Brentwood School (Los Angeles)

Founded in 1972, Brentwood School took over the property formerly owned by Brentwood Military Academy, which had existed at this location since 1930. The Academy, founded by Mary McDonnell in 1902, moved sites multiple times, and was always under the direction of Miss McDonnell and other family members. In spring 1972, it was announced that the military academy would not reopen in the fall, and the property was sold by John McDonnell to Terry Leavey Lemons and Walter Ziglar, who soon converted the school to non-profit status. Brentwood School opened in fall 1972 as a college preparatory day school serving Grades 6-10. The first Headmaster of Brentwood School was Richman Grant. Grade 11 was added in 1973, and the school graduated its first Senior class in June 1975. After that, the school remained Grades 7-12 until 1995 when, under the guidance of Headmaster Hunter M. Temple, Brentwood School purchased the Marymount Junior School campus and opened the Lower Division. With the opening of the Lower Division in fall 1995, the school became Grades K-6 on the West Campus and Grades 7-12 on the East Campus. In 2001 the 22 acre (89,000 m²) Brentwood School Athletics Complex opened on the East Campus. On December 2, 2011, four new modular classrooms were installed by Gen7 at Brentwood School's East Campus. The classrooms, LEED Gold certified, will provide 100% of their own energy, making them the first zero net energy classrooms in Los Angeles County.[2][3]

Walter Ziglar and Terry Leavey Lemons are credited as founders of the school. For the first 5 years, Mr. Ziglar served as the President. He was also the Chair of the first Board of Executive Directors, which included Bill Badham of Curtis School and Vern Simpson of Montclair Prep.

Each year, the Terry Leavey Lemons award is given “to the senior who has enriched the Brentwood School community through his/her qualities of friendship, sincerity, courtesy, and understanding.”

The Brentwood School East Campus Tower.

Combined enrollment on both campuses is 995 students – 695 on the East Campus and 300 on the West Campus. For the 2020-2021 school year, tuition in the Lower School was listed a $38,580 per year, while tuition in the Middle and Upper Schools were listed at $45,630 per year.[4] The school awards approximately $3,500,000 in need-based financial aid each year. Brentwood is a highly selective school, with major admissions entry points in kindergarten, 6th, 7th, and 9th grades, and only limited openings at other grade levels. Admissions decisions are made by a committee composed of faculty and administrators. Brentwood offers a liberal arts curriculum, including over 100 courses each year, including advanced placement courses in 17 subject areas. The School year runs from August 29 to June 9.

Brentwood School track and cross-country coaches Joanna Hayes and Malachi Davis participated in 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Joanna Hayes was a Gold-Medalist in the Women's 100 metres hurdles competition for the United States. Davis was a participant in the Men's 4x400 metres relay for Great Britain. Jason Rogers, a Brentwood School alumnus as well as an Ohio State graduate, was a participant in the 2004 Olympic Games, as a Sabre Fencer for the United States National team. He was part of the 2008 team in the Beijing Olympics and won a Silver Medal in the Team tournament for Sabre. Peter Vidmar, who led the United States to a Gold-medal in Men's Gymnastics at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California, is also a Brentwood School alumnus, and was a member of the Board of Trustees for several years.

Casey Wasserman who attended Brentwood School led Los Angeles' successful bid for the 2028 Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games and is serving as the head of the organizing committee for the event.

• Andrew Breitbart - American journalist and media executive[5]
• Ryan Kavanaugh - Businessman and film producer
• David Forst - baseball executive[6]
• Princess Talita von Fürstenberg - fashion designer
• Peter Vidmar - Olympic medalist
• Patrick Schwarzenegger - Model, actor
• Jason Rogers - Olympic medalist
• Fred Savage - Actor and director
• Ben Savage - Actor
• Jon Landau - Producer of Titanic and Avatar[7]
• Casey Wasserman - Entertainment executive and President of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Organizing Committee
• Antoinette Nwandu - Award winning playwright
• Jennifer Landon - Actress
• Molly Stanton - Actress
• Katherine Schwarzenegger - Author
• Jennifer Grant - Actress
• Lorraine Nicholson - Actress
• Azura Skye - Actress, attended Brentwood School but later transferred
• John O'Brien, a soccer player for MLS team Chivas USA (formerly of Ajax Amsterdam in the Dutch Eredivisie), and on the US national team, attended Brentwood for two years before leaving for Holland.
• Maroon 5, members including Adam Levine, Jesse Carmichael, Mickey Madden, and former member Ryan Dusick - attended Brentwood School while forming the band Kara's Flowers which would later evolve into Maroon 5.
• Sidney Miller - Music producer
• Emily Frances - Former news anchor
• Jonah Hill - Actor, attended Brentwood School, but later transferred to Crossroads School.
• Don Diamont - Actor
• Simon Kinberg - Writer and producer
• Katy Tur - Broadcast journalist
• Tra Holder - Basketball player
• Two Friends - DJ/producer duo made up of Eli Sones and Matt Halper

Brentwood School is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, and is a member of the following organizations:

• National Association of Independent Schools
• California Association of Independent Schools
• A Better Chance
• Independent School Alliance for Minority Affairs
• Young Eisner Scholars

• 2012 National School of Character Award
• 2011 California State School of Character Award
• 2010 California State School of Character Award

• August 29, 2013 – U.S. District Judge S. James Otero responding to a lawsuit by the ACLU, ruled that the West Los Angeles Veterans' Administration Enhanced Sharing Agreements that allowed VA land to be leased to Brentwood School, UCLA, and other businesses were not valid[8] As of the start of the 2014-2015 school year, the ruling that the VA must terminate those leases is under appeal to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
• May 18, 2016 - Former Major League Baseball player Barry Bonds, whose daughter attends the school, expressed racism outrage over white students using the "n-word" while rapping to a popular ASAP Ferg song.[9] The incident spurred a Change.org petition calling for action.[10]

• Official website
• Link to Notes on William Styron presentation at the Brentwood School John Hutson Memorial Guest Lecture Series (smmirror.com) at Archive.today (archived 2007-09-27)