3215 Federal Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90066

VHS campus is beautiful and the new science, gym, arts building are first class. Students are diverse and seem to get along quite well. Lots of AP classes and programs for students with different interests. And the sports program is amazing…XC, basketball, tennis, football, soccer, baseball. And so many kids are getting into UCLA, Berkeley, UCSD, NYU, etc. VHS is morphing into a powerhouse public school. Best kept secret on the Westside.

This is our "neighborhood school" that very few neighborhood kids go to. We permitted into the "much better" Palms Middle School only to find daily fights, bullying, and a general lack of attention from staff. Webster has 1/3 the enrollment of Palms (and less than half of Mark Twain) so the staff can be more attentive. The principal, Ms Bell, as well as the Assistant Principals and Dean are standing in front of the gates in the morning to welcome kids, reminding parents of happenings at the school, and building relationships with the students and parents. My kid, who never feels safe, feels safe there. Teachers have been in constant communication and reply to emails and texts (yes, they give out their cell phone numbers) and schoology is constantly updated so we always know what is going on. While the test scores do not show it, the opportunity to learn is absolutely there. Even by LAUSD standards this school is a bit dated. I'm guessing it is because enrollment is low and LAUSD funds are spent on... other priorities. I bought into the neighborhoods opinion of Webster "not being an option". We didn't even consider it when considering middle schools. We got caught up in the WISH, GALA, CWC, charter school application process then permitting to ANY other school close by and didn't give Webster a fair shot. I'm now kicking myself for not sending my kid here from the start of middle school. If you live in the neighborhood do yourself and your child a favor and give Webster genuine consideration. Don't take my word for it, stop by at pick up time and chat up a few parents. I have no doubt you'll hear the same from them.

The reason I am giving 2 stars is because I have had 2 children go through this school and my first did great. We had our first main issue here when my youngest was in Kinder he was being bullied so bad that the thought of going to school would make him sick to his stomach. I talked to the principal multiple times and she said she was dealing with it. I finally confronted the parent of the child myself and she cried and apologized and said she was never informed. After that it stopped. I talked to the kindergarten teacher from when my youngest started school here about how I though he may have a learning disability and they kept telling me he just needed time and scooted around the subject. I got a advocate at the start of first grade and had him assessed privately and brought his paperwork in with a formal letter and they finally tested him. When it came to getting anything done they would give me one form at a time, I feel to delay the process. We finally had our first IEP meeting scheduled and covid hit. I understand that things were new and hard but sometimes he would zoom with his recourse teacher and she would be in her car or out with her mother. At the start of second grade when we were doing a meeting before the kids went back in person I found out that there should have been another teacher working with my son who we NEVER met. We made it through the rest of the second grade and the new bully to do a IEP meeting at the end of the year where we were informed that my son needed to move to special day classes which they don't offer at Mar Vista. We switched to a new school and I am so glad we did. When we started our new school we had to have my son completely re assessed because Mar Vista had no paperwork showing were he was academically. When we left Mar Vista my son was in the third grade testing bellow a kindergarten grade level. This year he is in fifth grade and is caught up to base line and above in some subjects. I feel if your child is a diligent little student and will test well they will do great at Mar Vista but if your child is special need and needs extra help get them out of there as quickly as possible so they don't suffer.