Located in South Los Angeles, 99th Street Elementary School strives to provide an outstanding K-5th grade learning environment for its population of approximately 617 students. The school, which opened in 1925, has developed strong partnerships with the community and enjoys active parent involvement. Student achievement continues to improve at 99th Street, evidenced by a nearly 20% increase for every testing grade on last year’s California Standards Tests, a measure of students’ academic progress.
CarverMiddle School joined the family of Partnership schools in the Fall of 2010. Named after Dr. George Washington Carver, a noted African-American scientist, the school is located in the SouthPark district of Downtown Los Angeles near the GilbertLindsayCommunityCenterPark. It provides instruction to 1,092 students in 6th, 7th and 8th grades. The Partnership is working collaboratively with the school community to develop programs that will greatly benefit the students, such as providing Carver with their own garden, and partnering with Sound Body, Sound Mind, which has provided students with state of the art fitness equipment.
Dolores Huerta Elementary School
Dolores Huerta Elementary School opened in the Fall of 2010 and serves approximately 443 students in grades K through 5. Designed in a contemporary architectural style, the complex sits on a 2.43-acre site and includes a library, multi-purpose room, food service facilities and lunch shelter, underground parking and play fields.
FigueroaElementary School in South Los Angeles has 470 students in pre-K through 5th grades. After three years of working with the Partnership, Figueroa has seen marked growth in its API scores, a measurement of its academic performance and progress. It received a first place award in LA’s Best Regional Science Fair and a prize at the LAUSD InfoTech Conference where students share innovative uses of technology. The school provides enhanced literacy and mathematics instruction, after-school intervention programs, and actively involves parents and families in the learning process.
Gompers Middle School
Gompers Middle School is committed to providing its student body with a quality education. Situated in urban South Los Angeles near the 110 and 105 freeways, Gompers has more than 1,082 6th, 7th and 8th grade students. The school, named after labor union leader Samuel Gompers, focuses on improving student achievement and developing strong relationships with faculty, parents and community partners. Gompers also offers enrichment classes including a music program funded by the VH1 Save the Music Foundation. The school has hired new teachers, invested in instructional technology and teacher professional development, beautified the campus, and provided additional support for students, including study skill development, guest speaker programs and Saturday math and literacy classes.
Located in Watts near Wilmington Avenue, Griffith-Joyner instructs a population of 872 children in grades pre-K through 5. The school was named in honor of the Olympic runner who grew up in the nearby Jordan Downs housing project. It has three small learning communities allowing for specialized instruction to better meet the educational needs of its student body. The school is working together with the Partnership to provide a safe and stimulating learning environment and ensure its children’s academic success. The campus has also been beautified with new trees on campus and the remodeling of its main entrance.
Strengthening the quality of Hollenbeck’s educational programs is a priority at the nearly l00-year-old school. HollenbeckMiddle School has been serving the BoyleHeights community since 1914, and currently provides instruction to a population of 1339 students in grades 6 through 8. New classroom and professional development programs along with engaging instructional activities and events create a stimulating learning environment and help students achieve their potential and prepare for high school.
Located in Watts, Jordan High School opened in fall 2011 as two new small schools, one operated by Green Dot charter and the other under the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools. Jordan currently provides instruction to 726 students grades 9th- 12th. Since joining the Partnership family, Jordan students have been provided with many different learning opportunities, such as special guests who speak from their experience from the Holocaust, to being provided with new music instruments. Athletics at Jordan have also been very successful, such as the male volleyball team who became L.A. City Champions this past season.
Markham aims to provide a safe, clean and academically challenging environment for learning. The school serves more than 1247 students in 6th, 7th and 8th grade in the inner-city neighborhood of Watts and located four blocks from the landmark Watts Towers. Enrichment and after-school activities including track and field athletics, yearbook publication, Boys & Girls Club, and Saturday instruction are among some of the many programs offered on campus.
Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez Learning Center for Engineering & Technology
The Mendez Learning Center for Engineering & Technology, which opened in 2009, is one of two small high schools that share one campus in the L.A. east-side neighborhood of Boyle Heights. The school has 371 students currently enrolled in grades 9 through 12. The students are offered a rigorous curriculum including courses in computer science, robotics, architectural drafting and Mandarin Chinese, helping to prepare them for post secondary education. In addition to academics, the Center provides drama and dance classes and athletic programs including team sports such as lacrosse.
Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez Learning Center for Math & Science
Sharing a campus with the Mendez Learning Center’s engineering and technology school, the Math & Science high school serves approximately 366 students in grades 9 through 12. Located on the corner of 1st Street and Mission Road in Boyle Heights, the school has its own academic program, administration and classroom building with state-of-the-art science labs and wireless Internet access. The curriculum includes biology, chemistry and environmental science and advanced placement courses to prepare students for college. The Mendez Center, which graduated its first senior class in 2011, is named after two Mexican American civil rights leaders who fought for educational equality.
Ritter Elementary, located in the Watts neighborhood between Santa Ana Boulevard and Alameda Street, offers K-5th grade instruction to 372 students. In collaboration with the Partnership, the school has made significant gains in reading, and greatly improved its academic performance index (API) score. Ritter students have also shown a lot of improvement in their math scores, as they are given the opportunity to use ST Math in their curriculum. The school has an energetic and enthusiastic staff focused on improving student learning, and strong parent and community involvement. Among some of the programs provided this past school year are Chats with the Principal, monthly student motivational assemblies, Hispanic Awareness Month celebrations, and a family field trip to a Hollywood Bowl concert.
The BoyleHeights high school is the home to the Rough Riders and alma mater of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Since joining the Partnership, the school has been converted from a year-round calendar to a traditional calendar and has been transformed from a 5,000 student comprehensive HS into 7 small schools where personalized learning has enhanced growth. The 7 small schools are:
School of Law & Government (424 students enrolled)
Humanitas Art School(456 students enrolled)
School of Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (450 students)
School of Communications, New Media & Technology (423 students enrolled)
Academy of Environmental & Social Policy (344 students enrolled)
Academy of Medical & Health Sciences (446 students enrolled)
Math, Science & Technology Magnet Academy (358 students enrolled)
Santee opened in 2005 on the site of a former dairy facility south of Downtown Los Angeles to create a high-performing school for the area’s 9th through 12th grade students. With approx. 1,894 students, the school has been converted from a year-round to a traditional calendar. The school has also seen improvement in both their CAHSEE pass rates as well as in its annual API growth. In addition, the athletic program has produced basketball, track and soccer league champions.
This East Los Angeles neighborhood school is comprised of approximately 1,859 students in grades 6 through 8 and a faculty of 100 teachers. The campus is also home to a magnet school for children identified as gifted and high achieving. The school continues to improve the quality of instruction and has dramatically increased student attendance, resulting in greater opportunities for student achievement. Recent accomplishments include an overall increase in English and Language Arts tests scores for all grades. The school actively engages with the community and student body, and hosts motivational speakers including school alum and Major League Baseball player Ricky Romero.
Sunrise Elementary School
Founded in 1921, Sunrise Elementary is a BoyleHeights neighborhood school serving 461 students in grades K through 5. It has an experienced administration and teaching staff and active parent group committed to providing a nurturing learning environment. The school’s academic performance index or API score continues to improve, nearing state targets. Last year, it saw a 41 point gain over its 2008 API score. Other improvements include a remodeled library and the installation of classroom libraries and interactive whiteboards in each room.
1963 East 103rd Street, Los Angeles, 90002; 323.569.8141
Located in Watts near Wilmington Avenue, Griffith-Joyner instructs a population of 972 children in grades pre-K through 5. The school was named in honor of the Olympic runner who grew up in the nearby Jordan Downs housing project. It has three small learning communities allowing for specialized instruction to better meet the educational needs of its student body. The school is working together with the Partnership to provide a safe and stimulating learning environment and ensure its children’s academic success.
