The new principal at Inglewood High School, knows firsthand that a student’s path to academic success can sometimes depend on their environment .
Lawrence Boone II said his experiences growing up in South Central led him to a career in education and helped shape his belief that educational opportunity should not depend on a student’s neighborhood.
“My mother told me that I wouldn’t be attending junior high or high school in our neighborhood,” Boone said. “There were a lot of gang problems back in the 80s.”
Boone is now entering his 33rd year in education as the principal of Inglewood High, which has a long history in the community. His appointment as principal comes as the district continues to navigate changes and address issues that include exiting state control, the future of its campuses, safety on campus, decreased enrollment and improving academic achievement.
“For me, coming to Inglewood with some of the academic issues we’re having here, I’m like let’s take that on,” Boone said. “I’ve met a lot of the teachers already over the summer, so I know we have some amazing people that work here.”
Inglewood’s last principal, Lamar Collins, told The LA Local in April without explanation that he would not be returning for the 2026-27 school year. Inglewood High was plagued with campus safety issues last year after the district closed Morningside High School and combined both student populations on one campus, according to a district-wide report issued in November by the ACLU of Southern California.
“My job and my team’s job is to make sure that kids feel connected to school,” Boone said. “That they know someone that they can talk to if there is an issue so we can mitigate those problems as much as possible.”
James Morris, Inglewood Unified’s county administrator, said the district searched for someone like Boone who could bring stability, academic improvement and build relationships with students and the community.
“He was able to demonstrate at his last school consistent improvement in student achievement over seven years,” Morris told The LA Local.
Before joining Inglewood, Boone served as the principal at Camino Nuevo Charter Academy in Silver Lake, where he facilitated student test scores from underperforming to becoming a California Distinguished School, the highest honor schools can receive for student achievement that was also bestowed to Inglewood last school year.
Parents and teachers shared their expectations of the new principal.
“I want him to know the kids’ names, even know their parents,” said Marcie Brown, vice president of the Inglewood Parent Teachers Association Council. “Because he’s new, I need him to integrate very quickly to the culture.”
John Hughes, Inglewood Teachers Association president, said he’d like to see Boone being responsive to teachers’ concerns and taking action when needed, especially as teachers have rallied over campus safety numerous times at Board of Education meetings.
“I think it’s most important that he be hands-on,” Hughes said. “Not deferring tough decisions but taking them head on and not being apologetic to anyone as a result.”
Here is Boone’s educational background
Though Boone lived in LA as a child, he told The LA Local he was bused to El Camino Real High School in the San Fernando Valley. He then earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree from UCLA in 1992 and 2005, respetively.
Boone’s first job in education was at Daniel Murphy High School, a Catholic school for boys. He then worked as a teacher and football coach for Price High School in South LA, one of the Frederick C. Price Christian Schools. Both campuses are now closed.
After working directly with students for over a decade, Boone realized he wanted more influence than what he had inside his classroom or on the football field, so in 2005 he became an administrator.
Now, his focus is on Inglewood High students and creating an environment where they can succeed.
“I want to get together with our partners and see if we can come up with something with SoFi Stadium and The (Kia) Forum,” Boone said. “I want to do a business CTE (career and technical education) program where our students can learn how to be business administrators and agents.”
The first day of school for Inglewood students is Monday, Aug. 17.
