Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA, ) is a visual and performing arts
high school
A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...
located on the campus of
California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, United States.
It is a public school, operated by the
Los Angeles County Office of Education.
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'', July 23, 2005
Overview
LACHSA is a public and tuition-free school, offering 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.
The school specializes in preparing students for careers in the arts. It is one of two arts high schools in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
that allows students from any district within
Los Angeles County 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 1 ...
. 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). Specializations in Musical Theatre, Opera, Technical Theatre, and Commercial Music are also offered.
In 2012,
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
nominee
Scott Hamilton Kennedy made an award-winning documentary about LACHSA called ''Fame High''.
In late March 2013, LACHSA officially moved many of its classes 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.
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.
* LACHSA was listed as the #1 arts high school in the nation in 2023
U.S. News 2021 Rankings
*102 in
Los Angeles metropolitan area High Schools
*227 in
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
High Schools
*1,498 in
National Rankings
U.S. News 2020 Rankings
*3 in
Los Angeles County Office of Education High Schools
*128 in
Los Angeles metropolitan area High Schools
*279 in
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
High Schools
*2,030 in
National Rankings
U.S. News 2019 Rankings
*165 in
Los Angeles metropolitan area High Schools
*356 in
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
High Schools
*2,315 in
National Rankings
Notable alumni
*
Ai, singer
*
Anthony Anderson, television actor
*
Jon B., singer/songwriter
*
Corbin Bleu, actor
*
Phoebe Bridgers, singer/songwriter
*
Daniel Brummel, bassist
*
Monica Calhoun, actress
*
Sadie Calvano, television actress
*
Ako Castuera, sculptor, storyboard artist
*
Gerald Clayton, jazz pianist and composer
*
Zoey Deutch, actress
*
Clea DuVall, actress
*
Jenna Elfman, actor
*
Maya Erskine, actor and writer
*
Michael Fitzpatrick, singer and songwriter
*
Dillon Francis, music producer
*
Angelica Garcia, singer/songwriter
*
Eva Gardner, bassist, singer/ songwriter
*
Drew Garrett, actor
*
Spencer Grammer
Spencer Karen Grammer (born October 9, 1983) is an American actress best known for her roles as the voice of Summer Smith in the Adult Swim animated science-fiction series ''Rick and Morty'' and as Casey Cartwright in the Freeform (TV channel), A ...
, television actress
*
Josh Groban, singer/songwriter, actor on Broadway
*
Alana Haim
Alana Mychal Haim (born December 15, 1991) is an American musician and actress. She is a member of the pop rock band Haim (band), Haim, along with her two older sisters Este Haim, Este and Danielle Haim, Danielle, where she performs piano, guita ...
, singer
*
Danielle Haim, singer
*
Este Haim, singer
*
Beth Hart, singer
*
The Hound, singer
*
Taran Killam, television actor
*
Thomas Kotcheff, composer
*
Lara Raj, singer and member of Katseye
*
Josefina Lopez, playwright
*
Victor Ma, Chinese-American singer
*
Rashaan Nall, actor
*
Ryan Scott Oliver, musical theatre composer and lyricist
*
Elizabeth Olsen, actor
*
Gretchen Parlato, jazz singer and composer
*
Christina Quarles, painter
*
Ernando Recendez, singer/songwriter
*
Kara Royster, television actress
*
Marla Sokoloff, 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 Los Angeles
Drama schools in the United States
Educational institutions established in 1985
1985 establishments in California