What They Take With Them
So much of what happens during a child's years at WHPS is designed with a longer view in mind: what they need to learn now, and what they will be able to do with that learning later.
From the earliest years, children are learning how to approach something unfamiliar, find a strategy when they get stuck, explain their thinking, understand another perspective, and recognize what helps them learn. Each year builds on the one before it, with greater independence, depth, and ownership.
The WHPS Graduate
Our Graduate Profile was not created as a list of qualities we hoped children might develop. It grew from what we had been seeing in our fifth graders year after year. Again and again, we saw students who knew a great deal, but also knew themselves as learners. They could think deeply, communicate with confidence, approach unfamiliar problems, advocate for themselves and others, and reflect thoughtfully on their own growth. What made it especially meaningful was seeing these qualities across every kind of child, expressed through different personalities, interests, strengths, goals, and voices. Over time, we came to recognize this as what a WHPS education adds up to.
They Read Beneath the Surface
Read increasingly complex texts, develop their own tastes and interests as readers, consider perspectives beyond their own, draw nuanced inferences, and support interpretations with evidence.
They Write With Voice and Purpose
Write across genres with sophistication, pursue ideas and subjects that matter to them, shape writing for audience and impact, revise substantially, and develop a voice that is recognizably their own.
They Solve Complex Problems
Approach complexity with confidence, break difficult problems into manageable parts, identify patterns and connections, test assumptions, compare strategies, and apply what they know when the path forward isn't obvious.
They Speak With Confidence
Express ideas with clarity and conviction, explain and defend their thinking, listen genuinely to others, disagree respectfully, and engage thoughtfully even when perspectives differ.
They Know Themselves and Advocate for Others
Recognize what matters to them and what they stand for, advocate for themselves and others, engage thoughtfully across differences, navigate conflict, and turn concern into constructive action.
They Own Their Growth
Know their strengths, challenges, interests, and emerging passions. They set meaningful goals, seek and use feedback, take pride in who they are, and understand what helps them keep growing.
Learning That Travels With Them
Deep learning becomes useful beyond the moment it is taught. Children learn to recognize when prior knowledge, a familiar strategy, or a way of thinking can help them make sense of something new.
Teaching for transfer is central to the WHPS curriculum. Teachers help children understand what they're learning, why it works, and where they might use it again. A reading strategy becomes something to reach for with a harder text. A mathematical approach becomes a tool for an unfamiliar problem. Understanding perspective can help a child navigate a conflict or see another point of view.
Prepared to Flourish Beyond WHPS
Middle school brings greater independence, new teachers, new friendships, and higher expectations. WHPS graduates arrive with strong academic foundations and the ability to communicate what they need, seek help when they need it, and take increasing responsibility for themselves. Just as importantly, they arrive with a clearer sense of who they are as learners and what helps them thrive.
The Right Next Chapter for Each Child
Los Angeles offers families a remarkable range of schools for what comes next. We help each family find an environment that matches their child's strengths, interests, learning needs, and personality. Our graduates move on to an equally varied range of schools.
Independent & College-Preparatory
Archer · Buckley · Harvard-Westlake · Oakwood · Sierra Canyon · Viewpoint · Wesley · Wildwood
Small, Progressive & Individualized
Country School · Fusion Academy · Manzanita · Qualia · Woodcrest
Gifted & Specialized
Mirman · REVO Academy · Westmark
Independent Religious Schools
Berkeley Hall · Campbell Hall · Chaminade College Preparatory · Heschel Day School · Milken Community School · Oaks Christian
Public, Charter & Magnet
A.C. Stelle Middle School · A.E. Wright Middle School Gifted Magnet · CHIME Charter · Hale Charter Academy Gifted STEAM Magnet · Louis Armstrong Middle School · Medea Creek Middle School (GATE) · Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies (SOCES) · Valley Charter Middle School · Woodland Hills Academy & Humanities Magnet
Knowing the Child Helps Us Find the Right Fit
By the time middle-school planning begins, we often have years of history with a child. Our Principal and Dean of Students work individually with each family, bringing that knowledge to the search for the right next school.
Individual Counseling & Interview Preparation
Families receive personalized guidance throughout the process. Each student also receives individual interview preparation, helping them talk comfortably and authentically about themselves, their interests, and what they hope to find in a new school.
Our Annual Alumni Parent & Student Panel
Each year, alumni students and parents return to share what the transition is really like, from academics and friendships to workload, independence, school culture, and what surprised them along the way.
What Comes Next Starts Long Before Fifth Grade
The confidence to tackle something unfamiliar. The strategy to keep going when they're stuck. The ability to understand another perspective, advocate for what they need, and know themselves as learners. These are built over years, one experience at a time.