Westside Neighborhood School’s new 5-acre Playa Vista campus brings DK through eighth grade together with dedicated spaces for academics, technology, arts, athletics and hands-on learning.
Westside Neighborhood School celebrated the opening of its new 5-acre campus at 5340 Alla Road in Playa Vista on Sept. 4, bringing students, families, faculty, school leaders and community members together to mark a milestone in the school’s history.
The opening is the culmination of more than a decade of work by the school to establish a permanent, school-owned campus. The new home brings WNS’s DK through eighth-grade program together in a purpose-built environment designed to support innovation, collaboration, creativity, technology and hands-on learning.
“After more than a decade of working toward this moment, opening 5340 Alla Road marks a defining new chapter for WNS,” said Brad Zacuto, Head of School. “This campus gives us the space to expand what is possible for our students, while securing a permanent home for WNS for generations to come. It is an investment not simply in a building, but in our students, our educational program and the future of our school.”
Founded in 1980, WNS serves approximately 630 students from preschool through eighth grade, representing more than 50 ZIP codes across Los Angeles. The new campus serves students in developmental kindergarten (DK) through eighth grade, while the school’s preschool remains at its current location. WNS will also launch an Early Preschool program for toddlers in January 2027.
The campus was thoughtfully designed with the learning environment in mind. Natural light, access to outdoor spaces and flexible classrooms create an environment that supports focus, collaboration and hands-on learning. The result is a campus designed to give students the spaces and conditions they need to learn, explore and grow.
The campus’s specialized spaces include a fab lab and maker spaces, robotics center, visual arts lab, dance studio, black box theater, multimedia learning center and science and technology innovation centers. An athletic complex features a soccer field, golf simulator, outdoor play courts and gymnasium, expanding opportunities for students to move, play and grow.
The new campus represents an approximately $90 million investment in the acquisition and transformation of the Playa Vista property, funded through tax-exempt bonds. At 132,000 square feet, the campus is twice the size of the approximately 66,000 square feet WNS previously occupied across leased facilities.
The move to a permanent campus gives WNS greater flexibility to shape its learning environment and expand opportunities for students and faculty. Classrooms for DK through third grade feature floor-to-ceiling windows and outdoor patios, while the campus as a whole includes dedicated spaces for academics, technology, arts, athletics and community gatherings.
