Evelyn Carr sought to establish a permanent school district and did so through a group she created, the Torrance Parents Association.

A referendum held on August 20, 1946, to change the city charter to allow creating a new school district, passed on a basis.

The Los Angeles City School District removed all of the furniture from the Torrance elementary and middle schools; Sam Gnerre of The Daily Breeze wrote that "LAUSD [sic] was not pleased with the outcome of the election.

Forty new schools were built in a building boom following World War II, as the city grew from its pre-war 10,000 to more than 140,000.

Bordering areas include Gardena and Redondo Beach to the north and west, Carson to the east, and the Palos Verdes Peninsula to the south.

Hull Middle School was purpose-built as a secondary facility in 1970, the last new campus to open in TUSD.)