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The mission of Harry Bridges Span School (Grades K-8) is to provide a world-class education for all students by ensuring a safe, nurturing, and collaborative student-centered environment that fosters student achievement, values effort, and promotes social justice.
Through frequent and rich collaboration between community and school, we will educate, challenge, and inspire students to achieve at high levels of academic proficiency and excellence in relation to state and national standards. Working with a diverse set of community partners, from local labor unions to global companies, we will engage students in real-world issues such as the protection of our environment, the global economy, and fair labor practices. The namesake of our school, Harry Bridges, was an icon for West Coast working class people, a leader who championed labor reform, civil rights, and social justice. This school’s mission is to continue his legacy in the community of Wilmington, the Port of Los Angeles, by developing students who possess the foundational and exceptional academic skills and competencies that propel them to success in high school and promote readiness for college and career. What is a Span School?
We've received many questions regarding our name, Harry Bridges Span School. While not a new concept, it is fairly rare within LAUSD. A span school is just a school that spans multiple levels (elementary and middle, middle and high, or elementary through high school). Our school span is Transitional Kindergarten through 8th grade. One of the benefits of a span school is that students remain on the same campus through 8th grade. There are fewer difficulties transitioning to middle school. The middle school portion is also significantly smaller than a traditional middle school, which makes it more like a community than some of the larger middle schools. Teachers generally get to know all the students. We strive to meet the needs of all students with a rigorous curriculum and actively seek partners and funding for a variety of programs to support our students. 
Harry Bridges
Harry Bridges, our namesake and legendary ILWU organizer, famously said, “Few of us really believed that we could win a decent wage, a little dignity and security on the job.....let alone having a college education for the kids.” We view these words as the cornerstone for the development of Harry Bridges Span School. In our working class and largely Latino community of Wilmington, social justice means providing the educational foundation to make college and career readiness a reality for all students.
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