Here’s why crews were tearing down parts of Inglewood High School this week

Brandee Williams, a 2007 graduate of Inglewood High School, pulled over on Grevillea Avenue Wednesday to witness the destruction of buildings at her alma mater. 

Through a gap in the fencing, she filmed a video for a friend after discovering the senior square where they used to play Twister during breaks was gone. 

“I get what they’re trying to do,” she said. “Seeing it being torn down, that’s so many memories.”

Driving down Manchester Avenue, Williams and other IHS alumni saw heavy construction equipment, fencing and a partial demolition near Grevillea Avenue where the century-old high school used to sit. It’s all a part of the campus’ transformation after voters passed Measure I in 2020, which allotted $240 million for the project that is scheduled to be completed in December 2027, according to James Morris, the district’s county administrator. 

As of this month, most of the school’s original buildings have been demolished. Two structures — the gym and the auditorium — will remain, though both will be renovated as part of the new campus design, Morris said.  

Brandee Williams, a 2007 graduate of Inglewood High School, pulled over on Grevillea Avenue Wednesday to witness the destruction of buildings at her alma mater.

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Isaiah Murtaugh

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The LA Local

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Students will attend classes on the new campus at the start of the 2028 school year, according to Morris. For now, all of Inglewood’s high school students are being housed at what was Morningside High School near Century Boulevard and Yukon Avenue.    

“There are no plans for Morningside and we won’t make any decisions about that campus until the students move out in two years,” Morris told The LA Local before Wednesday’s school board meeting. 

While the city did have two high schools at one point, it now has one, Inglewood High School.

The transformation of Inglewood High School comes amid broader changes within the district. Morningside High School was officially closed as part of districtwide school closures in 2025. The district’s been under a 14-year receivership, or state control, that could end as soon as next year, Morris said, after closing nearly half of its schools between  2018 and 2025 due to financial constraints. 

However, Morris said the Inglewood High rebuild is not tied to its receivership status and is an investment he believes is long overdue.

“It’s been 102 years since that building was originally built,” Morris said. “This is a part of history and it’s going to be a part of the future when the kids get the school that they deserve.” 

As the physical campus changes, the school’s identity remains strong within the community. It’s still technically named Inglewood High School, though some students advocated for a new name: “Inglewood High School United,” Morris said, adding that the board will have to officially approve a name change once it regains control from the state.  

Just before Wednesday’s school board meeting, Morris displayed a brick he collected as a memento from the construction site he toured earlier that day with other board members. The brick is imprinted with the number 1924, the year the high school was built. 

“We are trying to work closely with Inglewood and Morningside alumni groups to honor that history, honor the traditions and collect certain things,” Morris said. 

The LA Local’s Isaiah Murtagh contributed to this report. 

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