Our New Campus

Building Values and Community

Heschel West began in 1994 by a group of young families seeking to build a community school founded on academic excellence and the values of the Jewish tradition. Heschel West offers a progressive, innovative and humanistic approach to education, with emphasis on fostering in its students a commitment to life long learning, community leadership and ethical behavior. In its first eight years, the school has grown from 14 kindergartners to 150 students, drawing primarily from the Conejo Valley communities of Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Westlake Village and Thousand Oaks.

We have outgrown our temporary facilities and are now seeking approval to build our permanent elementary and middle school campus on our property located adjacent to the Ventura Freeway in unincorporated Los Angeles County near the eastern border of Agoura Hills at Cheseboro Road.

Heschel West Benefits the Community

  • Heschel West is 100% privately financed. No state funds are used for our school. Each Heschel West student saves local taxpayers approximately $6,000 per year in public education costs.
  • We sponsor community services such as weekly collection of food for the needy, tree planting, and visiting the elderly.
  • Heschel West helps alleviate overcrowding in the local public schools.
  • Our facilities can be made available for community events, sports leagues and emergency services.
  • We offer community and adult education programs.

Heschel West Protects the Environment

  • We are a low-density use. Only 25% of our property will be developed
  • Our school is designed with convenient freeway access and adequate on-site traffic circulation to avoid congestion on local streets.
  • We will employ environmentally-sensitive design and landscaping techniques, using native vegetation and minimizing any potential impacts on plants and animals.

Heschel West Respects and Values Its Neighbors

  • We have made multiple design changes to accommodate the concerns of our neighbors.
  • Our campus entrance will likely be adjacent to the freeway and located outside local residential communities.
  • Our closest school building will be set back more than 300 feet from the nearest residential property line.
  • School hours of operation will be scheduled to avoid local traffic peaks.
  • Low-rise courtyard-style buildings are designed to minimize noise and harmonize with local architecture.
  • Recreation facilities are located at the farthest point from homes to minimize noise.
  • Construction will be predominantly at or near existing grade.
  • Our storm drain system and fire prevention plan will mitigate existing flood and fire hazards threatening the local community.