It was designed by famed architect Richard Neutra and was named in honor of Ralph Waldo Emerson, the American author, poet, and philosopher.

The school offers special academic programs, including the Mathematics Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA), the School for Advanced Studies (SAS), and the Individualized Honors Program (IHP).

Neighborhoods served by Emerson Middle include West Los Angeles, Beverly Glen, Beverly Hills Post Office[4] Westwood, Bel-Air, Sawtelle, Benedict Canyon, the Wilshire Corridor,[5] and Holmby Hills.

Also included in its service area are canyon neighborhoods adjacent to the city of Beverly Hills; since the neighborhoods are in Los Angeles, the students are not in the Beverly Hills Unified School District boundaries.

[6] Due to its streamlined and clean appearance, "Emerson Middle School was considered a leading example of 1930s Modernism," along with Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater House and Walter Gropius's House.