Bridges Academy

Bridges Academy is an extremely specialized oasis of a school where a bright child with a range of learning differences can absolutely thrive. Part of what makes it unique is it is a research-based environment complete with a graduate school where experts in the field are studying and training the teachers to serve twice-exceptional students not just there but throughout the world. For kids who aren't functioning in a traditional learning environment, this school helps them heal, grow, and blossom. They are amongst peers who share in their uniqueness and celebrate each other's differences. There is an embracing of quirkiness that makes for a richly diverse population. Parents are able to share in the community with other parents raising differently-wired kids and uplift each other. It is a very special place and we are so grateful for it.

Bridges is a school for twice-exceptional or 2e students, intellectually gifted individuals who have one or more learning disabilities such as dyslexia, ADHD, or autism spectrum disorder. Twice-exceptional kids often struggle in mainstream school settings, and our son was no exception. He attended both an independent and public school with mixed results before coming to Bridges for sixth grade ("Sigma"), where he began thriving. Bridges faculty truly understand the complexity of teaching this population, navigating the challenges of when to push the students and when to give them a break. The incredibly small class sizes and project-based learning allow teachers to teach to outcomes rather than adhere to a set curriculum, which has been a MUCH more successful approach for our son. I HIGHLY recommend Bridges to families who have twice-exceptional children who struggle to "fit" in other schools. It has been a game-changer for our family.

My son started here in the 4th grade after he got his autism + gifted diagnosis, and we couldn't be more grateful that we found it. It literally saved all our lives. He went from miserable and lonely to supported and happy in a community full of kids like him -- super smart, who need some extra social-emotional support. The teachers are incredible, the student-teacher ratio is amazing, and each student has individualized attention and learning plans while still being able to be in a classroom with other kids. They teach at an advanced level of academics to keep the kids (who are all gifted) stimulated, but also fold in a huge, organic emphasis on developing their social-emotional skills. It is heaven-sent.

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!

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.

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!!!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.