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| Don’t Say Good Luck School Location: The Real-Life High School Behind Westridge High |
If Westridge High in Netflix’s Don’t Say Good Luck looks suspiciously like a school you could actually walk into, there is a good reason. The fictional school at the centre of Sophie’s story was created using real New Jersey locations, with Ridgewood High School providing much of the look of Westridge High. So yes, the school feels real because, in several important scenes, viewers are looking at a very real one.
Don’t Say Good Luck follows Sophie, a teenager whose excitement over landing the lead in her school production of Waitress is quickly complicated by the return of her mother Elizabeth’s illness. As Sophie tries to cope with what is happening at home, school becomes more than somewhere she attends every day.
Her rehearsals, classmates and the theatre give her a place where life can briefly feel normal, making Westridge High an important part of the film rather than simply another backdrop for a teenage drama.
The catch is that Westridge High itself is fictional. The filmmakers did not create an entirely new school for Sophie to wander around in, because apparently there was no need to build an imaginary education system from scratch when New Jersey already had plenty of convincing architecture available. Production primarily took place around Ridgewood, New Jersey, where real schools were used to create the fictional setting seen throughout the film.
The main school location was Ridgewood High School, whose historic exterior gives Westridge High much of its identity on screen.
Located on East Ridgewood Avenue, the school dates back to 1892 and has a long-established presence in the community. Its combination of traditional architecture and a functioning modern school environment helped the filmmakers achieve the particular look they wanted for Sophie’s story.
That distinctive exterior can be seen in scenes where Sophie arrives at school and briefly steps away from the difficult reality waiting at home.
The setting works particularly well because the school does not look like an obviously constructed film location. It feels lived-in, familiar and slightly imposing in the way real schools often do, which helps make Sophie’s everyday teenage life feel more grounded.
Ridgewood High School also has a substantial academic and extracurricular programme, including opportunities connected to music, arts, dance and sport. Those real-world elements fit neatly with the atmosphere required for Don’t Say Good Luck, particularly because Sophie’s involvement in the school production is central to her emotional journey.
The film needs the school to feel like a place where students genuinely spend their days, not a conveniently dressed-up set that disappears the moment the cameras stop rolling.
Another Ridgewood location used in the production was Benjamin Franklin Middle School on North Van Dien Avenue. Its exterior was incorporated into the fictional Westridge High setting, while some of the film’s interior locations, particularly those associated with the theatre, helped expand the school environment shown on screen.
Rather than relying on one building for every scene, the production combined different real locations to create one fictional school.
The theatre is arguably the most significant part of Westridge High because it becomes the emotional centre of Sophie’s experience. This is where rehearsals for Waitress take place and where Sophie pours herself into the production while dealing with the increasingly difficult situation involving her mother.
The stage therefore represents something bigger than a school activity. It gives Sophie something to focus on, a reason to keep moving and eventually a deeply personal goal connected to Elizabeth.
That makes the real-school locations particularly effective. The story is about a teenager trying to continue with ordinary routines while dealing with a life-changing family situation, and placing those scenes inside genuine school buildings makes the contrast feel more immediate.
Sophie still has classes, rehearsals and performances to worry about even when everything outside school has become considerably harder.
Fans have had mixed reactions to the revelation that Westridge High is not a real school but a fictional setting assembled from real locations. Some viewers enjoy discovering the real places behind familiar fictional settings, particularly when the locations are recognisable enough to feel like characters in their own right.
Others may be surprised that Westridge High does not actually exist, especially because the film gives the school such a convincing sense of history and everyday activity. There is also something slightly amusing about discovering that the supposedly fictional Westridge High is actually a patchwork of real New Jersey schools.
It means viewers could technically visit the places that helped create Sophie’s school world, although they would not find Sophie rushing down the corridor or preparing for her next rehearsal. That part, unfortunately, remains firmly in Netflix territory.
Ultimately, Westridge High is not a real school, but the locations used to bring it to life are very real. Ridgewood High School provides much of its visual identity, while Benjamin Franklin Middle School and other production locations help create the wider setting.
Together, they give Don’t Say Good Luck a believable school environment that plays an important role in Sophie’s coming-of-age story and her relationship with her mother.
So, did you recognise the real New Jersey locations while watching Don’t Say Good Luck, or were you completely convinced that Westridge High was an actual school? Let us know what you thought of the filming locations and whether knowing the truth changes how you see Sophie’s school scenes.