Niche.com named Harvard-Westlake the best private high school in California and the fourth best in the nation for 2017.

According to the website, the rankings were calculated based on several factors, with the most weight on standardized testing scores, top colleges score and enrollment and cultural diversity.  Harvard-Westlake was given an A+ on their rating scale in academics, teachers, college readiness and clubs and activities.

“Given their methodology, it doesn’t surprise me that we are ranked so high,” Upper school dean Celso Cardenas said in an email.  “I also appreciate that the ranking isn’t just based on test scores and college matriculation, but it also looked at important factors in the student experience such as diversity, safety, access to student organizations, athletics and faculty/student interaction. I am very proud to work at HW, and this ranking only confirms what I’ve already known.”

The website published responses and polls from current and past students regarding their experiences at Harvard-Westlake.

“Harvard-Westlake challenges you to succeed in everything you do and to keep trying even when life gets hard,” a high school junior wrote in a featured review.  “If you are the sort of person who thrives in those conditions, Harvard-Westlake will make you the very best person you could ever be.”

Ryan Stanford ’19 said she is proud to be a part of the community.

“Harvard-Westlake means so much to me as an institution, and this recognition has only served to increase the incredible privilege I feel to be able to attend this school every day,” Stanford said.  “I’m so proud of not only Harvard-Westlake’s accomplishment but the strides it continues to take to improve itself for its students and faculty.”