Forty-six students from international schools applied this year, an increase over last year when 36 students applied. Five students from foreign countries enrolled.

There are four students from the United Kingdom and one from Switzerland enrolled. Last year, nine students from foreign schools enrolled, four from the United Kingdom, two from China, one from Korea, one from Switzerland and one from the Netherlands.

“Harvard-Westlake is definitely becoming known internationally,” Director of Admission Elizabeth Gregory said.

There have been students from India, Tibet, China, Hungary, Korea, France and Russia interested in applying to grades 7-12.

“The main thing that is important to us is we are not a boarding school,” Gregory said. “We insist that there be a parent that the kid will live with while they are here. They can’t just come and stay with a friend or hire somebody to live with them. They have to have a parent in the country.”

International applicants have learned about the school through friends who have attended and through the website, Gregory said. In addition, international students have applied due to the opportunities that the school offers, she said.

Chinese students account for 50 percent of the interest shown in applying.

Gregory also said that while the majority of incoming seventh grade students come from six independent day schools in Los Angeles, this year there are students from 68 different schools.

“We get the top kids from a lot of different schools,” she said. “We continue to have a really strong applicant pool and it becomes more competitive every year.”