Advancing Westlake

Westlake Lutheran Academy Advancement News

Westlake Lutheran Academy has truly been blessed!  We are deeply grateful for your unwavering support through giving, volunteering, and lifting our school up in prayer.  Your generosity is making a tangible difference in the lives of our students and advancing the mission of our school.  For the 2025 calendar year, total giving and pledges to WLA as of December 1^st is at an all-time high, totaling $1,487,286.  That includes the gala last spring, the Wildcat Fund Drive, gifts to various special projects, and gifts and pledges to the next step of our Advancing Westlake Campaign. As of December 1st 2025, our progress toward the next step is $1,152,281. Our goal is to surpass $1.5 million and more than match the $1.5 million that LEAH is infusing toward this step.

Your generosity impacted WLA in 2024-2025!

• A major upgrade was made to the playground including a cemented court area with basketball hoops and four square, artificial turf was installed, the soft flooring around the playground equipment was re-surfaced, and safety padding was added.
• The Den, our weight room building, was completed with insulation and AC.  The first Athletic Performance class for MS and HS students, taught by Coach Josh Brown, is being held in that building this year. 
• Campus Enhancements:  A branded fence screen was added to the Lower School playground.  The MS/HS hallway and classrooms were painted.  Two new chillers were installed.  We received a 14-passenger van that is branded and helping us transport students on field trips and to activities.

The Future of Westlake Lutheran Academy:  What’s Next?

As we look to the future of Westlake Lutheran Academy, we see an exciting journey of growth and development on the horizon. The 42-acre campus, acquired years ago by the Lutheran Education Association of Houston (LEAH), was a visionary step that laid the foundation for us. The foresight to secure a large property is a blessing, providing space to expand academic and extracurricular offerings for current and future generations of students.

We have worked with our architects to build out a Master Plan for our 42-acre campus that meets our long-term vision.  Having a clear plan, we’re able to take the next step in the journey of WLA.  In talking with many of our families and the staff, we determined that adding an entrance off Katy Gaston was essential.  This will help our families enter and exit campus and connect infrastructure to future facilities.  Adding parking to the entrance helps with event parking needs and provides space for future high school student parking. We are excited to finish construction and open the new entrance and parking.

The giving goals for the next step of our Advancing Westlake Campaign include:

• New 16,821 SF Education Building
• Teacher Support & Professional Development
• Advance Academic and Extracurricular Opportunities

The education building will provide innovative spaces needed to support the expansion of our high school and the overall growth of WLA.  There will be state of the art academic spaces highlighted by a 1,500 square foot science classroom where students will have unique engaging hands-on experiences.  We’ll have a bistro-like collaboration area and an 1,800 square foot multipurpose room that can be accessed for chapels, lunch, meetings, etc.  The multipurpose space and science classroom will connect to a 1,964 square foot covered patio for collaboration, activities and social space.

As WLA grows, so too will our campus. The Master Plan envisions future buildings and complexes that will further enrich the educational experience. We are particularly focused on designing spaces that foster collaboration, creativity, and community, with areas for both academic learning and extracurricular activities to accommodate the needs of our growing student body.

The journey to these exciting new developments is just beginning, but it’s a journey that we will take together as a community. Your involvement in our efforts, such as our galas and Wildcat Drives, are critical to making these plans a reality. We are so grateful for the support of our families, staff, and community, and we look forward to continuing this partnership as we make an impact in the lives our students now and for years to come.

GO WILDCATS!

Bret Walter

Chief Advancement Officer