Bert M. Lynn Middle School

5038 Halison Street

School District

Torrance Unified
Grade

6-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:24
Type

public

School Map for Torrance Unified School District

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on November 12, 2024

They need to re evaluate their teachers. Most of them just give assignments that even I can do as a parent. They don’t teach to prep them for grade level. If child can’t teach themself they are screwed. The principal lies and put kids in situations where instead of being motivated and engaged they are geared towards being lazy and do bare minimal just like the teachers are themselves.
Submitted by student on May 04, 2024

Bert Lyn is a wonder full school
Submitted by parent on November 17, 2023

I was very excited for my daughter to go here (this is not her home school) and I now regret sending her. I have had nothing but issues since the first day of 6th grade when rude office staff made my daughter cry because she had an issue with her locker to teachers bullying her into doing things and then lying about it when confronted. My daughter has always been an excellent student and a rule follower, almost to a fault, yet she is treated like a common criminal everyday at this school. I'm so sick of having to email the principal and the teachers because they cant figure out how to be strong role models and treat these kids with respect. Just because they are children, does not mean that they don't deserve respect and some grace in certain situations. If my daughter is terrified of making a mostake in class because the teacher will make fun of her, then something is absolutely wrong. The office lady needs to be fired immediately or have some serious training to figure out how to talk to children and adults alike. I have 2 more kids that are supposed to come through this school and I just can't imagine having to deal with this all over again. It's so disappointing.
Submitted by student on September 27, 2023

It is a insanely good school with great teachers and staff
Submitted by other on June 07, 2023

Overall, it's a good school. There are a lot of engaging teachers, with a few who struggle to connect with this age group.Communication overall with the school is a challenge. The online resources for homework and grades are used inconsistenly, if at all, and it's difficult for working parents to know what is going on within the school.Good students who engage naturally will do well here. Quieter students seem to struggle and find it difficult to catch up, probably in part because of the lack of parent-teacher communication. Parents may need to advocate for their students in some cases.
Submitted by other on June 07, 2023

Bert Lynn did not support student's mentally which made it complicated. Going to school was like going to hell. Grading is very strict. I go everyday scared that my grade will go down. I sincerely hate this school from the bottom of my heart. It was tough for me. This school made me hate education. Weekly test, bunch of homework, and zero care about your mental health. Students go there everyday finding a way to cheat in their tests, assignments, etc. This school should realize that they have a flawed system. They should look at how they're teaching children. Why make children hate Math, Science, and English? School should be a place where you learn, not cheating and just hoping to end the quarter with a 3.0 GPA. I personally highly suggest you prevent your kid from coming to this school. This school would turn your child from a happy, motivated person, and ready to learn to a person who just doesn't care and hopes they end up with a 3.0 GPA. It's honestly absurd how this school thinks it's educating children properly. There are a few supportive teachers at this school. Unfortunately, this school ended up making a leader of tomorrow to a sleeper of tomorrow. It seriously left no motivation, potential, or any sort of excitement in their life of academia. I hope that this school consider my suggestion to amend their way of learning.
Submitted by parent on January 20, 2023

This school simply has too much homework. It makes it hard for kids to have any extra-curricular activities. Teachers seem to like busy-work over learning in class. There is a reason more families are deciding to go to other schools in Torrance to avoid this undue stress, which serves no purpose other than to increase the anxiety levels of the students. Another problem is each teacher gives out differing levels of homework, so one student in one class may have less while another may have a lot more, studying the same subject but with a different teacher. So you might be fine by the luck of the draw in any given year.
Submitted by parent on October 26, 2022

I think it's very interesting how the principle can be so nice and so supportive, but the teachers are not? I've only herd about teachers being bullies in shows and movies. I'm in disbelief that my little brother has to suffer in silence, while his teacher is able bully and humiliate him in the class. My little brother has been bullied for pretty much all of his life by classmates. What example is this teacher setting to all of his students? He is basically promoting bullying. For god sakes, we trust schools to support, care and teach our students. Every parent out there should take some time to think before sending their child to Bert Lynn. Sadly, your child can fall victim to on going bulling, racism and unjustly punishment in this school.
Submitted by parent on September 27, 2022

This school is so bad because they say its a educational school when they take your stuff and give you detention and expect you to put it in your locker and for people who want to be in the front of the lunch line(Which is me) they tell you to put it in your locker but if it doesn't fit and your leave it outside of your locker they will take it away and give you a detention. They had this type of rule when Leroy Jackson was but when the new principle came she made it just worse.
Submitted by parent on February 06, 2022

This is not a good school for ethnic minority students. The problem is the leadership. The principal is more about being popular with his group of people rather than doing what’s best for the student and community he serves. The secretary talks to minority students and parents in degrading and condescending ways. There have been complaints about her , but the principal continues to keep her there; he seems to have given her the unofficial title of principal because she is the one running the school while he sits back and watches her do whatever she wants.Majority of the teachers are white despite 70% of the students being Asian , Hispanic , and Black. They have tried to hire ethnic teachers but they get treated so poorly by the administration and white community, that they choose to go work at other school districts. Their math department lost a young Latina teacher to another school district, then another Asian teacher to another school district last year. They just can’t get teachers to stay here. The school district as a whole needs an over haul in leadership. Look at who is in charge - they are all the same and they hire their own kind for any position of leadership - there is not one single African American , Latino , or South Asian person in any position of leadership up at the school district or even in any of the schools. This in itself speaks volumes about this district. They need leaders who match the community, and can be understanding and empathetic towards the needs of the students and families. Unless you are okay with being talked down to in a derogatory manner by the office assistant or being looked at in a hateful manner by the school principal, best to go to another school district to save your human dignity.
Submitted by parent on January 02, 2022

The homework is sooo hard for my child
Submitted by parent on April 14, 2021

This school is not a bad school at all but the people in the school are the problem. The principle and the staff members treat minorities different depending on if they favorite or like the student. If the principle or staff members dislike a student, they target the student and make their experience at school a bad experience. The principle and staff members act like they strongly dislike certain kids which is ironic because they signed up to work at this job that involves kids. Overall this school tries to do things that they think is right but in reality, it just makes things worse. This school is known for worsening kids mental health which is something a school should not do.
Submitted by other on February 07, 2021

This school treats minority students (especially black students) with disrespect and dehumanizes us. I would get racially profiled everyday and weird stares from the principle. If me and my friends would stand in a large group (we are all black btw) multiple staff would be sent to watch us and make sure we didn’t cause trouble. Also the janitor referred to me and 3 other black students as “you people” and didn’t know us, as well as the vice principal not giving black male students gloves when doing campus beautification while everyone else was able to receive gloves. certain staff would stare at us inappropriately and make us cover our bodies when we couldn’t control how developed we were. Also, when in a group and getting in trouble, me and one other black girl got Saturday school while no one else in the group was questioned to the particular situation. In addition, whenever a particular group of boys would get called out, the people of color would be told to go to the principle while the white kids would be let go to continue on. Also some teachers would make their political beliefs known, especially when they were Trump supporters, knowing that they had students of color and LGBTQ+ students which if you put two and two together, you know is very disrespectful and makes us feel uncomfortable. One teacher in particular even said the n word with “a” and the hard “r” knowing there were black students in the class that could have been offended. HE COULD'VE LET A BLACK STUDENT SAY IT! Another black student told me that a teacher said she called her out of her name for no reason when she didn’t. It was just another way to throw the black kids under the bus. Another instance I can report is that whenever non-black students would show PDA it would slide under the rug, but when black students showed the slightest bit of affection, you would get a warning and personally, the person that showed me affection got cussed out and threatened by a teacher. That was unacceptable. The school also drug tested students without parental consent (since we are minors). Students convicted of school crime would get pat downs without parental consent. So before you consider this school, remember this, bertlynn isn’t the most accepting of black students, as they treat them with the lowest amount of respect by far, and don’t even care because if they did, things like this wouldn’t happen. Also, if they would use their white privilege to open their eyes, they would see us.
Submitted by other on August 29, 2020

It was pretty boring, a lot of homework, but being around good friends made it better. Also, the school just added so many useless rules by the end of eighth grade it got a bit annoying.
Submitted by student on January 25, 2018

Bert Lynn Middle school is a great school. I am in seventh grade currently, and I really like it. The school deals with bullying and drug use in a very serious manor. I suggest sending your children here if you are in the area. All of the kids are somwhat nice to eachother, but it's really all just horseplay. The staff is nice, and supportive. The teachers are understanding, and supportive also. In physical education terms, P.E. is actually fun! We do a "cardio run" day every week, where we basically just have to run a couple of laps around the yard. The other days, we might walk, run, or jog a lap around the basketball courts. Food wise, it's great! Every friday, the school orders multiple boxes of pizza from PAPA JOHNS for students that buy lunch! The other days of the week, they have things like muffins, orange and apple juice, and cereal in the mornings, and things like lasagna, hamburgers, salads, and parfaits. I RECCOMEND THIS SCHOOL!!!
Submitted by other on March 24, 2014

In my opinion, this school is the best. I went to this school In sixth grade and I got an average amount of homework. I'm certain that your mistaken if they give you like 70 - 90 amounts of math homework everyday unless you were taking advanced math. This school has an after school program that you can take if your really behind. They also have a counselor if anyone feels like they are being harassed. But anyway, this is an amazing school and I hope you go to this school.
Submitted by parent on November 08, 2013

For 3 years know I have lived with a walking zombie. The amount of homework that the staff at this school gives is WAY TOO MUCH!! My daughter is up until 10-11 at night and is still not done. I have to wake her up at 5 to finish. Then there is the weekend homework..REALLY?? Do these kids EVER get a break? 70-90 math problems in one night? A good teacher understands that if a child does not understand or know how to do the first 5 then the rest is just a struggle. If your child participates in any after school sports good luck. There is no time for that. I think the staff should be forced to watch the video "A Race to Nowhere" and learn from it. I am truly happy that this is our last year but sad that I have 2 more coming up. Online education is looking better everyday. The principal really needs to fix this issue. I am sure there is a district homework policy that is being ignored somewhere. It also amazes me that a student can score A's on tests yet still fail a class due to class participation. Here is a tip to teachers..If a child raises their hand call on them!! tired of hearing...Well, alot of students just shout out. Then instill classroom management.
Submitted by parent on October 29, 2013

I concur with all the 2013 reviews. My eldest son just graduated in June. He liked the challenge of Bert Lynn and was always an honor student. However, the homework from 6th-8th grade caused him to stay up as late as 11pm. I drew the line at 11pm. Because of his experience, I braced myself for his brother. Sure enough, my second son struggled a lot. He has a 504 plan and the teachers do accommodate him with extra time and not penalize him. Total time for homework averages 1-4 hours. It is ridiculous. This son is in sports and time management is imperative. Other middle schools that we know kids who are attending at do not have this kind of homework load. It is stressful on the whole household. High achievers will rise to the occassion. Just know that tutoring will be almost essential to ensure your child makes it through Bert Lynn. At least some teachers offer after school help and West High students offer their services for free...so all is not lost. Just be very supportive of your child and understand Bert Lynn is not the norm for middle school homework!
Submitted by parent on August 08, 2013

What is wrong with Bert Lynn? 6th Grade math - Lowest % proficient/advanced in 4 yrs. 6th Grade english - 2nd Lowest in 4 yrs. 7th Grade Math - Lowest in 4 yrs. 7th Grade English - Lowest in 4 yrs. 8th Grade Math - 2nd lowest in 4 yrs. 8th Grade English - Lowest in 4 yrs. What are teachers and administrators doing wrong? Some assign several hours a week for homework, which goes against every credible study and recommendation. Teachers are not on the same chapter, let alone the same page when teaching the same class. Administration and teachers cater to the tiger mom culture of a few vocal parents at the expense of student well being, family time and now, as we see, learning. Homework should be no more than1-2 hours per night TOTAL. Any more leads to loss of family time, extra-curricular activities, sleep deprivation, and poor student achievement. The families at Bert Lynn place a high value on education and are very supportive. These are some of the best students in the state. These 2013 CST results are a wake up call. Administration and staff need to do some serious soul searching and fix this or the district should step in and do it for them.
Submitted by other on August 01, 2013

I'm a student at Bert Lynn and I can honestly say that i hate it. When I got to middle school I thought my life would be terrible because of back stabbing friends but it turned out to be the staff that made my life miserable. They put way to much pressure on the kids. Yes we are the best school in Torrance but it comes with a price. From the beginning of 6th grade i was staying up until midnight trying to finish the 70 problems of math homework I had. A lot of the kids I know are still struggling between the balance of extra-curricular activities and homework. A lot of them have had to give up a lot. I think there are only a few teachers that understand that kids need this balance. Because if a student only gets to do homework every night and a project every weekend they aren't going to do it anymore. I would say it's a competitive school. so be prepared for that. The only good thing about this school are the teachers who really make you think and not just academically but about everything else in the world.