emerging passions and talents.
Girls are taught the power of a growth mindset in learning and are fully supported as they build confidence, develop a strong sense of self, and begin to look at the world around them in new ways. They trust that they can take risks in the classroom and they are trained to think like scientists, to write substantial narratives, and to empathize with their peers. They also learn people skills, and as a result they know how to be a friend and how to have a friend.
Learning is project-based with longer class blocks for collaboration and discussion -- research-proven strategies for how girls learn best. Our teachers place an emphasis on building a solid foundation for knowledge and skill acquisition and engage students in the learning process so that from a young age they have insight into their personal learning style and how they learn best.