Our school was named after famous historian Hubert Howe Bancroft. He was born in Ohio on May 5, 1932. Lakewood Junior High became Bancroft Middle School due to the contributions that Bancroft made. He sold books and started a large publishing house which became the greatest in the American West. He also researched about western areas from Central America to Alaska.
This Page was created by Genius Bar members Kelly L and Makaila N.
History of Bancroft
Origin of Bancroft
The school first began when the seventh and eighth grades moved over from Lakewood Elementary School in 1942. Then in the year of 1943, the ninth grade was added, making this into a junior high school. Music was always a big part of Bancroft. The first orchestra, consisting of sixteen members, was created on January 7, 1944. The musical groups have always excelled in concert and in competition.
In February 1945, the school moved to 5301 Centralia Street. Later, in July of the same year, the school became apart of the Long Beach Unified School District.
In 1950, the gymnasium was completed; before this, students had to play on the field, auditorium, or needed to run over to Long Beach City College to use the locker rooms and showers.
The beaver became the official school mascot in 1955. The mascot was changed to the Bruin in 1985. A few classes Bancroft used to offer (but no longer) are metal shop, wood shop, and foreign language classes. Overall, Bancroft has changed a lot over time and has grown since 1942.
