Mann UCLA Community School: Centennial honors neighborhood pride and a legacy of learning

A historic educational anchor of its South Los Angeles neighborhood, the Horace Mann UCLA Community School celebrated its centennial on April 10 with a visit from UCLA and NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a mural festival led by the nonprofit Branded Arts, and reminiscences from school alumni whose successes have inspired the next generation of students.

The iconic LAUSD school, which opened as a junior high in 1926 and today serves grades 6-12, has had a decadelong partnership with UCLA that has combined the energy and commitment of the Mann students, families and educators with the resources and expertise of one of the world's great public universities to support the a culture of innovative learning, mentoring and college-going.

"Ten years ago, the Mann faculty welcomed us into their community," said Karen Hunter Quartz, director of the UCLA Center for Community Schooling. "Since then, UCLA partners have contributed more than 250,000 hours as student teachers, tutors, interns, researchers, teaching artists, camp counselors and much more. What a joy to celebrate the centennial of this historic neighborhood school together."

► Read more about the UCLA-Horace Mann partnership.

An inspiring message for students from a legendary Bruin

The day's festivities began with the dedication of a new mural gracing the school's Skyhook Court, a basketball court named for Abdul-Jabbar's Skyhook Foundation, which provides outdoor science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics experiences for students. Surrounded by students wearing new special edition Lakers jerseys emblazoned with his No. 33, the Bruin legend said he was humbled and inspired.

"To be honored in a place dedicated to learning, community and creativity means a lot to me," he said. "Education has always been close to my heart because it shapes how we understand the world and our place in it. When we talk about education, we're really talking about fairness, access and opportunity. We're talking about making sure every young person has the tools they need to succeed - not just in school but in life.

"This is what I want the students to know: This space is yours," Abdul-Jabbar said. "Let it inspire you, let it challenge you. Let it remind you that your potential is limitless."

A mural project that reflects the Mann community

In celebration of the centennial, the school also unveiled eight new murals created by internationally recognized Los Angeles-based artists working with Branded Arts, a nonprofit dedicated to large-scale public art projects that reflect the communities in which they are created. The artists collaborated with the UCLA Mann community and engaged the school's students in mural ideas, painting, and workshops and conversations that gave them firsthand exposure to how large-scale public art is conceived and executed.

"We had a robust process to do this project," said Warren Brand, founder of the nonprofit, which focuses on transforming schools into environments that connect young people to the creative economy. "I hope this opens doors for more artists and organizations to get involved with the school."

UCLA and Mann: Success built on connection

Later, the celebration moved to the school's auditorium for a program that featured remarks from Mann and UCLA leaders, representatives of local and county government, students, and a panel of school alumni, including UCLA's Youlanda Copeland-Morgan, former vice provost of enrollment management; Julia Morgan, director of community relations for UCLA Government and Community Relations; and Bryan Cantero, a UCLA doctoral candidate and adjunct faculty member in Chicano studies at Cal State Dominguez Hills.

In a recorded video message, UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk congratulated the school on its milestone anniversary and the UCLA-Mann partnership.

"Community partnerships go to the heart of UCLA's mission. They expand opportunity, strengthen connection and help students thrive, not just in school but in life," he said. "Mann UCLA Community School stands out because it is built on connection - connection between UCLA and LAUSD; between families, educators and neighbors - all grounded in a shared commitment to students in South Los Angeles and to the future. This school shows what can happen when academic rigor and college readiness come together in a supported, community-rooted environment."

'The results speak for themselves': Creating an extraordinary school

Hunter Quartz spoke about the origins of the partnership, which officially kicked off in February 2017 after Mann - in collaboration with the UCLA School of Education & Information Studies - offered enrichment programs and a free summer preparatory academy the previous year.

Opened in 1926 near the intersection of Florence and Western avenues, the Mann School witnessed a century of change shaped by racially restrictive housing covenants of the 1930s and the 1950s postwar employment boom. In recent decades, the rapid expansion of charter schools in the area contributed to a decline in enrollment, from more than 1,900 students in 2001 to just 312 in 2017. That, coupled with a national spike in public school closures in predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods, spurred the collaboration among Mann, UCLA and the Los Angeles Unified School District, which aimed at ensuring Mann's future as an excellent public school at the center of the community.

Hunter Quartz thanked the numerous partners across UCLA who have worked with the Mann community, from BruinCorps student tutors and UCLA UniCamp counselors to student teachers with UCLA's Teacher Education Program, teaching artists from the Hammer Museum, medical faculty with the WeCREATE program and BRIDGE program mentors who prepare Mann students for college.

Since 2017, Mann's enrollment has steadily grown as the middle school expanded to include grades 9-12. In 2021, the first cohort of seniors at the renamed Horace Mann UCLA Community School graduated - all with postsecondary college-going plans. Today, Mann UCLA has a 100% graduation rate, with 16% of this year's graduating seniors heading to UCLA.

"A 100% graduation rate is extraordinary," said UCLA Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Darnell Hunt. "But even more powerful is how it was achieved: through deep relationships, community engagement and a belief that every young person can succeed. UCLA's work in community schooling shows that real transformation happens when you see schools as ecosystems where everyone comes together to disrupt inequities and support the whole child … The results speak volumes."

Christina Christie, the Wasserman dean of the UCLA School of Education & Information Studies, saluted Mann's history as a pioneering institution and said that the partnership with UCLA is part of a national effort "grounded in the conviction that universities have both an obligation and an opportunity to engage in the communities they call home."

"Mann is thriving … as a public school, still the cornerstone of this community, still doing pioneering work," Christie said. "The question was whether a research university could be an authentic partner in that effort - not directing from the outside but working alongside the educators, families and students who had never left. Students are embarking on inspiring college and career journeys that reflect the full strength of their hopes for the future.

"But none of that happened because UCLA showed up. It happened because the people here showed up every day, and UCLA was fortunate enough to be part of the effort," she added. "I hear from UCLA colleagues regularly about what they have learned here that they could have never learned anywhere else. That is how we know this is working."

This article was adapted from a longer story by Joanie Harmon on the UCLA School of Education & Information Studies website.