Crews break ground on $240 million campus revamp of Inglewood High School

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (KABC) -- Inglewood High School has been around for 120 years, and on Tuesday, the community celebrated a big milestone with a groundbreaking ceremony for a major upgrade.

Thanks to Measure I bond funding and a $240 million budget, the school that opened in 1905 is getting a brand-new campus added on.

"Our students deserve the best facilities, that's really what it boils down to. And right now, Inglewood High School needs a real detailed renovation, and that's what we're doing with this," said assistant superintendent Raphael Guzman. "And we've got to just say, thank you to our bond voters, for Measure I. This is how we're doing it, this is how we're funding it."

"Definitely encouraged. Like, they're definitely investing into our education, and it definitely feels motivating that we have new facilities, we get to have more resources, more spaces," said senior Amaya Hazard.

Once the transformation is complete, the school will have two new career and technical education buildings and several other site improvements, including technology-integrated classrooms, STEM labs, arts and performing venues, new athletic facilities, and flexible learning spaces.

Inglewood Unified School District has been in receivership for about 13 years, but the county administrator says things are going to change in the next few years.

"We've made the tough decisions to close some schools, but it really allows us to focus resources and the money the community has invested to making sure that every school that's open is beautiful, clean and deserving of the young people in this community," said Dr. James Morris, county adminstrator at IUSD.

The new campus will have more than 150 thousand square feet of newly constructed facilities, but Morris says he's most excited about the bridge.

"My favorite part of the design is this bridge. We're going to be building over Manchester Avenue -- the main gateway into Inglewood, and it's a bridge that connects our high school directly into Inglewood Public Library," Morris said.

Morris says they plan to be welcoming students onto the new Inglewood High School campus by December 2027.