Westwood Elementary School

1748 West Street

School District

Mt. Diablo Unified
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:16
Type

public

School Map for Mt. Diablo Unified School District

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 July 19, 2024

We have had 3 kids go to this school and another starting this year. This school has been nothing short of amazing. Don’t let the numbers fool you, this school has 245 kids where as the other schools in the areas have 380 up to 680 students. The students have a more individualized experience and less students per class. I am glad I did more research instead of just basing my opinions on the test scores. Staff and principal are very friendly. Very fortunate to be apart of this school
Submitted by parent on August 30, 2023

We love Westwood. My son has been there all 6 years and will move on to middle schoolnext year. He has faced quite a few challenges throughout the years and the staff has always been amazing at helping us through them. I feel very lucky to be a part of this community and to have such a wonderful school right around the corner.
Submitted by parent on July 25, 2023

My daughter went to Westwood K-5 and it was a wonderful experience! We loved being a part of this small community. The teachers are amazing overall and the principal and office staff are welcoming, helpful, and understanding. I hate that test scores can sour the reputation of our neighborhood schools.. there are so many factors at play there. It's not an accurate reflection of the quality of the school. Westwood is a GREAT school and we feel that our daughter received an excellent elementary education. Besides that, we made friends that we will have for a lifetime! HIGHLY recommend.
Submitted by parent on July 10, 2023

Westwood is really a great local school. My daughter spent her first there last year starting first grade and she absolutely loved it. Her teacher was so patient and great too and we really felt like she excelled and was challenged. Like many parents, I too, had my reservations about sending my kid here based on the test scores but as others spoke to this, don’t let the test scores be the only focus because it’s very misleading. What matters most is that there is community, kids feel like they belong and that they are heard, and they are being challenged academically. I believe they hit those core areas that are important to me. I’m going into this new school year way more comfortable and optimistic. I would def recommend Westwood!
Submitted by parent on August 30, 2022

This is a really special little neighborhood school. When it was time for my daughter to start school, I was pretty nervous about our local schools. Looking at the scores online was daunting and honestly a little bit scary. I believe my children deserve quality education and instruction, and did not want to sacrifice their learning in any way. I looked into some of the local private schools and realized I could save for my kids’ college, or pay for private primary school, but probably not both if I also wanted to save for my retirement.Westwood is the smallest elementary school in the district, and is also the home of the deaf and hard of hearing program for the entire county. The school is diverse, and the teachers really care. There is a thriving Parent Faculty Club (free to join), and it’s easy to reach the Principal for any concerns. I feel heard, and my kids have both thrived.The scores are bad, you may say. That scared me too. Here’s what I’ve learned and what I’ve witnessed. First, your individual child is not a statistic. A supportive home life is instrumental in your child’s success; a school will only do so much. Secondly, I would encourage you to do more in-depth research about how those scores are calculated. Children who are English language learners will not score as highly on standardized tests. Children who have other learning disabilities may also “pull down” a school’s average. When a school this small takes everyone of all abilities, of course the scores will weight lower. This does not reflect how your child will do, and I truly believe that a well-rounded, holistic education includes exposing kids to all types of people.Overall, my kids have thrived. We haven’t loved every teacher, but I think that could be true anywhere you go. Give Westwood a try. It’s a really great community, and we’d love to have you here!
Submitted by parent on August 26, 2022

This is a very loving community school. I have 2 kids here. Both have needed support services and have been received with open arms here. The teachers care and partner very well with the support team so that your student doesn't miss too much academic time. We have moved alot and previous schools didn't coordinate services like this and it makes all the difference. We have a large deaf and hard of hearing population that continues thru to El Dorado and Concord HS which imbeds diversity, inclusion, and empathy in our teacher parent community. Because of our large special ed population, we skew lower test scores and this is because standardized testing doesn't adjust well for special ed or 2nd language learners. Our principal is very committed and knows everyone by 1st name. We have about ~200 students here which makes it easier to build community. Teacher communication varies teacher to teacher. We also have great afterschool care programs: Cares (grant based/free to families, new and getting established) and Diane Adair (private, incredible, loving and flexible staff, fun summer program) - both are great and on campus. My kids have experienced both. We are also a very down to earth and chill vibe here vs some schools that can be very competitive academically. Westwood has been practicing Social Emotional Learning for quite some time and has child psychologists on staff. We also have speech therapists, OT, and Resource which have been excellent in both small group, and teacher collaborations. I would like to see more focus on writing vs reading, but the social environment makes up for it all - as I feel my kids have really thrived here with confidence. Many teachers here understand learning diversity and are very adaptable and patient. What's also amazing is the all the teachers know my kids regardless if they had them as a student, that's the benefit of a small school community. If you are looking for a diverse small but mighty community - I would recommend taking a tour and getting to know Westwood.
Submitted by parent on December 07, 2020

DO NOT LET JUST TEST SCORES DETERMINE WHAT SCHOOL YOUR CHILD SHOULD GO TO!!!!!!!!!! There is so much more to schools than how the student's test...especially at the elementary school level. This is a great little school. The teachers and administration care and work hard. It's a very small school which is nice - your kid isn't just a number there. The principal knows each kid by name and most of the parents too. It's a very diverse school which is probably the best thing about it. It has everything going for it. Don't judge it by the test scores. Go and take a tour, meet the principal and some of the teachers before you write it off and send your kid to private school. My kid is flourishing there. All the kids I know who go there are flourishing there. Kids I know who have gone there and then went on to middle school and high school are doing great. There are issues and struggles but nothing worse than any other public school.
Submitted by parent on March 07, 2020

I’m very involved with the school, and have had a great experience with the teachers and staff. My son has benefited from their educational strategies and the efforts by the teachers to address his individual needs.
Submitted by parent on June 04, 2018

I rate my experience terrible. Its jot a good school at all.
Submitted by other on June 18, 2017

Good school. Good teachers. Not impressed with Ms. LaRosa. as she has an abrasive personality. Ms. Bradley is a wonderful teacher-innovative and cares for her students.
Submitted by student on February 19, 2017

Amazing. I would rate my experience 10 out of 10
Submitted by other on August 11, 2016

I have my youngest doughter at westwood Elementary School, and she is very happy with all the Teachers that she knows here, also she is doing good Exelent in her academic knowledge she is very happy to be here, thanks to the Teachers all of them have a very great skills to teach and very anderstanding and respecful persons. With a lot of experience in their proffession.
Submitted by parent on February 03, 2015

I have a 2nd grader and I have a soon-to-be kindergartener who attend Westwood and I love this school! I'm one of those parents that likes to be involved and dedicate my free time to voluntering at the school so I get to be familar with the staff, teachers, students and curriculum. I've always had great communication with the teachers/staff whether it was about grades, attendance and/or what's going on at Westwood. When my Son was in Kindergarten , he was a little behind in reading/word pronounciation and Westwood offered an after school program two days week and it helped out TREMENDOUSLY! This year for Kindergarten, they're doing assesments so they can space out Kids at different learning levels evenly in the classrooms which I think is an excellent idea =) Overall, Westwood has done nothing but improved and I'm excited to see what the future holds for my Children at Westwood!
Submitted by parent on February 13, 2014

The pick up and drop off zone is reserved for buses only. And us parents are expected to share a small parking lot/ drop off with the neighboring jr. high. its designed horribly and there is a ever day issue with the traffic. my son almost got ran over twice and I seen close call crashes. And there is constant arguments. there is also a high school across the street,so it makes it impossible to find parking to walk your child to school. every week the school has some kind of scam to ask parents for more money.I think they concentrate so much on money that they're failing to teach our kids and thats why the testing scores are some of the worst in the district. A few others dislikes I have are ;the classrooms are overfilled, unhealthy foods are offered in money making attemps, and only christain holidays are recognized and celebrated.
Submitted by parent on January 31, 2014

My child used to go to this school for 2 years. At the beginning of the school year a kindergartner snuck off school grounds at the beginning of the day and another parent found the child across the street. The principal never informed the parents. The principal runs away from issue and seems to hide from problems (or hide problems). Kids hit and bully each other and the principal doesn't inform the parents. The office staff and other staff spend to much time gossiping about each other or the principal and parents. If you send your child to this school make sure you tour the school and just show up there to tour. Also something that worries me is that the office staff doesn't ask for ID when picking up children early my mother picked up my child no one asked for ID. My mother also walked around campus for 15 minutes looking for the class and waiting for my child and not one staff member stopped her to ask why she was on campus she did not have a badge or anything saying she could be their. If your child has to go to this school I would say to be involved. These are also my experience and observations, you may have other experiences.