Our School
The Bridge Academy, located in San Mateo, California, is a newly designated high school within the San Mateo Union High School District (SMUHSD), officially established in May 2024. Initially founded in 2016 as a program at the District’s Adult School, The Bridge Academy was created in response to the increasing number of multilingual learners entering the U.S. education system at the 11th or 12th grade level, often with no high school credits and minimal prior schooling. The program began in a single classroom—Room 48—with the mission of providing this specific student population with a supportive and accelerated educational experience.
Nestled in the heart of the Bay Area Peninsula, The Bridge Academy’s formation was driven by the region’s demographic reality: San Mateo County has one of the highest populations of new multilingual learners in the state. After identifying enrollment trends of where our incoming students live, we determined that the most geographically convenient location was the Adult School, as most of our students walk or bike to school. The Academy was developed to offer a safe, welcoming, and empowering environment where students, many of whom have fled violence, poverty, and political instability, could rebuild their lives through education. The school has since evolved into a standalone WASC-accredited alternative high school that emphasizes love, justice, and hope, winning the prestigious Kent Award in 2020 for its innovative model. The program has garnered attention from districts across California and has influenced similar initiatives elsewhere.
Our staff designs educational experiences that specifically meet these particular students’ needs, take into account that they have gaps in their education, and prepare them to be successful in their transitions after Bridge, whether that be our Adult School, college, career, or other path they choose.
SMUHSD Superintendent Randall Booker emphasized the significance of this evolution in a May 2024 San Mateo Daily Journal article, stating, “Having Bridge as our 10th school in the district says something about how this board and how this community, how this district values our multilingual learners and more specifically our newcomer students.” The school's foundation in In Lak’ech pedagogy—a philosophy that affirms mutual respect and shared responsibility—guides every aspect of its operations.
We believe that by nurturing love, hope, and community inside and outside of the classroom, we create a supportive space that encourages students to thrive.
Mission and Vision
Grounding ourselves through In Lak’ech pedagogy, our mission is to support recently arrived newcomers in their academic and social development and healing. In Lak’ech pedagogy focuses on prioritizing our relationships and responsibility to one another in order to foster a supportive learning community. Our staff is dedicated to creating a safe and compassionate alternative educational space centered in love, hope, and justice in order to support the educational and personal goals of our students.