Westside Atlanta Charter School

1903 Drew Drive

School District

Atlanta Public Schools
Grade

K-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:11
Type

charter

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on May 10, 2023

This school is the best Charter in the APS district, in our opinion, and we've been in the city for 13 years. The teachers truly care about each individual child, and since it's a smaller charter school, the teachers and administration know everyone by name. Our children have benefited from the gifted program, as well as had supports with 504 plan special services, and both have been absolutely excellent. Our kids love coming to school. They even put 15 hammocks in the garden during Milestone testing week, so that the kids could enjoy some vitamin D and fresh air, after hard days of testing. The extracurricular options are great: band, art, science club, Latin dancing, etc. They also have Mommy/Son Sneakerball and Father/Daughter dances, a Thanksgiving Family meal, as well as a fun Parent Happy Hour at local taproom. It's small, diverse, and from the top down, they care about the right things and the whole child. Highly recommend. My only complaint is they don't go through High School! ;)
Submitted by student on November 07, 2022

This school really focuses on developing the whole child. I've attended Westside since kindergarten, and every time a new student comes, they immediately are welcomed and make friends quickly. I recommend this school.
Submitted by parent on June 16, 2022

We love Westside! This school doesn’t just focus on supporting and including students while they’re on campus. Rather, they go above and beyond to provide wraparound support to families in order to help their kids succeed in and out of the classroom. Small grade levels make the student body feel cohesive and connected. Teachers go out of their way to truly know students and they are deeply invested in their work at the school. You can tell that the teachers love their students and love their jobs. School leadership puts student, family, and teacher wellness at the forefront of their decision making. This is a place where teachers and students can go to truly feel “at home” and cared for. We will be so sad when it’s time to leave WACS because we love it so much, but we feel confident that they are truly setting our children up for success in their future schooling and in life!
Submitted by parent on April 10, 2018

We have had a fantastic experience at Westside. The teachers are fantastic and really go above and beyond to support the students. The administration is always available and responsive, and there is a great community of families. I highly recommend Westside!
Submitted by parent on March 27, 2018

10 out of town. We are a community and care about our childen's future. WACS has made a difference in my kids learning experience.
Submitted by parent on February 09, 2018

I can't say enough good things about this school. My daughter has been here for 2 yrs and we have enjoyed every minute of it! We have loved every single staff member at this school as everyone is truly committed to the kids here. Not only as students but as good citizens of their community, the kids here are challenged daily. I would highly recommend this school to anyone!!!
Submitted by parent on February 07, 2018

Our experience at Westside has been great My daughter is in Kindergarten and she loves her school,when it comes to testing she had scored above what is required of her due to the effort of the staff at Westside,we all work together to make it a great place!
Submitted by parent on January 30, 2018

We moved into the city from suburban Atlanta 3 years ago, so our son is in his 3rd year at WACS. We love this school. He is known, challenged, and loved by the staff. As a gifted student, he is challenged to do more and to be more and to serve the students in his grade who struggle. The staff and administration are very supportive of student-led initiatives, clubs, etc. There is a huge gap between the highest-performing students and the lowest-performing students, but the school's aim is to have the higher come alongside the lower and work together WITHOUT lowering the bar, and it seems to be working. He has made friends he never would have known if he had gone to a school with less racial and socio-economic diversity. Is it perfect? No, of course not. But I definitely do NOT feel that he is in a school that is driven to teach to the test at the expense of real learning and real thinking. And the small-school, community atmosphere absolutely cannot be found at any other public school in the area.
Submitted by parent on January 29, 2018

Wonderful! We have loved our experience at WACS and love bring a part of this school!
Submitted by parent on January 29, 2018

We have a 1st grader and have been following westside through its excellent community reputation for a few years earlier. We have been so impressed with our dautghers progress and the attention to all students at the school. Classrooms are appropriately sized and limited to two classes per grade to be able to focus on indidualized instruction. We are a name, not just another face. The school is a leader in the APS system helping to influence other schools through colaberative interactions between schools. There is a sense of community that even spilling into the surrounding community surrounding the school, even to those who are not enrolled with us. We love Westside.
Submitted by other on January 29, 2018

This school is an amazing place where our daughter feels safe and cared for and we are amazed at the progress she has made in the past two years. Her teachers are invested into her education and her character. We have loved being able to be a part of this community!
Submitted by parent on January 29, 2018

This school is amazing! The teachers are great and they care! We can't ask for anything more!
Submitted by parent on January 29, 2018

We had a wonderful experience at Westside. Admittedly, there is work to be done to close the performance gap between racial and socioeconomic groups but the teachers are passionate. With only 3 years of test scores and some big changes within the school, I don't think the scores accurately reflect the experience most families have at Westside. We were proud to be part of the school.