Harvard Westlake school need infos pls (Los Angeles, Woodland: real estate, mover, homes)

[skelaki]

if your daughter will be going to Harvard Westlake, I'd think you'd want to be close to the school which is in Studio City.


Good school by the way.

[forrnthomas]

The Santa Monica mountains separate the Westside from the SF Valley and you really want to avoid having to cross over via Coldwater Canyon which is the street HW in located. The Valley neighborhoods near Ventura Blvd are all very nice places to live, and if you do not mind a brutal micro-climate Woodland Hills would fit your needs and you would be a canyon ride away from the beach.

Keep in mind LA is a showbiz town, so if you are not in that industry you will kind of be an outsider at a school like HW. For example Ben Sherwood resident of Disney-ABC Television Group went to HW School and then went on to Harvard and Oxford. Most of the good schools have waiting lists and the showbiz types get first dibs on open slots. Here is a quick read on the excellent Carpenter Ave. Elementary School in Studio City.

The downside of superstar schools - latimes

A longer read but it shows the politics of good schools.

Charter Schools: Getting Your Child on the List | L.A. Weekly

[RoadTripGurl]

I say Studio City. I like that area and contrary to what another poster said, I've met some down to earth people there. Most people there are in "the biz" though. My best friend is a producer and he lives near Lankershim & Ventura and everyone is always friendly and speaks to you in his neighborhood. It's one of the only places that I've been in SoCal where there is abundant wealth but I don't feel like the people look down on you or are stuck up, just very down to earth. Traffic is very congested and it will take a bit of time to get to the beach. I lived a mile from the beach in Huntington Beach where it's a little more affordable, but that's in Orange County. Not a lot of affordable homes close to the beach in and around LA. Also, the traffic on the highways are congested pretty much 24/7 on that side of town. I hope you fully understand the quality and lifestyle changes you will have moving to CA.

[BRinSM]

Studio City is a very nice neighborhood, though $1.5M will probably keep you north of Ventura Blvd. Not that there is anything wrong with this, it's just not a prestigious as being able to say you live south of the blvd.

[London29]

True, not much at 1.5M, a slightly better choice at 1.7M.
Yes! We absolutely need to be close to the school. Understood that traffic is very bad.
I am not too worried about getting the spot at HW, I am more concerned now about finding a good Elementary School for my 5 year old and a good house!!
My husband said that we could put more money on the house if the assigned public school is exceptional.
Option2: We could look at the french school but I honestly don't want to be driving for hours in the morning in 2 different directions. It is what I am currently doing right now My daughter will get priority at the French school because she is French-American and I attended the French Lycée... But not sure that's what we will end up doing.
What are the best Elementary schools in that part of LA?
Outsiders or not, what counts at the end of the day is the quality of education, the rest is just background noise.
I, myself have lived in 3 different continents, so many different cities including Casablanca, Paris, Montreal, London... I am used to change and I don't worry about what people think or might think.

[BRinSM]

Carpenter elementary school in studio city is considered one of the best in the district 10/10. Encino elementary is also very highly rated. I understand Sherman oaks also has some top notch schools. $1.5m should go a bit further in these areas. They are also closer to the beach. Woodland hills is even further west and a bit more affordable, but the heat is noticeably more intense in the summer and its not nearly as hip as the neighborhoods east of the 405.

[London29]

Thanks BRinSM for the infos on Public Elementary School. I will look them up.

[mnnysocalmn]

I really think you should visit first. It's a totally different world than Texas.
That's great you want to get out of Texas and LA has a lot to offer but if you are someone who has a European or even East Coast view of education -- you will be disappointed here.
LA places a huge value on money, bling, and who you know. It is the epicenter of the entertainment industry. If you don't care about celebs and all that -- why would you chose Harvard Westlake? It's like the most famous, prestigious private school for the famous elite in the entertainment industry.
It just seems odd, to me, to throw a dart at a map and pick a school randomly and move your life.

That said, there are many things LA has to offer but it is HUGE and MASSIVE and you will really be in a 'it is what you make it' situation. In other words, lifestyle.
If you want easy going walk to the beach -- at your budget you could probably get a 2 bedroom condo.
If you want more suburban and you want to live outside of West LA -- like Studio City etc. you could get a house.
Keep in mind, Studio City is far from the beach.

I just think if you are totally obsessed with education and a "prep school" type atmosphere -- LA should be on the bottom of your list. That is NOT the vibe here -- at all.

I went to graduate school at UCLA and there are plenty of people in LA (and suburbs out of LA) who don't read books who don't even know what elite colleges are. Yes obviously the kids in HW will but those schools are all about $$$$ and being in the biz. In LA, they have 'Education Consultants' I spoke with one 3 years ago and she said private schools in LA consider you a charity case if you are making $400,000. Also, that kids in these schools have private planes and things. I mean, I don't mean to be rude but $1.5 in many parts of Los Angeles is just like an average house and in West LA -- it's a condo. Manhattan Beach homes are $9 million and in Bel Air etc. the Golden Triangle they are $15 million +.

This is a major money place.
My gut instinct is just saying you should really visit and check it out.

[London29]

It is the same everywhere, in all prestigious private schools there is going to be famous people, people with private jets...
It is not any different at her current school. It is never the majority though. Not being arrogant, But they need kids like my daughter to up their scores and keep their academic reputation. Usually more money means less academically focused...
The very wealthy are essential to the school for big money donations though.

We looked at houses and think that we can definitely afford a nice house not too far from the school. 1.5M-1.7M would be great and we will be looking at properties in that price range but it does not mean that we can't afford more expensive houses.
We would not be looking at moving if we thought we did not have the means to do so.

We are going to visit with the kids next weekend, it is a long weekend, Saturday to Wednesday.... Will give you an update after that.
I am glad that it is a different world than Texas. No offense to Texans, it is just not a good fit for us as a family.

[disgruntled la native]

Originally Posted by mnnysocalmn

I really think you should visit first. It's a totally different world than Texas.
That's great you want to get out of Texas and LA has a lot to offer but if you are someone who has a European or even East Coast view of education -- you will be disappointed here.
LA places a huge value on money, bling, and who you know. It is the epicenter of the entertainment industry. If you don't care about celebs and all that -- why would you chose Harvard Westlake? It's like the most famous, prestigious private school for the famous elite in the entertainment industry.
It just seems odd, to me, to throw a dart at a map and pick a school randomly and move your life.

That said, there are many things LA has to offer but it is HUGE and MASSIVE and you will really be in a 'it is what you make it' situation. In other words, lifestyle.
If you want easy going walk to the beach -- at your budget you could probably get a 2 bedroom condo.
If you want more suburban and you want to live outside of West LA -- like Studio City etc. you could get a house.
Keep in mind, Studio City is far from the beach.

I just think if you are totally obsessed with education and a "prep school" type atmosphere -- LA should be on the bottom of your list. That is NOT the vibe here -- at all.

I went to graduate school at UCLA and there are plenty of people in LA (and suburbs out of LA) who don't read books who don't even know what elite colleges are. Yes obviously the kids in HW will but those schools are all about $$$$ and being in the biz. In LA, they have 'Education Consultants' I spoke with one 3 years ago and she said private schools in LA consider you a charity case if you are making $400,000. Also, that kids in these schools have private planes and things. I mean, I don't mean to be rude but $1.5 in many parts of Los Angeles is just like an average house and in West LA -- it's a condo. Manhattan Beach homes are $9 million and in Bel Air etc. the Golden Triangle they are $15 million +.

This is a major money place.
My gut instinct is just saying you should really visit and check it out.

Little bit exaggerated. 400k isn't a charity case at private school in west la. it's probably the median though.
No, most don't have private planes. only the top 1% of the top 1%.
1.5 million might be a condo in santa monica, west la you can still get condos for high six figures. 1.5 mil can get youa small house still in most parts of wla.
manhattan beach and golden triangle dont average 9 million or 15 million respectively. thats the high end. especially in MB, the very high end.

and to anyone who said HW is an entertainment industry only school - no, it's a wealthy only school, but has lots of old money families as well as drs, lawyers, and other professionals.

i'd argue crossroads and wildwood have had more powerful hollywood people