Original Research by School Decision on Russell Westbrook Why Not? High District
Russell Westbrook Why Not? High District serves high school students in South Los Angeles through a single school, Russell Westbrook Why Not? High, which operates as part of a larger academy that also includes a middle school serving grades six through twelve. The district itself is small, serving a concentrated population of students, with enrollment distributed fairly evenly across the four high school grades.
The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial Black population as well. The school serves no white, Asian, or other racial or ethnic groups in its reported enrollment. Data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility and the count of students with IEPs or English learner status was not available, so a parent looking for a full picture of the economic circumstances or special-education and language-support needs would want to ask the school directly about those figures.
The school does not report state proficiency data or a four-year graduation rate, which makes it difficult to assess traditional academic performance metrics. A parent seeking to understand how students perform on state assessments should check with the school about whether those results are available and what they show. Among Los Angeles County's many districts, this one's chronic absenteeism rate is in the bottom quartile, meaning attendance is a challenge the school is working within. The district's per-pupil spending is in the upper range for the county, reflecting the foundation backing and expanded facilities the school now operates.
What sets this district apart structurally is its recent transformation. In early 2021, the former LA Promise Charter High School was adopted by Russell Westbrook and his Why Not? Foundation in partnership with the LA Promise Fund and rebranded as the Russell Westbrook Why Not? Academy. That partnership brought sustained private foundation backing, board oversight, and an explicit athletics-plus-academics mission. In the fall of 2024, the academy moved into a newly renovated permanent campus in South Gate that unites its middle and high school under one roof for the first time, replacing earlier leased and co-located sites. The facility includes classrooms, a library lounge, and a wellness center, with plans for a community recreation center and gymnasium.
The academy operates on a community-school model with wraparound services, including internships and dual-enrollment community college classes, mental health and wellness programs, college advising, and athletics and STEM enrichment. The school also uses Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports and restorative justice practices, an approach aimed at preventing rather than punishing while supporting students academically and behaviorally. These are pedagogical choices that shape the daily experience and signal the school's priorities to families considering enrollment.
A family choosing this school should be aware of the very recent facility transition and the school's emphasis on integrated athletics and academics under foundation leadership. The small size and the community-school structure mean a more personalized environment, but also that this is a school rebuilding its physical home and establishing its identity after the partnership. The attendance data suggests students face barriers to regular attendance that the school is actively working to address. Parents may want to discuss current academic outcomes, curriculum offerings, and the status of the college-dual-enrollment and internship programs directly with the school to understand what students can expect.
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