The Future Needs Servant Leaders.
The Future Needs Lutheran West.

Our world is calling for something more. Not just intelligence, but integrity. Not just success, but purpose.

Not just leaders — servant leaders.

At Lutheran West, we answer that call by raising students who lead with both confidence and compassion. Grounded in Christian faith, challenged by rigorous academics, and shaped by a thriving 6–12 experience, we’re preparing students to serve boldly in a world that needs more light.

We’ve developed five Centers of Excellence — in Honors, Business, STEM, the Arts, and Athletics — allowing every student to find their path, their people, and their purpose. We don’t just prepare them for college. We prepare them to change lives.

The future is coming fast. At Lutheran West, we’re building the kind of leaders it’s waiting for.

Go West for Excellence

Lutheran West is a private 6th-12th grade school known for academic excellence and community focus. Committed to Christian values, Lutheran West offers a supportive environment in which students can grow and thrive academically, creatively, athletically, spiritually, and socially.

Go for the Faith and Community

Lutheran West prepares and equips students to excel in service, leadership, and learning. We develop young people who go on to live as disciples who are rooted and grounded in the love of Christ.

Fulfilling our mission means that we encourage students to explore their God-given gifts and interests: academically, athletically, creatively, socially, and spiritually. 

students praying in gym

Lutheran West In Numbers

740

Students

110

Faculty & Staff Members

180 

Course Offerings

75+

Year History

Joel Bahr staff photo

Lutheran West is more than a school. It’s a place where students grow, explore, and develop. It’s an encouraging community rooted in Christian values.”

Joel S. Bahr
Head of School, Lutheran West

Cleveland’s First Lutheran High School

Cleveland’s first Lutheran high school, located downtown near Cleveland State University, was founded in 1948. Due to eminent domain, the school was one of many buildings torn down in the summer of 1958 to make way for construction of the I-90 Innerbelt.

May: 16 Lutheran congregations formally meet to establish an association and resolve to establish a Lutheran high school in Cleveland. 1946
November: The Association elects its first board of directors. 1946
September 7: 48 students from 19 congregations enter Lutheran High School, located at 2648 Prospect Avenue in Cleveland. 1948
Spring: The first class graduates from Lutheran High School. 1952
The Innerbelt Freeway is proposed, resulting in the State of Ohio’s exercise of Emminent Domain on the High School’s downtown property. 1956
Lutheran High School West opens its doors in Rocky River 1958
The association hires its first director of development, seeking to build financial support through bequests and other giving. 1965
An addition to Lutheran West is constructed, adding new music rooms and a library. 1971
The Cleveland Lutheran Education Endowment Fund (CLEEF) is established. 1985
A fine arts wing, featuring the Jochum Room, is added to Lutheran West’s building. 1988
Lutheran West begins its “Vision Alive” capital campaign, providing funding for a science and art wing, a physical education wing, and a second gym. 2001
Lutheran West’s “Unleash the Spirit” capital campaign is launched. 2012
The Senney Honors Academy is established at Lutheran West. 2013
students in caps and gowns at graduation

A Strong Alumni Network

The 6,000+ alumni that have graduated from Lutheran West have gone on to do great things in their professions and in their communities. Our alumni are a diverse group of men and women who have followed a wide variety of paths in their lives, but one thing is common amongst them: they will attribute part of their successes to their time at Lutheran West. And what’s more, Lutheran West graduates help one another, forming a truly invaluable network when it comes to career opportunities, personal relationships, and continued faith-based support in each other’s lives.

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