Frequently Asked Questions

Harvard-Westlake Summer is organized into six program areas: North Faring Exploration, Coldwater Prep, Coldwater Arts, HW Online, Debate LA, and Wolverine Sports. North Faring Exploration and Coldwater Prep allow students to choose multiple classes, while the other programs provide more focused experiences in a particular area.

NORTH FARING EXPLORATION AND COLDWATER PREP offer three-week, in-person programs where participants can choose up to three different classes. The day is divided to allow for an immersive experience:

9:00 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.    Period 1
10:50 a.m. - 12:35 p.m.  Period 2
12:35 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.    Lunch
1:15 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.      Period 3

On Fridays, classes will meet for 95 minutes and lunch will be extended. The pool will be available on Fridays for swimming, and the Kona Ice truck will be on campus. During free time, students can hang out in the quad, spend time with their friends, and relax. Harvard-Westlake prides itself in giving students free, undirected time, and we encourage summer participants to enjoy it as well.

COLDWATER PREP OTHER PROGRAMS offer in-person, specialty classes that may be held outside of the times listed above. For those classes, please refer to the course description to get an idea of what to expect.

HW ONLINE offers specialty classes in a virtual format. Please refer to the course description to get an idea of what to expect. You will receive information from your teacher about the synchronous activities as well as the asynchronous, independent work. Generally, you can expect the total time of synchronous and asynchronous work to take the total class time listed in the course description. So, for a three hour class, you will have a blend of synchronous, online activities and asynchronous, offline activities. In total, these activities will require about three hours every day. You can expect all synchronous, online activities to be within the time frames listed for the classes though asynchronous activities may be completed outside that timeframe.

COLDWATER ARTS AND DEBATE LA: Students who enroll in Coldwater Arts and Debate LA will have an immersive experience in that one area. Most programs begin at either 9:00 a.m. or 10:00 a.m. and span five or six hours. Be sure to check the class details regarding specific program times.

WOLVERINE SPORTS CAMPS: Wolverine Sports Camps offer immersive, in-person camps.

To register for Harvard-Westlake Summer, select your classes or camps and complete the online enrollment process after registration opens on February 1. Full tuition is required to secure enrollment. Current Harvard-Westlake students with active accounts may bill their own summer programs to their student account; other registrations may be paid by e-check or credit card.

For Harvard-Westlake Summer 2027, select the grade your child will enter in Fall 2027 when choosing classes and programs.

Harvard-Westlake Summer programs determine eligibility by grade level rather than age. The minimum requirement is Grade 2 (rising second graders entering grade 2 in the fall), with options extending through Grade 12.

Yes. Harvard-Westlake Summer enrollment deadlines are based on the program start month: May 31 for programs beginning in June, June 17 for programs beginning in July, and July 22 for programs beginning in August. In-person programs may accept registrations after the deadline when space remains available.

Harvard-Westlake Summer tuition varies by class or camp, and the specific fee is listed in each program description. In addition, each student pays a $75 non-refundable registration fee.

Contact the Harvard-Westlake Summer Office to change or cancel a class. Cancellations made by the enrollment deadline receive a tuition refund minus the $75 registration fee; cancellations after the deadline are not refundable. Course transfers are permitted when space is available.

Yes, Harvard-Westlake Summer offers waitlists for many full classes and programs. If a waitlist is available, you can join it during registration, and the Summer Office will contact you if a space becomes available.

Yes. Afternoon Camp provides supervised activities at the Harvard-Westlake Upper School campus until 5:30 p.m. Look for Afternoon Camp in the Coldwater Prep Other Programs section. Note Afternoon Camp is only offered on the Coldwater Canyon Campus. At all other locations participants must be picked up when their class or camp is over.

Harvard-Westlake Summer sends families specific drop-off and pick-up instructions approximately one week before each class begins. Follow posted signs and staff directions when arriving, and plan to arrive for pickup close to your child’s dismissal time.

No. Harvard-Westlake Summer does not provide bus transportation during the summer. Families who need transportation must make their own arrangements. For parents who need transportation services, you may contact Hop, Skip, Drive. Hop, Skip, Drive is a separate, non-affiliated, unendorsed company from Harvard-Westlake Summer, and it provides transportation services for children.

Yes. Many Harvard-Westlake Summer in-person programs include lunch in the tuition. Lunch is offered at the Upper School and Middle School campuses, with options to choose a regular lunch, vegan lunch, or gluten free lunch. If your child requires a different lunch option or if your child has food allergies, your child may bring lunch each day. Students who wish to change their lunch type must inform the summer office at least one week before beginning their program. Lunch is offered to any three hour or longer program that spans the lunch hour as well as the second period classes.

Lunch is only offered in programs on the Upper School campus (Coldwater Canyon) and the Middle School campus (North Faring Road). Programs at other locations do not offer lunch.

Yes. Please send your child to Harvard-Westlake Summer with any needed snacks and a reusable water bottle. If your child’s program does not include lunch, please send a lunch as well.

Students participating in an in-person Harvard-Westlake Summer program must be fully vaccinated against required childhood diseases. Harvard-Westlake also recommends COVID-19 vaccination. Vaccination information is collected during registration.

If your child has cold-, flu-, or other illness-like symptoms, they should stay home from Harvard-Westlake Summer. Students who develop symptoms while attending a program will be sent home, and medical clearance may be required before they return.

Most Harvard-Westlake Summer in-person classes do not have homework because class activities are completed during scheduled class time. Exceptions include for-credit academic courses and advanced Debate LA labs.

Harvard-Westlake Summer virtual classes combine live online instruction with independent offline work. The total daily workload generally matches the class duration listed in the course description, although independent work may be completed outside scheduled class hours.

Generally, you can expect the total time of synchronous and asynchronous work to take the total class time listed in the course description. So, for a three hour class, you will have a blend of synchronous, online activities and asynchronous, offline activities that will require about three hours every day. You can expect all synchronous, online activities to be within the time frames listed for the classes though asynchronous activities may be completed outside that timeframe. Harvard-Westlake Summer has designed the program to allow for an appropriate blend of online and offline learning. Amounts will vary based on the age and grade level of the participants. Virtual programs combine both types of activities so that students do not have too much screen time.

Some Harvard-Westlake Summer classes require a computer or other device; the course description will identify any technology requirement. For most summer classes, a laptop or Chromebook is sufficient. Limited loaner computers are available for some in-person students who need them.

Students in Harvard-Westlake Summer virtual classes need a computer or compatible device, internet access, and an email account. Students must use either a Harvard-Westlake email address or a personal Gmail account rather than an email account issued by another school.

If a student is under 13, parents can use their own gmail account to help their child access Harvard-Westlake Summer classes, or parents can use Google family link to create an email account for their child.

Please note that you can only use a Harvard-Westlake email account or a personal gmail account (not one from another school) for your Harvard-Westlake summer classes.

Harvard-Westlake Summer is closed for Juneteenth and Independence Day. In 2027, Juneteenth is observed on Friday, June 18, and Independence Day is observed on Monday, July 5.

Yes. On Fridays, students at the Harvard-Westlake Upper School and Middle School campuses may participate in supervised recreational swimming. A lifeguard is on duty, but swimming lessons are not offered during this time.

The libraries and bookstores on both Harvard-Westlake campuses are closed during the summer unless a specific summer program states otherwise.

Yes. International students may attend Harvard-Westlake Summer programs. Students must obtain any required visas or travel documents independently, and because classes are taught in English, participants need advanced or college-preparatory English proficiency.

To get a Harvard-Westlake Summer receipt, log in to your campbrain account and access your account statement. The statement includes Harvard-Westlake’s tax ID number.

For additional questions about Harvard-Westlake Summer, contact the Harvard-Westlake Summer Office at +1(818)487-6527 or summer@hw.com.