Bridges Academy

Bridges Academy is a college preparatory school dedicated to educating "twice-exceptional" students-gifted and highly-gifted with learning differences-in grades 4-12.
Bridges empowers its students to thrive academically and socially through small classes, differentiated instruction, and tolerance, creating an environment in which both gifts and differences are recognized and respected. Individual learning profiles are created for each student.
The Bridges educational model is strength-based, student-centered and life-changing.

Quick Stats (2024)

  • School Type: School with Special Program Emphasis
  • Grades: 4-12
  • Enrollment: 201 students
  • Average class size: 8 students
  • Application Deadline: None / Rolling
  • Source: Verified school update

School Overview

Religious Affiliation
Grades Offered
Grades 4-12
ADD/ADHD Support
Yes
Learning Difference Programs
Yes
Learning Programs Supported
AD/HD, NLD, learning differences
Year Founded
1994
Summer School Offered
Yes

Student Body

Total Students
201 students
Student Body Type
Co-ed
% Students of Color
2%
State avg.: 51%
Students by Grade
Bridges Academy Student By Grade

Academics and Faculty

Total Classroom Teachers
48 teachers
Student : Teacher Ratio
4:1
National avg.: 13:1
% Faculty w/Advanced Degree
7%
Average Class Size
8 students
Classroom Dress Code
Casual

Tuition and Acceptance Rate

Admission Deadline
None / Rolling
Admissions Director
Doug Lenzini
Admissions Associate
Kayla Waesche

Sports

Total Sports Offered
5 sports

Extracurriculars

Total ExtracurricularsTotal Extra-curric.
10 extracurriculars
ExtracurricularsExtra-curric.
Robotics, Sustainability

Club or Organization:
Computer Programming

Arts and Music Programs:
Band, design priciples, Film Studies, Music Composition/Production, photography, Studio Art, Theatre Tech

School Notes

  • Bridges is a school serving twice-eceptional (2e) students grades 4-12--students who are gifted and have learning differences.
Source: Verified school update

Frequently Asked Questions

What sports does Bridges Academy offer?
Bridges Academy offers 5 interscholastic sports: Basketball, Cheering, Cross Country, Golf and Track and Field.
When is the application deadline for Bridges Academy?
The application deadline for Bridges Academy is rolling (applications are reviewed as they are received year-round).

School Reviews

  5.00 out of 5  (8 reviews)
5  
From the day my daughter stepped onto campus as a 4th grader, she felt like she had found her Hogwarts: a place where there were other kids like her. Every teacher and administrator understands my child, which has been a gift for her as well as for me. The approach to academics is serious and personalized. She is able to explore her interests through electives, two-week long immersive projects, and creating and leading clubs. My daughter is discovering who she is as a learner and as a person in a supportive, nurturing environment. I wish that all schools could be more like Bridges!
- Posted by
5  
Every day, I thank heaven that my son attends Bridges -- and so does he. While our local elementary school tried hard, it simply didn't have the resources to deal either with his giftedness or with the social, emotional and behavioral problems that emerge when you try to force an idiosyncratically shaped peg into a standard-sized hole. Bridges adapts the environment to fit the kid, and the result is transformative. With its small class sizes, staff that knows how to deal with sensitive and quirky kids, and teachers who are committed to nurturing brilliant minds, Bridges has transformed our lives.
- Posted by
5  
If you have a 2E child (twice exceptional child = gifted with a learning or behavioral disorder), Bridges Academy is the school for you!!! This school changed our lives! Although our son is "highly gifted", he scored so low on the ISEE exam that he was not accepted to 6 private middle schools. He was already on medication for ADHD, but we subsequently learned he has learning disorders as well (working memory and processing speed). We found this school through LA School Scout, Sandy Eiges. What a perfect fit! Our son began last year in 6th grade and has blossomed at this school. He's now with kids that are like him, teachers that understand him and an education plan made just for him! WE LOVE THIS SCHOOL!!!
- Posted by
5  
Bridges is a one of a kind school, much like it students. Before discovering Bridges, my son's day was consumed with unraveling all the things that went wrong with it. He was misunderstood and often bullied by students and teachers alike. His gifted qualities singled him out as "different" and "strange". My son has been at Bridges for 3 years and our whole lives have changed. No longer do we "unravel" at the school days end. Bridges celebrates my son's talents and embraces them as well as understanding the complex challenges that a 2E student faces . It has enriched all of our lives and given my son a safe place to thrive and move forward with confidence in. I highly recommend Bridges Academy.
- Posted by
5  
Bridges Academy has change our life for the better. We feel so lucky to be party of the Bridges Family. For the first time in 8 years, our son looks forward to going to school. He has friends, he no longer feels different and most importantly he can learn and thrive in an environment where is completely understood.
- Posted by
5  
Bridges is a school for quirky, gifted kids which enables them to thrive, socially and academically. The individual attention each student gets is impressive. Academic programs, while rigorous, are inspiring to the kids, and the school's lack of bullying, drugs, and peer pressure enables kids to focus on social, emotional and intellectual development, instead of this week's popularity crises. The facility, recently purchased, is lovely, with room to grow. I wouldn't say Bridges can compete with a 1,000 student school for variety of after school programs, or sports teams, but the low teacher/student ratio and sense of community more than make up for these deficits. A student here can feel more relaxed, and yet intellectually challenged. Most of my fellow Bridges parents have stopped agonizing about their child's quirkiness. Here these quirks are perceived as potential assets, not deficits.
- Posted by
5  
Bridges Academy is a school for twice exceptional children. It is an amazing school -- one that teaches by using each student's strengths to overcome their weaknesses. It has been an unbelievably good experience to have teachers understand our child. This is a school that truly individuates its curriculum for each student. They have used what our son liked and got our son to take an interest in writing (which used to be a struggle despite being incredibly bright) and in other subjects. Bridges follows through and achieves an education that reaches, engages and fulfills the potential of its students. We are still astounded that Bridges actually does what it promises to do for our son. We could not be happier.
- Posted by
5  
Bridges Academy has been a perfect fit for our son. The classes are small and the teachers don't overburden the students with homework. He is thriving both academically and socially in a school that understands gifted students with learning differences. They also have a wonderful theater program that has helped him overcome his shyness. In just a few short years, he has gone from being painfully shy to belting out a solo in the school musical. And for the first time in his life he actually enjoys going to school.
- Posted by

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Quick Stats (2024)

  • School Type: School with Special Program Emphasis
  • Grades: 4-12
  • Enrollment: 201 students
  • Average class size: 8 students
  • Application Deadline: None / Rolling
  • Source: Verified school update

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The average private school tuition in Los Angeles County, CA is $16,377 for elementary schools and $21,309 for high schools (read more about average private school tuition across the country).
The average acceptance rate in Los Angeles County, CA is 83% (read more about average acceptance rates across the country).

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