As a school of the Lutheran Education Association of Houston, Westlake Prep  is "rooted" and connected with a global Lutheran school organization.  Because of the Lutheran church’s targeted emphasis on education and schools, we are often referred to as "the teaching church." Almost 60% of Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS) congregations participate in operating schools.

Lutheran schools make up the largest number of protestant schools and the second largest number of non-public schools in the United States.  Nationally, there are 1368 Lutheran early childhood centers; 1018 elementary schools; and 102 high schools - a total of over 280,000 students.  Test scores of Lutheran school students are the highest of the non-public national school organizations - Lutherans are serious about school excellence! ¹

This network of schools is supported by a cadre of affiliated organizations that provide services including:

·                     LEA - Lutheran Education Association - national Lutheran teachers organization

·                     NLSA - National Lutheran Schools Accreditation - nationally recognized accrediting agency for early childhood centers through high schools

·                     ALSS - Association of Lutheran Secondary Schools - national organization of high schools and administrators

·                     LCMS - Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod - national church body with a Director of Schools

·                     CUS - Concordia University System - 10 Lutheran Universities that provide teacher training programs

·                     SACS - Southern Association of Colleges and Schools - regional accrediting body

·                     LSEM - Lutheran Special Education Ministries - provides resources for students with special needs

·                     Texas District - a central school office for Lutheran schools in Texas

HISTORICAL SNAPSHOT:  The history of Lutheran schools in America traces back to the founding colonies.  Saxon schools (Lutheran) began to appear in the late 1600s colonial America and often the school house was the place of Sunday worship.  Pennsylvania history records over 200 Muhlenberg schools (Lutheran) in the mid 1700s.  St. Matthew Lutheran School was founded in 1752 on the island of Manhattan and still operates today as a preschool program.  At one time in history every Lutheran church had a school. 

Texas Lutheran schools received their start as European immigrants landed in Galveston and migrated toward the Texas Hill Country establishing communities with churches and schools for educating their children.  Lee County, Texas is now often referred to as the heart of Lutheranism in Texas, home of the oldest Lutheran school in Texas with its beginnings dating back over 150 years to the 1850s.

1.      The Nations Report Card from National Assessment of Educational Progress www.nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pdf/studies/2006459.pdf