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Torrance Unified School District | |
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Address | |
2335 Plaza del Amo Torrance , California, 90501United States | |
District information | |
Type | Public |
Grades | K–12 [1] |
Established | 1947[2] |
Superintendent | Tim Stowe |
Schools | 36 |
NCES District ID | 0639420 [1] |
Students and staff | |
Students | 22,490 (2020–2021) [1] |
Teachers | 915.76 (FTE) [1] |
Staff | 1,234.32 (FTE) [1] |
Student–teacher ratio | 24.56:1 [1] |
Other information | |
Website | www |
Torrance Unified School District (TUSD) is a school district in Los Angeles County, California, with its headquarters in Torrance. [3]
The district board of education has a president, a vice president, a clerk, and two members. [4] As of 2021, the District Superintendent is Tim Stowe. [5] The TUSD suburban schools generally rank high academically; West High School has won several County Academic Decathlons. [6]
The current board consists of Jasmine Park (president), Anil Muhammed (vice president), Betty Lieu (clerk), and James Han. [7]
Prior to 1947 Torrance residents were in the Los Angeles City School District and the Los Angeles High School District. Evelyn Carr sought to establish a permanent school district and did so through a group she created, the Torrance Parents Association. A referendum held on August 20, 1946, to change the city charter to allow creating a new school district, passed on a basis. In 1947 a new school district was immediately formed, although for the 1947-1948 school year Torrance High School was in the Redondo Union High School District since California law prevented the newly-formed Torrance school district from immediately controlling high schools. The Los Angeles City School District removed all of the furniture from the Torrance elementary and middle schools; Sam Gnerre of The Daily Breeze wrote that "LAUSD[ sic ] was not pleased with the outcome of the election." [8]
In 1948 Torrance's high schools and elementary schools unified into one district. [9] The city's oldest school is Torrance High School, founded in 1917. Forty new schools were built in a building boom following World War II, as the city grew from its pre-war 10,000 to more than 140,000. However, declining enrollment later caused closing several schools.[ citation needed ]
In July 1985, talks between the City of Torrance and TUSD broke down over the purchase of the 3.4-acre (1.4 ha) Greenwood School site, a closed school site. The final offer from TUSD was $1.875 million ($5311726.49 when accounting for inflation). The final offer from the city was $1.6 million ($4532673.27 when accounting for inflation). Later in 1985, to avoid legal action, the city proposed that if the district gives the site to the city while negotiations over the sales price occurred, the city government would give the district $1.6 million in a deposit and allow it to draw interest in that deposit. The city promised to pay the difference between the $1.6 million and the final purchase price in addition to the interest as long as the final purchase price did not exceed $1.875 million. TUSD had until November 1, 1985 to decide on whether to take the offer. [10]
The district is in the South Bay region of southwestern Los Angeles County. The district's approximately 21 square miles (54 km2) of territory includes all of the City of Torrance.
Bordering areas include Gardena and Redondo Beach to the north and west, Carson to the east, and the Palos Verdes Peninsula to the south. [9]
The district cut vocal musical instruction from the elementary school budget in the 1987-1988 school year to make up for a $1.4-million budget shortfall. For the 1988-1989 school year the district reinstated vocal musical instruction in elementary school. [11]
As of 1986 the school district has Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) courses. For grades 3 through 12 one has to be in the 98th percentile of intelligence tests in order to participate. For the 1986-1987 year the percentile changed to 98 from 96. [12]
The district has 19 elementary schools, 8 middle schools, 4 high schools, one continuation high school, one alternative high school, and three adult school campuses. [9]
Enrollment in the district dropped from more than 34,000 students in 1967 to a low of just under 19,000 in 1988 before beginning to rise again. Unlike neighboring districts, TUSD did not close any of its four high schools, but 12 elementary schools were shut between 1969 and 1984. Seven other elementary schools were repurposed into middle schools between 1970 and 1975 in an attempt to balance enrollments (J.H. Hull Middle School was purpose-built as a secondary facility in 1970, the last new campus to open in TUSD.)
Rancho Palos Verdes is a coastal city located in south Los Angeles County, California. Incorporated on September 7, 1973, the city has a population of 42,287 as reported in the 2020 United States Census. Rancho Palos Verdes sits atop the bluffs of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, neighboring three other cities in the Palos Verdes Hills, namely Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills, and Rolling Hills Estates. It is known for its extensive nature preserves and hiking trails, school district, as well as high property values.
Torrance is a coastal city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, located in southwest Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is part of what is known as the South Bay region of the metropolitan area. A small section of the city, 1.5 miles (2.4 km), abuts the Pacific Ocean. Torrance has a moderate year-round climate with average rainfall of 12 inches (300 mm) per year. Torrance was incorporated in 1921, and at the 2020 census had a population of 147,067 residents. Torrance has a beachfront and has 30 parks located around the city. It is also the birthplace of the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO).
Torrance High School is a high school located in Torrance, California. Founded in 1917, it is one of the oldest high schools in continuous use in California and is the oldest of the five high schools in the Torrance Unified School District. Four of its buildings are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles is a private bilingual education school founded in 1964.
Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District (PVPUSD) is a school district headquartered in Palos Verdes Estates, California with facilities in all four cities of the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
The Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) is the public school district for the city of Berkeley, California, United States. The district is managed by the Superintendent of Schools, and governed by the Berkeley Board of Education, whose members are elected by voters. Its administrative offices are located in the old West Campus main building at 2020 Bonar Street, on the corner of Bonar and University Avenue.
The Long Beach Unified School District is a school district headquartered in Long Beach, California, United States. Established in 1885, Long Beach Unified School District now educates 81,000 students in 84 public schools in the cities of Long Beach, Lakewood, Signal Hill, Carson, and Avalon on Catalina Island. The school district is the third largest in California and serves one of the most diverse large cities in the United States. The student population is 53.1 percent Hispanic, 15.6 percent African American, 15.2 percent white, 11.2 percent Asian, 3 percent multi-race, 1.7 percent Pacific Islander and 0.2 percent Native American. More than two-thirds of the student population come from lower-income households and qualify for free and reduced price meals. The school district employs more than 8,000 people, making it the largest employer in Long Beach.
The Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) was founded in 1874 and is a unified school district for Pasadena, Sierra Madre, and Altadena, in the U.S. state of California.
Aviation High School was a high school located in Redondo Beach, California that was in operation from 1957 to 1982. The school occupied 40 acres at the northeast corner of Manhattan Beach Boulevard and Aviation Boulevard. Their athletic teams were known as the Falcons and the school colors were black and orange.
Centinela Valley Union High School District, (CVUHSD) is a public union high school district located in southern California that serves about 6,800 students in grades 9–12 from all of Lawndale and Lennox, most of Hawthorne and Alondra Park, and a small portion of Inglewood. The district's three associated elementary feeder school districts are Hawthorne School District, Lawndale Elementary School District, and Lennox School District. Previously Wiseburn Unified School District, now a unified district, fed into CVUSD. The Centinela Valley district also offers adult education classes.
The South San Francisco Unified School District is a school district in northern San Mateo County, California, serving the cities of South San Francisco, a small portion of San Bruno, and the Serramonte district of Daly City.
Lawndale Elementary School District (LESD) is a school district headquartered in Lawndale, California, United States.
Los Angeles City High School District was a school district that served high school-aged residents of western Los Angeles County, California from 1890 to 1962. At times the district included Beverly Hills, Culver City, and Torrance.
The Los Angeles City School District was a school district that served Los Angeles, California, and some adjoining areas between 1870 and 1961.
El Segundo Unified School District is a school district headquartered in El Segundo, California, United States. The district serves all residents living in El Segundo and covers the western part of the city; the portion of the Wiseburn School District in El Segundo has businesses but no residents.
The Main Building of Torrance High School is located on the campus in Torrance, southwestern Los Angeles County, California. The Main Building was opened to students as Torrance School in 1917.
The Torrance School, also known as Torrance High School Annex and originally as Torrance Elementary School, is located on the campus of Torrance High School in Torrance, southwestern Los Angeles County, California.
The Wiseburn Unified School District is a school district in Los Angeles County, California operating elementary and middle schools, and hosting charter high schools. Its headquarters are on the grounds of the Da Vinci charter schools facility in El Segundo. Previously they were in Hawthorne.
Fern Elementary School, previously known as Fern Avenue School, is a public elementary school that is in Torrance, California, and a part of the Torrance Unified School District (TUSD). It is on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) as #92000067 on February 20, 1992.
South Bay Union High School District, also known as the Redondo Union High School District, was a school district in Los Angeles County, California. It served residents of Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, and Redondo Beach. It also served Torrance in the 1947-1948 school year.