Los Angeles schools

Los Angeles is several commute markets. Westside families tend to start with Crossroads, Brentwood, Windward and Archer; the Valley with Oakwood and Campbell Hall; West Valley families with Viewpoint and Sierra Canyon. Polytechnic anchors Pasadena, Chadwick sits on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, and Marlborough and Loyola are in central Los Angeles. A long crosstown drive needs a strong reason.

Grade 7 is a bigger door here than in most cities. Harvard-Westlake admits about 215 students into Grade 7 and about 90 new students at Grade 9. Windward targets about 100 in Grade 7, with only about 28 openings across Grades 8–11, and Oakwood takes about 40 in Grade 7. Kindergarten entry is real at Polytechnic, Crossroads, Chadwick and Campbell Hall, each around 40–50. The schools compared page lists them all.

Schools also teach advanced work differently. Crossroads and Oakwood replaced AP courses with their own advanced studies, and Campbell Hall runs CHAI courses, while Viewpoint and Sierra Canyon keep recognizable AP pathways. Marlborough and Archer are girls' schools; Loyola is a Jesuit boys' high school. Public options such as LACES and Palisades Charter follow their own rules.

The admissions guide explains applications, testing and visits, and the admissions calendar gives the dates. Before a school stays on the list, drive the route at arrival and again after the latest activity your child wants; the list and commute guide has the checklist.