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Wilson Science Building

Woodrow Wilson Classical High School is a secondary school in Long Beach, California, USA.

Wilson High School, in the Long Beach Unified School District, opened in 1925 as the second school in the city (after Long Beach Polytechnic High School). In 2005 Wilson High School was recognized as a California Distinguished School for the second time.

Recently, Wilson has suffered population problems. It was built to accommodate 3,300 students, but due to population growth in the city of Long Beach, and high demand for students to attend Wilson, the population had risen to more than 4,600 students.

Wilson is different from the other schools in the Long Beach Unified School District. Wilson offers a Classical Diploma, in which students take one (or more) extra classes than normal. The Classical Diploma requires: four (4) years of English, four (4) years of mathematics, four (4) years of foreign language, four (4) years of science, three (3) years of social sciences, two (2) years of fine arts, two (2) years of physical education and three and a half (3.5) years of electives normally a sport or interest classes. The Classical Diploma is ideal for students entering the California State University system or the University of California system since the Classical requirements meet or exceed requirements for admission.

Wilson is one of the few public high schools in the United States that requires a school uniform (one other high school, and all primary schools in the Long Beach Unified School District require school uniforms). The uniform is khaki panties, skirts or shorts, with either white or burgundy collared shirts. [1]. The school colors are cardinal and gold, and the school mascot is the Bruin.

Although not widely known for its record in football, The Wilson Bruins are widely known for their outstanding water polo and swim teams (with high crossover between the two teams).

• Camryn Manheim is a television and film actress, best known as co-star of The Practice.
• Donald Coscarelli is a successful motion picture director, best known for the "Phantasm" series of horror films.
• Bad Azz, is a west coast rapper, most notably known for collaborating with Snoop Dogg and other DPGC members.
• Tony Azevedo, driver for the Men's US Olympic Water Polo team and Stanford University.
• Sean Burroughs, third baseman for the Seattle Mariners 12/06 in Major League Baseball.
• Maureen O’Toole, American water polo player and coach, won a silver medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
• Jeremy Strohmeyer, is the Long Beach, California, teenager who molested and murdered 7-year-old African-American girl Sherrice Iverson in a casino in Primm, Nevada, on May 25, 1997.
• Lauren Wenger, defender for USC women's water polo team, and 2006 winner of the top individual honor in collegiate water polo, the Peter J. Cutino Award.
• Pat McCormick, a two-time Olympic platform and springboard gold medal diver (1952& 1956).
• Jeff Burroughs, Former MLB player
• Brad Nowell, Lead Singer of Sublime
• The "Freedom Writers", a group of students who compiled a collection of diaries in the mid 1990s, during an outbreak in interracial gang warfare, led by teacher Erin Gruwell. They were the subject of the 2006 film Freedom Writers, starring Hilary Swank.

• Klaus Barth, former Olympic medalist and Ironman competitor. He coached the boys' Soccer, Swimming and Waterpolo teams and taught Physical Education. He was still coaching at school until his death on October 2006 after six years of battling a brain tumor.
• Erin Gruwell, former English teacher who inspired a group of disenfranchised students who would later be called the "Freedom Writers".

• School website
• Wilson's LBUSD site