Bridges Academy

My son attended Bridges Academy from 6th grade through 12th. He haa ADD, and been bullied, ignored, teased, excluded, and misunderstood in his previous school. The teachers and staff made him feel welcome at first and an integral part of the community soon after. He is now in his third year at a four year university, doing well academically and socially. This would not have been possible without the caring and challenging education he received at Bridges, he is confident and able to recognize when he needs help. We are truly indebted.
—Submitted by a parent

My son struggled for many years in the public school system due to issues in the social skills (e.g. perspective taking, social skills) and attention deficit area. He was bullied and teased and his challenges were never completely recognized nor were they addressed. Academically he performed well but it got to the point where he hated going to school. As a family, we really did not have many academic options to meet his needs. We were looking for the third middle school in three years. We found Bridges Academy! My son is now in his third year at Bridges and his whole outlook has changed. He feels safe, he loves his teachers, he is challenged academically and he is involved in extra curricular activities. He has made several friends. The curriculum and the program at Bridges has taught him to be organized and has allowed him to contribute and pursue his interests in and outside of the classroom. He is definitely on track to go to college. The technology that is utilized by the school is cutting edge and helps students get prepared for college. The teachers, the staff and head of the school are involved and really care about all the students. I highly recommend Bridges Academy.
—Submitted by a parent

Last year my son was in the position of completely shutting down each academically and emotionally had he been left in his previous school. He is each highly gifted with ADHD and has an Auditory Processing Disorder, he definitely does not fit into the traditional school mold. Last year he was teased mercilessly by the other students for being so "different" and was struggling each academically and socially. In the short time he has attended Bridges, I have seen him thrive and more than anything he is excited to go to school every day! I truly feel as though Bridges saved him from what could have been a very bleak future in many ways. I am beyond grateful that this school allows my son to be himself and helps him access the curriculum so that he thrive academically.
—Submitted by a parent

A year ago, if you would have asked my son what he wanted to do after he graduated high school, he would have told you he had no idea and quit bugging him while he was playing Wii. These days he ll tell you that he may want to formulate a method to make cancer cells undergo apoptosis without affecting the normal cells around them. In lay terms, that means he wants to cure cancer. And he has an idea of how he might do it. My son has ADHD and has always had an interest in science and the natural world. But his current focus on biological research came as a result of his relationship with his brilliant science teacher at Bridges Academy. I m grateful to Bridges for the significant role it has played in helping my son find his passion and define a path for his future -- even if that passion changes down the line.
—Submitted by a parent

Bridges is a great school for gifted and highly gifted students who don't fit in a traditional box. My son does not have a diagnosed learning disability, but needed greater academic challenge and more social nurturing and guidance than was provided at his very traditional school. Before Bridges, he had come to think of a school as a prison; a place where he was mentally bored and emotionally threatened. Bridges was literally his salvation -- a place where he can be his brilliant quirky self without worrying that other kids will think he is "weird." It is truly a life changing school.
—Submitted by a parent

This school has changed our lives! Finally a school that can teach children to channel their strengths instead of constantly pointing out their weaknesses. For the first time in his 13 year life our son is developing true friendships and gaining confidence every day. The Bridges community is welcoming, understanding and highly active. The parents have a vested interest in the success of the school and they honestly have fun together! The staff here (both teachers and support staff) are phenomenal. They provide solid proposals and actually listen to parents, adjusting educational plans with parent input in mind. With the use of online tools, I can see the work required of my child without hounding him every day. Bridges is teaching my son how to take care of himself and I am so excited about his future!
—Submitted by a parent

Our child graduated last year and got into Cal Arts for animation. At Bridges she was allowed to learn and mature with the twice exceptional gifts she has. She is now doing all the exective funtioning required for her college experience. As parents we went from tears and fears to smiles and joy. Our twice exceptional daughter is on her way to a sucessful college experience. We love Bridges and will always be thankful.
—Submitted by a parent

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.
—Submitted by a parent

There are great private schools in Los Angeles for gifted and highly gifted kids. There are some good schools for kids with learning disabilities other special needs. But Bridges is the only school that offers a superior college-prep education to gifted and highly gifted kids who have learning disabilities. These '2-e' kids often find a positive school experience for the first time in their lives. Bridges celebrates their differences, teaching to the strengths and talents of the kids and not just to the remedial needs. Imagine being a kid who loves English and history but cannot do math; who hates being in math class; in fact he hates school because how math class feels. Other schools would remove this kid from English and history (because he doesn't 'need' to be in class for these subjects) to spend more time on 'remedial' Math. The kid hates school more. At Bridges, they try to encourage the child to use his passion for one subject to learn another; it tries to find opportunities to think about math while doing a history lesson.

This school changed my son's life and I couldn't be more thankful with each and every educator and staff member. The 2e or twice exceptional concept (and movement) is revolutionary at Bridges. My son is an exceptionally smart and gifted teenager who struggled with his ADHD in other schools. All got even worse when we opted for not giving him medication. Now we finally found a place where he can flourish and excel not only academically but socially. He's been on Bridges Academy for a few months and for the first time in his life, he loves school. If you have an exceptionally academically gifted child that has ADD, ADHD and similar challenges and learning issues, Bridges Academy is the perfect middle school and high school for them. It's expensive but it's more than worth it!
—Submitted by a parent

My son is starting his 4th year at Bridges, having started in 6th grade. It has been an incredibly positive experience for him and for our family. My son had social problems in public grade school, including bullying, teasing, and not fitting in. This caused no end of pain for him and for us. The school has helped him discover and develop his strengths and mature as a student and a person. Teaching kids with learning differences is a special challenge, and the faculty at the school take extra coursework and attend seminars to learn continually ratchet up their game. The school has to balance dealing with the social/emotional issues of the students with education, and still maintains high academic standards. They teach kids organizational skills and teach parents about their kids. They use smart boards, laptops, and LANs and teach courses from algebra to robotics. I have another son at a well known, traditional private college prep school in Los Angeles, and I don't see a difference in homework, projects, tests, or grading standards. Oh, and did I mention he has made friends and has a social life? I have no doubt that this is the place best to get my son ready for college.
—Submitted by a parent

My son has been at this school for the last 3 years and I have many concerns about their program. For one, they don't address their weaknesses. They play up their strengths and ignore their weaknesses, making them sound like they're geniuses at parent-teacher conferences. All of these kids have learning disabilities as well as some degree of giftedness in one or more areas. They could all benefit from remediation which Bridges refuses to do. They also require that each kid have a laptop computer that they bring to school everyday. Instead of working on their writing, they have them type everything on their computers. In life, you need to be able to write. I'm forced to send my child to an educational therapist at my own expense to work with him in all the areas that Bridges is lacking. They also don't use any textbooks and let the kids sit on the floor in beanbag chairs. It's very undiciplined and there are so many behavior problems in the classrooms that are tolerated by the staff. There is no homework-at all. The projects that are assigned are like summer camp projects. Most of the students there are either on the high functioning autism spectrum or ADHD.
—Submitted by a parent

i am currently a bridges high school student. i completely agree with the one who said that the label of college prep is a joke. what bridges does is for middle school you don't have homework or grades and field trips every week. it is basically like camp. and then during high school the basically don't care. the teachers are cool and help you educationally a lot, but if you expect your child's social issues to be helped at bridges, they won't. the staff just ignores them and says that they can act as they want. what i would say is that this school is practically a high class babysitter that leads your kids to a high school diploma and then kicks them to the curb of life.
—Submitted by a student

this is the best school i have ever attended all the teachers and students are very kid to us i would highly recommend this school to everyone interested
—Submitted by a student

I am an alum of Bridges. I loved it when I was there. However, the label of 'college prep' is a joke. I couldn't study for a test because I hadn't taken one without a study guide (aka cheat sheet) since elementary school. I had difficulty with deadlines as I had never been expected to follow them before. Basically, Bridges just worked around my issues instead of working on them. When I graduated, the same problems I had gone to Bridges to address were still there. I'm not the only one either- you should see the long list of colleges Bridges kids have gotten kicked out of or left. If you simply need a place to protect your child from bullies and ferry them to a high school degree, then Bridges is perfect. If you really want them to graduate from college, look elsewhere.
—Submitted by a student

I am a student at bridges and am very pleased with the school. It has helped me a lot with lots of things. I am in the 8th grade.
—Submitted by a student

My son has attended Bridges for 2 years now. I am very pleased with the student - teacher ratio, the dedication of the staff, and the help they give these kids.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a former middle schooler at Bridges Academy and honestly am thrilled with the school, being my first year, I have never recieved the attention I do now. I feel more comftorable with the students because they are much nicer than most other schools.
—Submitted by a student

My daughter is finishing her first year at Bridges in the 9th grade. I'm very impressed by the quality of the teachers. They have the time and ability to focus on a child's strengths. Her English class and Algebra II classes both have 5 students in them. Considering the sizes at most public schools this is phenomenal. This is a very specialized school, catering to gifted children with learning disorders. Therefore, the extracurricular programs are suited to this population. There is a strong drama teacher who initiates excursions to local productions. The art and music departments are very good. Also, laptops are required (a lot of the kids have dysgraphia) and there is a social network that revolves around computers and gaming. My daughter didn't like PE before, having had some bad experiences previously. She is getting an A now and has learned quite a bit about exercising for health.
—Submitted by Kitty, a parent

A few years ago, Bridges Academy went through a major transition. They brought in a new Head of School and moved to a wonderful new campus in Studio City, California. Thanks to the new Head, Carl Sabatino, in my opinion, it is now the best program for twice-exceptional students (gifted/highly gifted with learning disabilities) in Southern California. I thinkg, there is a student/teacher ratio of about 6 to 1 and they brought in this great 2e expert named Susan Baum. Our son has been in Bridges since 6th grade coming from a mainstream LA private school where he was floundering. He is now in 11th grade, in three honors classes and just finished his third straight semester with straight 'A's. We are starting the college process. He is looking at Cal Tech and MIT. Thank God for Bridges. It saved our lives!
—Submitted by a parent