Principal Todd Irving, left, greets Isaac Martinez, 13, before school starts at Spurgeon Intermediate School in Santa Ana. More photos Throughout the day, students are in and out of his office.

The new Romero-Cruz Academy, combined two schools into one: Romero Cruz Elementary and Spurgeon Intermediate School. Students arrived for the first day in Santa Ana, CA on Monday, August 12, 2019.

SANTA ANA – For years, Spurgeon Intermediate in Santa Ana has had a bad reputation as a gang-ridden school. It’s in a ZIP code where most residents don’t have a high school diploma, the U.S ...

SANTA ANA – The Spurgeon Intermediate School family held a ceremony last week to dedicate the school’s new classroom building in memory of beloved retired teacher Russell Ford, who tragically ...

The former Spurgeon Intermediate School was renamed the Romero-Cruz Academy. Students arrived for the first day of school in Santa Ana, CA on Monday, August 12, 2019. (Photo by Mindy Schauer ...

Principal Todd Irving, left, greets Isaac Martinez, 13, before school starts at Spurgeon Intermediate School in Santa Ana. (Cheryl A. Guerrero / Los Angeles Times) Nov. 12, 2013 4:39 PM PT .

Students cross Fifth Street as the school day begins at Spurgeon Intermediate. The Santa Ana Unified School District says it has beefed up school staffing and hired a private investigator to ...

SANTA ANA – Sad. Nervous. Angry. Confused. As they sat in a circle Thursday morning, students in Maria Soberanis’ eighth-grade class at Spurgeon Intermediate School had a lot to say abo… ...

It was in sixth-grade social studies class at Spurgeon Intermediate School in Santa Ana when our teacher, Mr. Adams, asked the class what we were. The question perplexed me for only a minute as I s… ...

The bow for Rocia Rivas’ violin had been tightened and loosened so much that it broke and the violin itself had scratches all over from years of use. Rivas, 13, said the instrument’s co… ...

On the first day of school at Spurgeon Intermediate, after the first bell had rung and administrators swept the halls for stragglers, new Principal Todd Irving faced dozens of parents in a room ...

It was in sixth-grade social studies class at Spurgeon Intermediate School in Santa Ana when our teacher, Mr. Adams, asked the class what we were. The question perplexed me for only a minute as I s… ...