Los Angeles County High School for the Arts

History

The school was founded by philanthropist Caroline Leonetti Ahmanson in 1985.

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 that allows students from any district within Los Angeles County to attend, the other being Charter High School of the Arts in Van Nuys. 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 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 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 High Schools
• 2,030 in National Rankings

[[U.S. News]] 2019 Rankings

• 165 in Los Angeles metropolitan area High Schools
• 356 in California High Schools
• 2,315 in National Rankings

Notable alumni

• Ai, singer
• Anthony Anderson, television actor
• Jon B., singer/songwriter
• Ariela Barer, actress and filmmaker
• Libe Barer, actress
• Corbin Bleu, actor
• Phoebe Bridgers, singer/songwriter
• Daniel Brummel, bassist
• Monica Calhoun, actress
• Sadie Calvano, television actress
• Ako Castuera, sculptor, storyboard artist{{cite web |last1=Castuera |first1=Ako |title=About |url=https://thinging.wordpress.com/about/
• 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, television actress
• Josh Groban, singer/songwriter, actor on Broadway
• Alana Haim, singer
• Danielle Haim, singer
• Este Haim, singer
• Beth Hart, singer
• The Hound, singer
• Taran Killam, television actor
• Thomas Kotcheff, composer
• Josefina Lopez, playwright
• Victor Ma, Chinese-American singer
• Rhiannon McGavin, poet
• Belissa Escobedo, actress
• 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
• Sasami, singer
• Marla Sokoloff, actress and musician
• Tammy Townsend, actress and singer
• Robert Vargas, artist
• McKenzie Westmore, television actress
• Kehinde Wiley, painter
• Finn Wittrock, television actor
• Charm La'Donna, Choreographer and Creative Director
• Jae Stephens, singer/songwriter

References

References

1. "L.A. County High School for the Arts". National Center for Education Statistics.
2. "L.A. County High School For The Arts". [[National Center for Education Statistics]].
3. Mary Rourke, [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-jun-23-me-ahmanson23-story.html Caroline Leonetti Ahmanson, 83; Philanthropist Supported the Arts], ''[[The Los Angeles Times]]'', July 23, 2005
4. [http://artshighfoundation.org/2006/01/42nd-street-in-memory-of-caroline-leonetti-ahmanson-january-2006/ 42nd Street in Memory of Caroline Leonetti Ahmanson, January 2006] {{webarchive. link. (2014-10-06, ''ArtsHighFoundation: Proudly supporting lachsa since 1985'', January 17, 2006)
5. (2012-08-29). "LACOE Home Version 6.0". Lacoe.edu.
6. "Fame High".
7. (5 June 2013). "After 28 years, Los Angeles County High School for the Arts gets its own home".
8. (Fall 2018). "High School". Los Angeles County High School for the Arts.
9. "Explore L.A. County High School For The Arts in Los Angeles, CA".
10. "2023 Best High Schools for the Arts in America".
11. "usnews".
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14. ""A.I." Official Facebook". Facebook.com.
15. "Overview of Arts High Foundation and LACHSA".
16. "'Black-ish': Anthony Anderson 'Over the Moon' Following Emmy Nom | Access Hollywood".
17. (April 6, 2010). "Culture Monster". The Los Angeles Times.
18. "Gretchen Parlato Interview with Joe Montague of Riveting Riffs Magazine". Rivetingriffs.com.