The Jefferson Leadership Academies (formerly Thomas Jefferson Middle School) is a middle school in the Long Beach Unified School District in Long Beach, California, United States.
Beginning in 1999, the school had been a single-gender public middle school in Long Beach, California. From sixth to eight grade, classes are separated as either all male or all female. One of the school's objectives is to provide "girls and boys safe places to take risks with their learning while encountering minimal criticism from the opposite gender," according to current (as of 2005[update]) Principal Helen Compton-Harris. However, classes are now integrated. The school used to offer single-gender physical education classes,sadly not anymore , but it's all mixed classes with even more elective classes C:
In 1996, controversy arose over the school's mascot, which was the Blue Devils. In 1999 the school's nickname was changed to the Jaguars.