Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA, ) is a visual and performing arts

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

located on the campus of

California State University, Los Angeles California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) is a public university in Los Angeles, California. It is part of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) system. Cal State LA offers 142 bachelor's degrees, 122 master's degrees, ...

(Cal State LA) in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, United States.

History

The school was founded by philanthropist

Caroline Leonetti Ahmanson Caroline Leonetti Ahmanson (April 12, 1918 – June 21, 2005) was an American fashion consultant, businesswoman and philanthropist. She was a corporate director of The Walt Disney Company and the Fluor Corporation. She served as Chairman of the ...

in 1985.Mary Rourke
Caroline Leonetti Ahmanson, 83; Philanthropist Supported the Arts
''

The Los Angeles Times ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'', July 23, 2005

Overview

LACHSA is a public and tuition-free school. Most people identify the school by its aesthetic campus along with its ability to offer both college preparatory courses and conservatory style training. Though it shares facilities with Cal State LA, the two schools' activities are usually separate. It is operated by the

Los Angeles County Office of Education Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, with 9,861,224 residents estimated as of 2022. It is th ...

. The school specializes in preparing students for careers in the arts. It is one of two arts high schools in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

that allows students from any district within

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the List of the most populous counties in the United States, most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, ...

to attend, the other being

Charter High School of the Arts Charter High of the Arts Multimedia and Performing (or CHAMPS) is a public high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondar ...

Van Nuys Van Nuys () is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. History In 1909, ...

. Acceptance into the school is based on an audition process for the approximately 130 spots available for incoming students, about 90% of whom are freshmen. The school has five departments, Dance, Music (Vocals and Instrumental), Theatre, Visual Arts, and Cinematic Arts (Film). There is also a double major offered for Musical Theatre. The Music Department has the most students, followed by the Theatre Department, Visual Arts, Dance, and Cinematic Arts. In 2012,

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nominee

Scott Hamilton Kennedy Scott Hamilton Kennedy (born 1965) is an Academy Award nominated documentary director, as well as a writer, producer, cameraman, and editor. He is the founder of Black Valley Films, a film production company based in Silver Lake, California. H ...

made an award-winning documentary about LACHSA called ''Fame High''. In late March 2013, LACHSA officially moved to a more permanent building on the edge of Cal State LA's campus. It has three stories, the third floor being a

black box theater A black box theater is a simple performance space, typically a square room with black walls and a flat floor. The simplicity of the space allows it to be used to create a variety of configurations of stage and audience interaction. The black ...

, where most performances from the school take place. As of 2019 the total minority enrollment is 65%, and 19% of students are economically disadvantaged. L.A. County High School for the Arts is 1 of 2 high schools in the Los Angeles County Office Of Education.

Demographics

In 2018–19 LACHSA had 542 students enrolled in grades nine through twelve, with a student-teacher ratio of 6.7:1.

Academic recognition

* LACHSA received a GreatSchools Rating of 9 out of 10.

U.S. News 2021 Rankings

*102 in

Los Angeles metropolitan area Greater Los Angeles is the second-largest metropolitan region in the United States with a population of 18.5 million in 2021, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino C ...

High Schools *227 in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

High Schools *1,498 in National Rankings

U.S. News 2020 Rankings

*3 in

Office of Education High Schools *128 in

High Schools *279 in

High Schools *2,030 in National Rankings

U.S. News 2019 Rankings

*165 in

High Schools *356 in

High Schools *2,315 in National Rankings

Notable alumni

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References

External links

Official LACHSA website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Los Angeles County High School For The Arts High schools in Los Angeles Art in Greater Los Angeles California State University, Los Angeles Eastside Los Angeles El Sereno, Los Angeles Public high schools in California Drama schools in the United States Educational institutions established in 1985 1985 establishments in California