Location: Los Angeles, CA
Are you a student or parent at Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies? Want to understand how to get the most out of high school?
We've written the best guide to LACES available. Here we'll cover:
- Breakdowns of student ethnicity, gender, and family income
- How safe LACES is to attend
- SAT/ACT/AP scores earned by LACES students
- Which AP/IB classes you can take at LACES
- Every sports team you can join at LACES
Let's get started!
Basic Information
Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies is a public school, supporting grades 6 to 12 . It's located in Los Angeles, CA in Los Angeles County.
Based on its location, LACES is classified as a school in a large city. Here's the location on a map:
Contact Information
Mailing address:
Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies5931 W. 18th St. Los Angeles, CA 90035-4656
Phone number: 3239381620
Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies homepage: http://www.lacesmagnetschool.org/
Principal: Harold BogerEmail the principal: [email protected]
Student Demographics
Student Enrollment
The total enrollment at Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies is 1646 students, making it a large high school, in the top 25% of all California high schools by size.
Attending LACES will feel like attending a small college. You'll have a few hundred students in your class, enough to provide an interesting set of activities, sports, and classes to try. But compared to the largest high schools in California, the student body size won't be overwhelming.
Growth in Student Body Size
Is Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies growing or shrinking? This will help you see trends in where the school is headed.
From our calculations, the enrollment at LACES has increased over the past few years. We calculate this by comparing enrollment in grades 9 to 12.
Male Students | Female Students | All Students | |
---|---|---|---|
9th grade | 116 | 124 | 240 |
10th grade | 114 | 116 | 230 |
11th grade | 103 | 133 | 236 |
12th grade | 106 | 104 | 210 |
As you can see in the table above, the freshman class is 30 students larger than the senior class. This suggests that the school is growing in size and taking on more students.
There are a few reasons this could be happening. The city of Los Angeles could be growing in population, thus sending more students into LACES. Alternatively, LACES could be relaxing its student policies and taking in more students.
Gender Split
Are there more boys or girls at Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies?
From our statistics, LACES has a 48:52 split between male and female students in the high school grades.
LACES has a balanced male-female ratio that's largely representative of the general population in Los Angeles County. Since the student body is roughly half and half, it should feel like there are equal numbers of boys and girls in your classes.
This usually means that LACES doesn't strongly select for either males or females, unlike other schools that have a large majority of males or females.
Ethnicity Breakdown
What's the racial diversity at Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies? Does one ethnicity make up most of the student body, or is it fairly balanced?
From our statistics, LACES has a diverse student body. No single ethnicity composes more than 50% of all students, which means you'll be surrounded by a diverse set of students in class. Only a third of California schools show this much diversity.
The most common ethnicity at LACES is Hispanic. In California, 51.5% of all students are Hispanic, making it the most common ethnicity. Even though LACES is relatively diverse, students of Hispanic descent are the most common ethnicity here.
Percentage | Number | |
---|---|---|
American Indian/Alaska Native | 0.9% | 16 |
Asian | 24.3% | 400 |
Hispanic | 30.1% | 496 |
Black | 15.9% | 262 |
White | 28.1% | 464 |
Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander | 0.4% | 7 |
Two or more races | 0.0% | 1 |
High schools usually reflect the population in the surrounding area, so the ethnicities of students likely resembles those of Los Angeles. If you'd like to see how other nearby schools look in diversity, just google "[name of school] prepscholar" to find our guide to that specific school.
Income Level of LACES Families
What are the family incomes of students at Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies? To determine this, we look at the number of students who qualify for free or reduced lunches, a classification by the US federal government.
To qualify for a reduced price meal, family income needs to be below 185% of the federal poverty guidelines. For a family of 4, this means an income of around $45,000 or below.
To qualify for a free meal, family income needs to be below 130% of the federal poverty guidelines. For a family of 4, this means an income of around $32,000 or below.
The lower the percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced price meals, the higher the income levels are likely to be.
At LACES, 17.6% of students qualify for reduced-price lunches, and 37.4% qualify for free lunches.
This means LACES has a below average level of poverty. With most students not qualifying for free or reduced price lunches, LACES is below average among California schools in poverty level. The income level of families in Los Angeles is thus likely to be relatively high.
Number | Percent | |
---|---|---|
Reduced-price lunches | 291 | 17.6% |
Free lunches | 617 | 37.4% |
Do not qualify for reduced-price or free lunches | 738 | 44.8% |
As with ethnicity, this likely reflects the surrounding community in Los Angeles and doesn't speak much about the school itself.
LACES is in the middle 50% of schools by income level. Generally, higher income level schools are better-funded and have a higher quality range of classes and activities. LACES is likely in the middle of the pack in this regard and will give you a good set of options to try.
If you have any interests that LACES doesn't cover, look to your local community for activities, or to the Internet for self-study AP classes.
Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and SAT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.
School Safety
How safe is Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies to attend? Can you expect a lot of conflict as a student here?
To study this, we look at disciplinary data for two types of incidents at LACES: referrals to law enforcement (when incidents are reported to police), and arrests.
These are the most serious disciplinary actions available to school administration and are more severe than suspensions or expulsions. Suspensions are often discretionary and can be given just for being disruptive in class. In contrast, law enforcement referrals and arrests often indicate incidents that put the safety of other LACES students at risk.
In the school year of 2011-2012, there were 26 referrals to law enforcement (20 male, 6 female), and 2 school-related arrests (2 males, 0 females). This is out of a total enrollment of 1634 students.
To put this into perspective, most California schools (59% of them) reported 0 law enforcement referrals and arrests.
This means that 1.7 LACES has minor safety issues. For every 100 students, there were just 1.7 law-enforcement related actions, but this is still higher than 75% of California schools.
With this record, is Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies significantly different from other schools in the area? It could be that LACES has an especially bad record, or it could be that the local area shows a pattern.
Compare this school with other high schools in the same school district, using the following table:
Los Angeles Unified School District Safety
School Name | Total Referred | Total Arrests | Enrollment |
---|---|---|---|
Frank Lanterman | 0 | 0 | 222 |
Youth Opportunities Unlimited | 6 | 0 | 323 |
Jane Addams Continuation | 0 | 0 | 216 |
William Tell Aggeler Opportunity High | 0 | 0 | 65 |
John R. Wooden High | 0 | 0 | 144 |
Angel's Gate (continuation) | 0 | 0 | 84 |
Academic Performance
Now we get to a major aspect of assessing a high school: academic performance. How good of an education will you get at Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies? Will you be competitive for college? Will you have access to advanced classes?
We've compiled everything we could find about LACES's academics here.
Graduation Rate
To start off, an important benchmark of academic achievement is graduation rate. For all students who start high school at LACES, the state of California wants as many students to graduate as possible, since a high school diploma can mean a big difference in getting a job.
At LACES, 97% (of 204) LACES students graduated within four years of starting high school.
Here's how this stacks up to other schools. The California state government has defined 90% as a target rate. The state average is around 80-85%.
LACES is in the 96th percentile of all public high schools in California for graduation rate. This is extremely good. Generally, a graduation rate of above 90% is considered good and well above average, and below 75% is well below average.
Note: This data comes from a few years back, but the trends are likely to stay the same, since schools don't get significantly better or worse within a short period of time.
Standardized Testing
Next, we'll look at another major piece of high school academics: standardized testing performance for Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies students. These are tests that are administered to large populations of students for comparison purposes.
Let’s start by taking a look at the data for nationally administered standardized tests.
SAT Scores
As you probably know, the SAT is a critical test used for college admissions. The higher the score you get, the better your academic performance compared to students nationwide, and the easier it is to get into top colleges.
We did in-depth research and found the average Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies SAT scores.
The average composite SAT score is a 1670 out of 2400, compared to a national average of 1500. Each year, roughly 325 at LACES take the SAT.
This is a very high average SAT score, putting Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies in the top 10% of all California high schools. The average student at LACES is already scoring in the 75th percentile nationwide or higher - in fact, 72% of students score above the national average. The top students will likely be competing in the top tier nationwide.
Because the SAT measures academic ability, this is a good sign that you're surrounded by high-achieving peers. If you can keep up with your classmates at LACES - or even exceed them - you'll have a great shot at getting into very competitive colleges.
Here's a breakdown of SAT scores by section:
Average SAT Scores (2013-2014)
Source | Critical Reading | Math | Writing | Composite |
---|---|---|---|---|
LACES | 546 | 579 | 553 | 1670 |
California | 498 | 510 | 496 | 1504 |
United States | 495 | 511 | 484 | 1490 |
Note that the SAT has since changed to a 1600 scale, but the trends above for your high school are likely to continue. Just use this guide to convert between the old 2400 scale and the new 1600 scale.
To learn more about SAT percentile rankings, read our guide on what SAT percentiles really mean.
How good is 1670 as an SAT score? Find out with our complete 1670 SAT score guide, including which colleges you can get into with a 1670 or any other SAT score!
Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and SAT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.
ACT Scores
In California, the ACT is less popular than the SAT. Fewer students take the ACT, and typically these students are more motivated and academically prepared for college. Therefore, it's harder to compare Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies ACT scores with the rest of the country.
At LACES, the average ACT composite score was 25, compared to the nationwide average of 20. Each year, roughly 85 out of 916 total students take the ACT.
This is very good performance, putting LACES in the top 25% of high schools in California by ACT score. Nationwide, a 24 on the ACT is 74th percentile, so most ACT test takers at LACES are well above average.
Since the ACT is designed to gauge what you learn in school, high ACT scores are are a good indication that you'll get a great education and be surrounded by other students who value academic achievements.
Here are the average English, Math, Reading, and Science scores for LACES compared to California and the US:
Average ACT Scores
Source | English | Math | Reading | Science |
---|---|---|---|---|
LACES | 26 | 26 | 25 | 24 |
California | 21.8 | 22.8 | 22.3 | 21.7 |
United States | 20.3 | 20.9 | 21.3 | 20.8 |
Scores provided are for the 2013-14 school year.
Find out more about percentile rankings and the ACT in this article.
Every individual is different. What counts as a good ACT score for you? Learn more with this article!
Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and ACT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.
Advanced Placement (AP)
Advanced Placement (AP) classes are college-level courses that are an additional academic challenge may give Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies students credit for college.
Here's what we're looking for: high average AP test scores as well as high AP passing rates.
AP Scores
Every year, roughly 596 students in grades 9-12 at LACES take 1503 AP exams. It's important to understand how students score on the AP - earning a 3, 4, or 5 on the AP test means passing the test and often earning college credit.
The average score of all AP exams taken at LACES is 2.8 out of 5.
This score puts LACES at average performance. For AP tests, the passing score is considered a 3, and the number of students who pass and don't pass are roughly even. This performance places Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies in the top 50% of schools for AP tests.
It's great that LACES offers an AP program so you have the opportunity to take courses at a college level. Even though roughly half of all AP students here don't get a passing grade, half do - so with motivated studying throughout the year, you'll be able to beat the average.
We have specific data on how many students got a 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 (out of 5) on AP exams in the chart below:
AP Test-Taking Statistics
Another way to gauge the quality of a school's AP program is to see how many AP students actually took AP exams at Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies. If a lot of students enroll in AP courses but don't actually take the AP tests, it can be a sign that students don't feel adequately prepared to take the test, or the school isn't encouraging students to take the exams enough.
At LACES, there is a total enrollment of 463 in AP courses (a student taking more than one AP course counts more than once).
Of AP-taking students, 362 took AP tests for ALL AP courses. 82 students took AP tests for SOME AP Courses, and 25 took AP courses but took NO tests.
This is good test participation. Most AP students at Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies take the AP test for every one of their AP courses, outnumbering the students who take some or no AP exams. This is a good sign that students feel confident enough to take tests for all AP courses available to them, which reflects well on the teachers and course material. LACES can continue to improve by reducing the number of students who take AP exams for some or none of their courses, but it's in a good state.
Note: The most recent data we have available is from 2012, so the statistics may have changed since then. Most likely, however, the trends are likely to continue - above average schools are likely to stay above average, and below average schools are likely to stay below average.
AP Passing Rates
For AP students at Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies who take the exam, it's important to know how they do. Here we have specific data on how many students got a passing grade (a 3 or above) on all, some, or none of the AP exams that they took.
Of all AP test takers, 176 students passed every AP test they took, which is a fantastic job. 172 students passed some but not all AP exams, and 89 students didn't pass ANY AP exam they took.
This is good performance. The majority of students pass SOME or ALL of the AP tests. Only a minority of students at Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies fail all the AP exams they take.
Overall, this points to a fairly strong AP program at LACES. Most students are able to pass at least one of the AP tests they take, which means the teaching is likely of acceptable quality, and the students are motivated to do well. However, the program isn't strong across the board. Some teachers or courses may be better than others, and students at LACES may be stronger at some subjects and weaker in others.
If you attend LACES, this means you'll have a good starting point to work from - but if you want to pass all the AP tests you take, you'll need to work hard and use good study strategies.
To find out the passing rates for specific AP courses at Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies, you'll have to talk to your guidance counselor (who can then help you find that information). For instance, one AP Calculus teacher may have an above-90% passing rate, while another might only have a 50% passing rate. If you can, you'll want to take the class with the teacher who has more students get a 3 or above on the AP exam.
Find out more about the average score for each AP subject here.
State Tests
As of 2014, eleventh graders attending Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies must take standardized tests in English/Language Arts and Math as part of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP). These align with the new Common Core standards and are called the "Smarter Balanced" tests.
If LACES students meet or exceed state standards, they're academically prepared to graduate high school and go to college. Specifically, we care about the percentage of students who meet or exceed state standards. The larger this number, the higher the preparation of students at LACES.
English/Language Arts
At Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies, 40% of students meet or exceed state standards in English/Language Arts.
This is considered below average and puts LACES in the bottom 50% of all high schools in California for English/Language Arts. The majority of LACES students do not pass state standards, and only a small percentage pass.
This specific percentage isn't much cause for concern - because the Common Core is new, the pass rate at LACES will likely rise over time. But it still reflects LACES's below average standing among California high schools.
English/Language Arts Test Results (2015)
Read more about what’s measured in each ELA area score here.
Math
The other major test taken for state assessments is Math. Across the state, Math performance is generally lower than English/Language Arts performance, so it's natural for this number to be lower.
At Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies, 36% of students meet or exceed state standards in Math. This is considered well below average and puts LACES in the bottom 25% of all high schools in California. The vast majority of LACES students don't meet state standards, and only a small percentage pass.
Math Test Results (2015)
Read more about what’s measured in each Math area score, go here.
Academic Offerings
In addition to the standard high school curriculum, many high schools like Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies offer advanced coursework as part of the Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) programs.
Brief Intro to AP/IB
AP and IB courses are designed at the difficulty level of college introductory classes. There are several important benefits to taking advanced coursework at LACES. First, taking more advanced classes shows colleges that you're committed to challenging yourself academically, and that you're one of the more advanced students at LACES. Taking AP/IB classes also raises your weighted GPA and makes you a stronger college applicant.
Furthermore, many colleges will accept your LACES AP/IB coursework as college coursework. In some cases, you'll be able to skip introductory-level classes and move to more advanced classes. In other cases, you'll be able to avoid having to take required courses and might even be able to graduate earlier than the standard 4 years. Often this will require you to pass the AP test, getting a score of 3 or above.
So what advanced courses does Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies offer?
AP Courses
Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies offers AP courses in 26 subjects.
This is a huge number of AP subjects, putting Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies in the top 5% of California schools in AP offerings. You'll be able to choose from the most popular AP courses as well as your pick of broader interests.
The total number of AP subjects is 38, so LACES is missing some subjects, but these are likely the least popular subjects, like some foreign languages and the new AP Research and Seminar courses. If there are any AP courses you want to take that aren't being offered at LACES, ask your counselor for other options.
Of course, keep in mind that quantity doesn't automatically mean quality - it's important that the courses are taught well by effective teachers. But the strong AP program at LACES likely means the classes are of high quality.
The following AP courses were offered at LACES during 2015-2016:
Course Title |
---|
Biology |
Calculus AB |
Calculus BC |
Chemistry |
Comparative Government and Politics |
Computer Science A |
English Language and Composition |
English Literature and Composition |
Environmental Science |
French Language and Culture |
Human Geography |
Japanese Language and Culture |
Music Theory |
Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism |
Physics C: Mechanics |
Psychology |
Seminar |
Spanish Language and Culture |
Spanish Literature and Culture |
Statistics |
Studio Art: 2-D Design |
Studio Art: 3-D Design |
Studio Art: Drawing |
United States Government and Politics |
United States History |
World History |
Sports Teams
Finally, we'll cover which sports teams are available at Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies. Sports are an integral part of many students' high school experiences. The more sports that are available, and the more levels supported (Frosh, JV, Varsity), the more likely you'll be able to participate in a sport at LACES.
By the way, the Los Angeles Center For Enriched Studies mascot is the Unicorns. Go Unicorns!
Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies fields 12 teams for girls' sports. This is a relatively number that puts LACES in the bottom 50% of California schools that offer girls' sports. This is understandable - sports teams are expensive to support, and many schools would rather put those resources elsewhere. If you participate in a sport that LACES doesn't offer, consider joining a local non-school team to get practice and compete.
And now for the boys: Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies fields 16 teams for boys' sports. This puts LACES in the top 50% of California schools that offer boys' sports. You won't get every sport and level possible here, but you'll have a decent number of options. If you participate in a sport that LACES doesn't offer, consider looking for a local non-school team that you can join.
Boys Teams | Girls Teams |
---|---|
Basketball
Var
JV
Fr
|
Basketball
Var
JV
|
Golf
Var
|
Golf
Var
|
Tennis
Var
|
Tennis
Var
|
Wrestling
Var
|
|
Volleyball
Var
JV
|
Volleyball
Var
JV
|
Baseball
Var
JV
Fr
|
|
Softball
Var
|
|
Waterpolo
Var
|
Waterpolo
Var
|
Crosscountry
Var
|
Crosscountry
Var
|
Soccer
Var
JV
|
Soccer
Var
JV
|
Swimming
Var
|
Swimming
Var
|
What’s Next?
Want to get more useful information about high school classes and preparing for colleges? Our blog has a ton of articles and advice on topics ranging from coursework and GPA to letters of recommendation, extracurriculars, and much more!
Ready to bulk up your schedule and maximize your college preparedness? Read all about the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs.
Not quite in high school yet, but eager to get started? We've also got information for younger students interested in advanced learning opportunities, both in and out of school.
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Sources
The data on this page is drawn from a variety of sources, including (but not limited to):
- National Center for Educational Statistics CCD 2013-2014
- "Free or reduced price lunch: A proxy for poverty?", NCES Blog
- CRDC 2011-2012 school year data
- California Department of Education SAT, ACT, and AP Test Results
- California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) System Results
- AP Course Ledger
- IBO.org