Woodrow Wilson Classical High School

Woodrow Wilson High School (colloquially known as Long Beach Wilson) is an American public high school located in Long Beach, California. This two-block campus is located approximately 1.5 miles from the Pacific Ocean, across from the Recreation Park, and approximately 3 miles from Orange County.

Woodrow Wilson High School
Address
4400 East Tenth Street Long Beach , California 90804 United States
Coordinates	33.777042°N 118.140822°W / 33.777042; -118.140822
Information
Type	Public
Motto	Academic and Athletic Excellence[1]
Established	1926[2]
School district	Long Beach Unified
Staff	148.00 (FTE)[3]
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	3,515 (2022–2023)[3]
Student to teacher ratio	23.75[3]
Campus	Urban
Color(s)	Cardinal red   Gold
Athletics conference	Moore League
Mascot	Woody Bruin Wilma Bruin Wilbur Bruin[4]
Team name	Bruins[5]
Newspaper	Loudspeaker
Yearbook	Campanile
Website	https://wilson.lbschools.net

Woodrow Wilson Classical High School was established in 1925 as the second school in the city, and ultimately opened for classes in 1926.^[6] The institution was named after Woodrow Wilson, who was an American politician and served as the 28th president of the United States. In 1926, a group of high school students chose the nickname Bruins as well as the colors Cardinal and Gold for Long Beach Wilson, due to close distance of two prestigious research universities, the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Southern California, respectively.^[7]

Academics

Ethnic composition as of 2020–21

Race and ethnicity[8]	Total
Hispanic or Latino	55.8%	55.8
Non-Hispanic White/Anglo	19.5%	19.5
African American	11.9%	11.9
Asian	8.4%	8.4
Other	3.7%	3.7
Pacific Islander	0.5%	0.5
Native American	0.2%	0.2

The "Classical" Term

Woodrow Wilson Classical High School earned the distinction of being "classical" (hence the term being in the official school name) when they offered graduates a diploma with higher distinction than the regular diploma across the Long Beach Unified School District. Those who earned the "classical" diploma fulfilled one year of performing or visual arts and two years of foreign language in addition to the minimum requirements to graduate from a LBUSD high school. Wilson is the only school to offer such a high school diploma in the district.^[9][10]

Pathways

The institution offers five distinct pathways: Wilson Academic Vision of Excellence, School of the Arts, School of Leadership & Public Service, School of Medicine & Biotechnology, and School of Technology. The Distinguished Scholars program is offered to students who are in a school pathway and met academic requirements in middle school.^[11]

Wilson Academic Vision of Excellence

Referred to as WAVE, the Wilson Academic Vision of Excellence is the most rigorous pathway offered at the school. This liberal arts intensive program provides students the resources to earn acceptances at elite universities and colleges. In order to be qualified, students must earn at least a 3.60 GPA in middle school, be enrolled in Algebra I, receive at least an SBAC score of 2,500 in English, and indicate that the program is their first choice prior to applying. During the program, students must follow a road-map to graduation, which includes at least ten Advanced Placement courses.^[12]

Distinguished Scholars

The oldest program at Long Beach Wilson, Distinguished Scholars provides supplemental distinction for all students outside of those in the WAVE pathway. Although not a pathway itself, the program recognizes those who had a strong academic performance at the institution. Incoming students must receive acceptance by having at least a 3.3 GPA and be enrolled in Algebra I prior to applying. Those not meeting the prerequisites may achieve this award by obtaining at least a 3.3 GPA and receiving a C or higher in Algebra I in addition to the program requirements. The program requires students to have at least a 3.3 GPA, complete four Advanced Placement classes, and possess at least sixty hours of volunteering outside of the school community.^[13]

School of the Arts

The School of the Arts emphasizes the study of the arts through completion of courses studying several disciplines within the field, ranging from theatre to photography. Students must choose a primary and secondary discipline to study at Long Beach Wilson, while completing the requirements for graduation. Students primarily have opportunities related to the arts, such as completing a certification program at Long Beach City College in their discipline of choice. There are no additional prerequisites for this program prior to applying.^[14]

School of Leadership and Public Service

Designed for the future leaders of society, this program has students embark on experiences in a wide range of public service sectors. Students have the opportunity to take coursework that focuses on ways to benefit a sector, varying from forensic science to criminal law. In addition, students have several opportunities within the city, such as completing related certificate programs at Long Beach City College. There are no prerequisites for this program prior to applying.^[15]

School of Medicine and Biotechnology

Initiated by Project Lead the Way, students in the School of Medicine and Biotechnology gain experience in preparation for the field of medicine. Students are required to take a course sequence dedicated to the study of medicine. In addition, students apply the course sequence to internships throughout medical centers in Long Beach, and receive certificates in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and first aid. There are no prerequisites for this program prior to applying.^[16]

School of Technology

Started by Project Lead the Way, program participants complete coursework in computer science and related fields. Participants are required to complete a course sequence that will prepare them for the rise of technology in today's society. In addition, students will have the opportunity to actively seek and experience internships in the technology industry with their knowledge from the course sequence. There are no prerequisites for this pathway.^[17]

Advanced Placement

Woodrow Wilson Classical High school is a participating institution of the Advanced Placement program, which offers students the opportunity to gain college credit albeit two-year and four-year colleges having different policies for granting A.P. credit, if any. The program is maintained by College Board, an organization that administers the AP exams. Long Beach Wilson offers students the chance to participate in Advanced Placement for 27 different disciplines. Although there may be requirements to take an A.P. class, it is possible to challenge any A.P. exam (where the student takes the exam by being an autodidact for the discipline tested), regardless if Long Beach Wilson offers the course or not. As of the 2014–15 school year, Long Beach Wilson had 49% of the 12th grade student body tested at some time during high school where 71% of those passed at least one exam.^[18]

Advanced Placement Courses[19]
Art History Biology Calculus AB Calculus BC Chemistry English Language and Composition English Literature and Composition Environmental Science French Language and Culture	German Language and Culture Human Geography Macroeconomics Music Theory Physics 1 Physics 2 Psychology Research Seminar	Spanish Language and Culture Spanish Literature and Culture Statistics Studio Art: 2-D Studio Art: 3-D Studio Art: Drawing United States Government and Politics United States History World History

College admissions

The Class of 2021 spans throughout California within the California State University and University of California system, although alumni especially committed to universities in Southern California. The most popular destinations within both systems are Long Beach State (117 alumni), UCLA (13 alumni), Cal State Dominguez Hills (12 alumni), UC Santa Barbara (10 alumni), and UC Berkeley (9 alumni).^[20][21] Long Beach Wilson graduates are granted two years of free tuition at Long Beach City College, which has a dedicated Transfer Admission Guarantee resource center for transferring to the majority of UC and CSU Campuses.^[22][23] Admissions at private universities are sparse, but enrollments most recently occurred at Dartmouth, Pomona College, and Vassar College.^[24] Below are admissions tables derived from the University of California and California State University for the Class of 2021:

University of California[20] Institution Applied Admitted Enrolled Berkeley 111 23 9 Davis 75 38 5 Irvine 134 31 6 Los Angeles 200 18 13 Merced 19 18 0 Riverside 50 29 4 San Diego 134 38 5 Santa Barbara 125 48 10 Santa Cruz 70 45 8

California State University (SoCal)[21] Institution Applied Admitted Enrolled Bakersfield 11 9 0 Channel Islands 11 10 1 Dominguez Hills 87 81 12 Fullerton 104 51 3 Long Beach 366 293 117 Los Angeles 64 59 4 Northridge 21 18 3 Pomona 57 38 1 San Bernardino 6 6 0 San Diego 125 54 7 San Luis Obispo 91 55 6 San Marcos 7 7 2

California State University (NorCal)[21] Institution Applied Admitted Enrolled Chico 27 19 2 East Bay 16 14 1 Fresno 3 2 0 Humboldt 8 7 0 Maritime 4 4 2 Monterey Bay 21 21 2 Sacramento 13 13 0 San Francisco 49 46 5 San Jose 16 16 1 Sonoma 2 1 0 Stanislaus 4 4 0

Rankings

• According to US News, Long Beach Wilson is No. 240 in the state and No. 1,301 in the nation for best overall high schools for the 2016–17 school year. Wilson also earned a silver medal, a distinction awarded for placing 501st to 2,673th best in the nation and had at least a 20.17 college readiness index.^[25] Wilson is the fifth best high school in the Long Beach Unified School District.^[26]
• According to The Washington Post, Woodrow Wilson Classical High School is No. 1,024 in the nation for "America's Most Challenging High Schools."^[27]
• According to Niche, Long Beach Wilson is No. 150 in the nation for "Standout Schools in America," which recognizes how much the school has positively impacted their community. Also, Wilson is No. 294 in the nation for "Most Diverse Public High Schools in America," which notes the diversity of a high school in terms of ethnicity.^[28]

Wilson High School Science Building

Athletics

The Long Beach Wilson Bruins participate in the CIF Southern Section under the California Interscholastic Federation. The Bruins are primarily associated with the Moore League for conference play. The Bruins have a fierce rivalry with the Jackrabbits of Long Beach Poly across all sports, which originated from an American football match in 1932.^[29]

Varsity teams

The Bruins sponsor varsity teams in 12 boys', 12 girls', and three coed sports. All are CIF-sponsored sports unless indicated.

Boys Baseball Basketball Cross country Football Golf Lacrosse Soccer Swimming & diving Tennis Track and field Volleyball Water polo

Girls Basketball Cross country Golf Gymnastics Lacrosse Soccer Softball Swimming & diving Tennis Track and field Volleyball Water polo

Coed Badminton Surfing Wrestling

Championships

Long Beach Wilson has won 64 regional, 11 state, and 2 national championships since the institution fielded athletics in 1926.^[30]

Regional championships

• Boys (51)
  • Baseball (4): 1940, 1947, 1950, 2007
  • Basketball (1): 1927
  • Cross country (3): 1934, 1935, 1936
  • Golf (20): 1928, 1930, 1932, 1933, 1935, 1939, 1940, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1965, 2016, 2017
  • Gymnastics (2): 1970, 1977
  • Soccer (1): 2003
  • Swimming and diving (4): 1939, 1953, 1955, 1956
  • Track and field (4): 1931, 1936, 1937, 1992
  • Water polo (12): 1981, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2011
• Girls (13)
  • Basketball (1): 2000
  • Golf (1): 2004
  • Soccer (2): 2008, 2013
  • Swimming and diving (2): 1995, 2005
  • Track and field (5): 1996, 1998, 1999, 2005, 2006, 2023
  • Volleyball (1): 2001
  • Water polo (1): 2018
• Coed (1)
  • Badminton (1): 1998

State championships

• Boys (6)
  • Track and field: 1931
  • Water polo: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
• Girls (5)
  • Golf: 2004
  • Soccer: 2008
  • Track and field: 1996, 1998, 2006, 2023

National championships

• Boys (1)
  • Baseball: 2007
• Girls (1)
  • Soccer: 2008

Alumni

See also: Category: Wilson Classical High School alumni

• Notable Long Beach Wilson alumni include:
• 
  George Chakiris, Academy Award-winning actor
• 
  Bob Bailey, former professional baseball player
• 
  Cynthia Barboza, professional volleyball player
• 
  Lashinda Demus, professional hurdler
• 
  Bobby Grich, former professional baseball player
• 
  Jessica Hardy, professional swimmer
• 
  Aaron Hicks, professional baseball player
• 
  Gabriel Iglesias, actor, comedian, producer, voice actor, and writer
• 
  Camryn Manheim, actress
• 
  Bruce McCandless II, former astronaut, aviator, electrical engineer, NASA employee, and naval officer
• 
  Swen Nater, Dutch former professional basketball player

Bradley Nowell, frontman of the ska punk band Sublime^[31]

Olympics

Since the 1952 Summer Olympics, 38 Bruins have participated in the quadrennial Olympic Games. By the conclusion of the 2016 Summer Olympics, the Bruins have gathered 16 Olympiads.^[32] Long Beach Wilson has been recognized by ESPN for their output of Olympians.^[33]

1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland

Olympian	Gender	College	Country	Sport	Event	Medal
Pat McCormick				Diving	Platform
Pat McCormick				Diving	Springboard

1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Olympian	Gender	College	Country	Sport	Event	Medal
Pat McCormick				Diving	Platform
Pat McCormick				Diving	Springboard

1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany

Olympian	Gender	College	Country	Sport	Event	Medal
Kate Schmidt				Track and field	Javelin

1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Olympian	Gender	College	Country	Sport	Event	Medal
Joan Lind				Rowing	Single sculls
Kate Schmidt				Track and field	Javelin
Tim Shaw				Swimming	400 m freestyle
Tim Shaw				Swimming	4 × 200 m freestyle relay

1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California, United States

Olympian	Gender	College	Country	Sport	Event	Medal
Jody Campbell				Water polo	Water Polo
Joan Lind				Rowing	Coxed quad sculls
Tim Shaw				Water polo	Water Polo

1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea

Olympian	Gender	College	Country	Sport	Event	Medal
Jody Campbell				Water polo	Water Polo
Bob Ctvrtlik				Volleyball	Volleyball
John Shadden				Sailing	470 class

1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Olympian	Gender	College	Country	Sport	Event	Medal
Bob Ctvrtlik				Volleyball	Volleyball

2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Olympian	Gender	College	Country	Sport	Event	Medal
Sean Burroughs				Baseball	Baseball
Maureen O'Toole				Water polo	Water Polo

2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece

Olympian	Gender	College	Country	Sport	Event	Medal
Jacqueline Frank DeLuca				Water polo	Water Polo
Susan Williams				Triathlon	Triathlon

2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China

Olympian	Gender	College	Country	Sport	Event	Medal
Tony Azevedo				Water polo	Water Polo
Lauren Wenger				Water polo	Water Polo
Adam Wright				Water polo	Water Polo

2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom

Olympian	Gender	College	Country	Sport	Event	Medal
Lashinda Demus				Track and field	400 m hurdles
Jessica Hardy				Swimming	4 × 100 m freestyle
Jessica Hardy				Swimming	4 × 100 m medley
Lauren Wenger				Water polo	Water Polo

Note: If applicable, the college attended is where one studied for undergraduate education and competed at the college level; all other colleges where an athlete attended for another kind of education and/or competition are excluded.

References

1. "Home of Woodrow Wilson High School". Woodrow Wilson Classical High School. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
2. "About Wilson". Retrieved November 3, 2017.
3. "Wilson High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
4. "Mascots". Woodrow Wilson Classical High School. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
5. "About Wilson". Woodrow Wilson Classical High School. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
6. "About Woodrow Wilson Classical High School". Archived from the original on December 24, 2008. Retrieved November 15, 2008.
7. "Woodrow Wilson Classical High School: History". Long Beach Unified School District. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
8. "2020-21 Enrollment by Ethnicity and Grade: Wilson High". California Department of Education. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
9. "Graduation Requirements". Woodrow Wilson Classical High School. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
10. "HS Graduation Requirements". Long Beach Unified School District. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
11. "Wilson High School: Wilson Pathways". Woodrow Wilson Classical High School. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
12. "Wilson High School: WAVE". Woodrow Wilson Classical High School. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
13. "Wilson Pathways". Woodrow Wilson Classical High School. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
14. "School of the Arts". Woodrow Wilson Classical High School. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
15. "School of Leadership and Public Policy". Woodrow Wilson Classical High School. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
16. "School of Medicine and Biotechnology". Woodrow Wilson Classical High School. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
17. "School of Technology". Woodrow Wilson Classical High School. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
18. "Advanced Placement (AP) Student Performance at Wilson High". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
19. "UC/CSU Approved Course List at Woodrow Wilson High School". University of California. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
20. "UC Admissions by source school". University of California. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
21. "CSU Applications, Admissions, and Enrollment Dashboard". California State University. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
22. "Transfer Center at LBCC". Long Beach City College. 27 November 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
23. "Long Beach College Promise". Long Beach City College. 27 November 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
24. "Athletics at Long Beach Wilson". Woodrow Wilson Classical High School. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
25. "Wilson High in Long Beach, CA Profile". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
26. "Long Beach Unified School District Profile". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
27. Jay Mathews (May 5, 2017). "America's Most Challenging High Schools". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
28. "Wilson High School Rankings". Niche. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
29. Mike Guardabascio (October 24, 2012). "The Big Game: A Brief Look at the History of Poly/Wilson". Gazettes Sports. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
30. "Athletics at Woodrow Wilson Classical High School". Woodrow Wilson Classical High School. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
31. "Don't Start a Riot – OC Weekly". www.ocweekly.com.
32. "Wilson Olympians at Woodrow Wilson Classical High School". Woodrow Wilson Classical High School. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
33. Dan Arritt (July 29, 2016). "How a California high school keeps cranking out Olympians". ESPN. Retrieved November 3, 2017.