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 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 wo ...

, United States.

History

The school was founded by philanthropist Caroline Leonetti Ahmanson 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 that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

'', 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 the ...

. 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 wor ...

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 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 ...

to attend, the other being Charter High School of the Arts in

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 in ...

nominee Scott Hamilton Kennedy 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, 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 urban area, 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 Ber ...

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 ...

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

* Ai, singer *

Anthony Anderson Anthony Anderson (born August 15, 1970) is an American actor, comedian and game show host. He is best known for his leading roles in drama series such as Marlin Boulet on '' K-Ville'', and as NYPD Detective Kevin Bernard on the NBC crime drama ...

, television actor *

Jon B. Jonathan David Buck (born November 11, 1974) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer. His debut album, '' Bonafide'' (1995), went platinum. Early life Born in Providence, Rhode Island, United States and raised in Altadena, ...

, singer and songwriter * Corbin Bleu, actor * Angel Blue, opera singer * Phoebe Bridgers, singer and songwriter * Daniel Brummel, bassist * Monica Calhoun, actress * Sadie Calvano, television actress * Ako Castuera, sculptor, storyboard artist * Gerald Clayton, jazz pianist and composer *

Zoey Deutch Zoey Francis Chaya Thompson Deutch ( ; born November 10, 1994) is an American actress. She is daughter of director Howard Deutch and actress-director Lea Thompson. She gained recognition for her roles in the film '' Everybody Wants Some!!'', t ...

, actress *

Clea DuVall Clea Helen D'Etienne DuVall (born September 25, 1977) is an American actress, writer, producer, and director. She is known for her appearances in the films ''The Faculty'' (1998), ''She's All That''; '' But I'm a Cheerleader''; ''Girl, Interrupt ...

, actress * Jenna Elfman, actor * Maya Erskine, actor and writer * Michael Fitzpatrick, singer and songwriter *

Dillon Francis Dillon Hart Francis (born October 5, 1987), also known by the stage name DJ Hanzel, is an American electronic music producer and DJ. Early life Francis was born in Los AngelesAhmed, Insanul (March 13, 2012Who Is Dillon Francis?Complex. Retri ...

, music producer * Angelica Garcia (singer), singer/songwriter * Eva Gardner, bassist, singer/ songwriter *

Drew Garrett Drew Garrett Nelson (born April 21, 1989) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Michael Corinthos from 2009–10 in the soap opera ''General Hospital'', for which he received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination. Early life and education ...

, actor * Spencer Grammer, television actress * Josh Groban, singer * Haim (band), sister band * Beth Hart, singer * The Hound, singer * Taran Killam, television actor * Thomas Kotcheff, composer *

Josefina Lopez Josefina is a female name, a feminine form of Joseph. It may refer to: *Josefina Passadori, Argentine writer * Josefina Lopez, Chicana playwright *Josefina Pla, Spanish poet, playwright, art critic, painter and journalist *Josefina Ayerza, writer ...

, playwright * Rashaan Nall, actor * Ryan Scott Oliver, musical theatre composer and lyricist * Elizabeth Olsen, actor * Gretchen Parlato, jazz singer and composer *

Christina Quarles Christina Quarles (born 1985) is a queer, mixed contemporary American artist and writer, living and working in Los Angeles, whose gestural, abstract paintings confront themes of racial and sexual identities, gender, and queerness. She grew up as a ...

, painter *

Ernando Recendez Ernando Recendez (born October 22, 1999), is an artist, singer, musician, and entertainer. Ernando has an eclectic music style ranging from Top 40, Rock, R&B, Classic Hits, and more; and has broken down age, ethnic, geographic, and cultural bounda ...

, singer/songwriter *

Marla Sokoloff Marla Lynne Sokoloff (born December 19, 1980) is an American actress. She is known for playing Lucy Hatcher on the legal drama television series '' The Practice'', and Gia Mahan on '' Full House'' and '' Fuller House''. She has also appeared in ...

, actress and musician * Tammy Townsend, actress and singer * McKenzie Westmore, television actress * Kehinde Wiley, painter * Finn Wittrock, television actor

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