Westlake High School

Waldorf, MD 20603

Phone: (301) 645-8857
District: Charles County Public Schools

5

GreatSchools Rating

public • Grades 9,10,11,12 • 1148 students

Westlake High School, a public school located in Waldorf, MD, serves grades 9-12 in the Charles County Public Schools.It has received a GreatSchools Rating of 5 out of 10, based on a variety of school quality measures.

Westlake High School is a public school located in Waldorf, MD. 1148 students attend Westlake High School.

School Ratings

Category Rating Details
Test Scores 4/10 The Test Score Rating examines how students at this school performed on standardized tests compared with other schools in the state. The Test Rating was created using 2025 Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program data from Maryland State Department of Education, and using 2025 Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program End-Of-Course data from Maryland State Department of Education.
College Readiness 5/10 The College Readiness Rating uses this high school's graduation rates, college entrance exam participation and performance, or AP, IB, or Dual Enrollment participation to determine how well schools are preparing students for success in college and beyond. The College Readiness Rating was created using the following data from the 2021 Civil Rights Data Collection: percentage of students enrolled in IB, AP or Dual Enrollment classes in grades 9-12, using 2025 4-year high school graduation rate data from Maryland State Department of Education, using 2025 Average SAT score data from Maryland State Department of Education, and using 2026 demographic data from Maryland State Department of Education.

Posted: June 10, 2026

My math teacher didn't understand when I meant burn the school down when I meant in a game and she called my mom and i almost got suspended

Posted: June 10, 2026

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Posted: March 4, 2025

My son is a Honor Student and they offer lots of after School sports, His AP Classes is gettinghim college ready. My son has Debate team,Math Team,Student Gov and Robotics..so always measure the School by your experience and so far ours is great.

Posted: March 4, 2025

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Posted: November 10, 2022

My daughter is doing great. The classes are not overcrowded. The programs are engaging. My child is prepared for the next level.

Posted: November 10, 2022

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Posted: April 25, 2020

To be honest, the work in special needs classes are the same in comprehension classes. The millennials who attend this school are destined for minimum waged jobs and government assistance!

Posted: April 25, 2020

The students bully the faculty and staff, so what are you talking about?

Posted: April 25, 2020

I would rate this lackluster school with a 1/5. I feel sorry for any child who graduates from this school.

Posted: April 25, 2020

Certain staff members are not enforcing homework assignments. It is believed that Warm-Ups, Classwork, Projects, Quizzes and Tests are enough to constitute grades

Posted: April 25, 2020

Majority of the staff members do not seem enthused to be there. They are merely collecting a check every two weeks.

Posted: April 25, 2020

Some of the students are not thrilled to learn nor compassionate of other people’s space or possessions.

Posted: June 19, 2019

My child transferred a few months into the school year. I have heard so many horrible things about Westlake, so I was very nervous about my child starting here. But it just goes to show, that you should always take what people say with a grain of salt. They key with it is, staying involved with your child and their education. We were very involved with their studies and making sure they were on top of things. Emailing teachers whenever we felt necessary. The teachers and administrators would always write back within a very reasonable time. If my child did something they weren't supposed to in class, the teachers were on top of it. We always appreciate that great line of communication. Their administrator was absolutely amazing! He was always encouraging and helpful to us!

The only negative about this school is the students. I'm not sure what the issue is, but a majority of the students here are just down right disrespectful. They have no respect for their teachers. My child often said that the teacher couldn't even teach a lesson because the students just wouldn't stop talking. That is awful.

My only other issue is the lack of diversity in the school. I love that this area is a melting pot, however, the school is not.

Posted: June 19, 2019

Posted: June 19, 2019

Every teacher my child had was fantastic. They worked well with my child, as well as the parents.

Posted: June 19, 2019

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Posted: February 12, 2018

I came to this school expecting a diverse, supportive learning environment, but have been met with a hostile, condescending one instead. I do not recommend choosing this school or moving into this district. Stay away if you can.

Posted: February 12, 2018

The teachers do assignments in such a way that I feel as if I’m not truly learning, I am simply filling out a sheet of paper to get a score.

Posted: February 12, 2018

Most of the teachers have been so beaten down by the administrators and staff and even students to where they don’t enjoy their jobs. They are there to collect a paycheck, to meet testing requirements, and go home. There is no respect or congeniality between students and teachers.

Posted: February 12, 2018

I have witnessed on many, many occasions teachers mocking other students, administrators, and teachers in front of full classrooms. With this behavior, the teachers show a lack of respect towards fellow teachers, insinuating that the students do not need to respect them either.

Posted: February 12, 2018

Teachers and administrators are told to act mean, to shout at students immediately, and that when one person does something wrong, the entire school must be punished. Disciplinary actions are ineffective for the students and have proven as such, yet the staff seems unconcerned.

Posted: February 12, 2018

Many kids do not do well with a learning environment that is based on worksheets and require hands-on learning, however I haven’t experienced a single interactive or hands-on learning approach since I transferred here. Some classes that are electives have students in the special education program, and the teacher responds to the students with seeming annoyance and impatience, and the students are left in their own corner being taught solely by their assistant/helper instead of being treated as students of the main course teacher as well.

Posted: February 12, 2018

I have been made fun of, had my life threatened, been threatened with violence, and been treated with general hostility because of the color of my skin. When I report it, nothing is done. When someone bullied me verbally within my first month at the school, I went to the office and told of the incident, and nothing happened to anyone. This school does not care about individuals and happiness or safety, just test scores and cell phone rules.

Posted: September 2, 2015

This is my first year here at westlake and I have mixed emotions about it. It is a ok school but I can't say it's the best. I only been here for a couple days and I haven't been liking it so far. Teachers are not pushing students to do well and the students can't seem to focus. I don't know why many people think this deserves a rating of 5 stars because it doesn't. I can easily adopt to new surroundings but the people here are making it very hard for me. The classes are mixed up with different grades so I can't make friends with people that are in my grade. It does seem like Westlake focuses on sports more than academics. It's always someone saying you have to have this type of grade for a sport rather than passing a class. Trying to make friends here are hard too because these people think they are just all about their friends and they don't have time to make new ones...I'm trying my best to come up to people and say something but they just look like they don't want to talk to a new new.Lunch is ok. I'm not really focused on the rules because my previous school was strict on them. For parents, teachers, and students who want to be here I just want to say be careful because this school is not what it seems. I'm only in 11th grade and I have to survive this but hopefully it gets better. But I wouldn't recommend this school to anybody. Trust me.

Posted: July 15, 2015

Personal conduct and integrity are key principles taught at Westlake. Lessons were constantly being taught in order for us to acheive greatness.

Posted: July 15, 2015

Was surrounded by a great group of peers and a outstanding group of teachers. Each group pushed me to excel through my time here.

Posted: July 15, 2015

Teacher's are very involved in school and personal life of students. They truly care about the child's well being.

Posted: July 2, 2014

As a student, I'd say this school has a bullying problem. I was never bullied but many of my friends were. This school is a bit outdated as well. Westlake doesn't have the newest technology like Northpoint or St. Charles does, but it's do-able. The teachers are ok, but my biggest problem with this school (or maybe it's a county thing) is the amount of testing students have to do. I know it may sound petty but students often don't have time to bounce back from a test. We get them back-to-back and that does cause a lot of stress. It's like, the teachers don't actually teach, but instead prep us for what's on the test, giving us barely enough time to grasp the gist of things. I think if this school took the time to actually be more interactive with students instead of focusing so much on test scores, not only would student's attitudes would change, but so would their test scores. All in all, it's not the best school in th county, but it's not the worst either.

Posted: June 15, 2014

There is just to many fights drug bad test scores ive been in ccps for 15 years

Posted: February 1, 2014

Westlake high school has been the school of choice for all three of my children. My son graduated in 2011. My eldest daughter is graduating in 2015. Westlake offers so many AP options. The teachers go above and beyond to ensure that your child is working on the level that they know they should. One teacher in mind that both my son and daughter had is Ms. Whitmyer, she is one of the best.. Not all teachers at any school give their all but westlake has a great amount who does. For that my youngest daughter is now a freshman at Westlake proudly..

Posted: December 26, 2013

I am student there for my freshman year, I did not want to go there because of all the bad reviews about it but, it is much much better then I expected, if there is a problem they handle it. Now I have to leave because of rezoning and I don't want to, it is a good school.

Posted: October 28, 2013

Westlake, despite many reviews, isn't a "bad" school. Teachers try their best to inspire students, but it is ultimately up to the students to decide whether they want to succeed or not.

Posted: October 22, 2011

I went to westlake for my freshmen and sophomore year and I hated every last bit of it, classrooms are out if control. The administration is terrible. My mom was always in the office because they never did anything to help me. Don't let your children go to this school. Thomas Stone is okay. Laplata or Thomas Stone High School is your best option.

Posted: May 7, 2011

I am currently a freshman a Westlake, when I first started high school of course I was nervous but as time went on I became a lot more comfortable due to the support of peers and teachers. I think that regardless of rumors spread among middle schools and other high schools it is a great place to learn and make friends. Both things you need to be successful in college and through life.

Reviews provided by GreatSchools

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11 Fort Belvoir Housing Neighborhood/Subdivision Fort Belvoir VA 10.2 mi
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13 Bowen Estates Neighborhood/Subdivision Brandywine MD 11.2 mi
14 Grove at Huntley Meadow Neighborhood/Subdivision Alexandria VA 11.4 mi
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17 Fords Landing Neighborhood/Subdivision Alexandria VA 12.8 mi
18 Midtown Alexandria Station Neighborhood/Subdivision Alexandria VA 13.5 mi
19 Wilton Woods Neighborhood/Subdivision Alexandria VA 13.5 mi
20 Rivergate Neighborhood/Subdivision Alexandria VA 13.8 mi
21 Kingstowne Neighborhood/Subdivision Alexandria VA 13.9 mi
# Name City State Overall Rating Distance
1 La Plata La Plata MD 5.7 mi
2 Mt. Vernon Alexandria VA 10.5 mi
3 National Harbor Fort Washington MD 11.6 mi
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