Grading the arts in LAUSD

Gaspar De Portola Middle

18720 Linnet St, Tarzana

Enrollment: 1,844

Low-income students: 50%

Race/Ethnicity: Latino: 34%, white: 45%, Asian: 9%, black: 7%, other: 5%

Rank

16 of 249

secondary schools

B

What arts classes are offered?

Theater

Visual

Dance

Music

Vocal

Film

Media

Gaspar De Portola Middle scored 48 out of 80 points on a first-of-its-kind survey of arts education at L.A. Unified. The secondary school offers six of seven standard arts classes tracked by the district and provides extra programs, according to responses by administrators before the 2015-16 academic year. The school's survey response earned a B grade in a Times analysis of the results. Districtwide, 94 schools (12.4%) received the same grade.

How much is taught?

Administrators answered multiple-choice questions about arts instruction, training and equipment provided by the school.

Students and class availability

Instructional time per week: The estimated amount of time spent on arts education per week

Number of arts courses: The number of arts programs offered

Instructional time per week

Number of arts courses

Teachers and facilities

Arts instructors: For elementary schools, this is the number of days per week that a district-employed arts teacher provides instruction. For secondary schools, this is the number of full-time arts teachers on staff.

Training: Arts-specific training opportunites offered to teachers

Equipment and facilities: Quality of equipment and facilities available at each school to support the arts

Arts instructors

Training

Equipment and facilities

Who pays and who else teaches?

Administrators answered yes-or-no questions about sources of funding and instruction for arts education.

Funds for standard classes

Sources of funding for arts resources and supplies (e.g. paintbrushes, instruments) used for instruction during the regular school day

School budget*

 Yes

Fundraising by school or parent groups

 No

Grants

 No

Donations

 Yes
* Amount from budget reported as "more than $3,000"

Funds for extra instruction

Sources of funding for arts programs that are not provided as part of the regular school day

School budget

 No

Fundraising by school or parent groups

 No

Grants

 No

Donations

 No

Teachers of extra classes

Who provides the extra arts instruction at this school

A district teacher not dedicated to teaching the arts

 No

Community arts partner

 Yes

Parent or community volunteer

 No

Accomplished artist

 No

How did nearby schools score?

Compare the grades earned by L.A. Unified schools in surrounding neighborhoods.

Name Type Address Grade
Wilbur Charter For Enriched Academics Elementary 5213 Crebs Ave A
Tarzana Elementary Elementary 5726 Topeka Dr C
Nestle Avenue Charter Elementary 5060 Nestle Ave C
Vanalden Avenue Elementary Elementary 19019 Delano St C
Emelita Academy Charter Elementary 17931 Hatteras St C
Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies Elementary 18605 Erwin St C
Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies Secondary 18605 Erwin St C
Henry David Thoreau Continuation Secondary 5492 Quarkertown Ave D
Academy for Enriched Sciences Elementary 17551 Miranda St C
Calvert Charter for Enriched Studies Elementary 19850 Delano St C
Zane Grey Continuation Secondary 18230 Kittridge St D
Reseda Senior High Secondary 18230 Kittridge St B
William Howard Taft Charter High Secondary 5461 Winnetka Ave C
Newcastle Elementary Elementary 6520 Newcastle Av C
Shirley Avenue Elementary Elementary 19452 Hart St C

Reader comments

Share what you know about arts education at Gaspar De Portola Middle in the comments or on social media using #gradeyourschool.

Footnote: Low-income percentage tallied using the total number of students receiving free and reduced-price lunch. Some errors in survey responses exist; read more about how these data were assembled.

Sources: Los Angeles Unified School District, California Department of Education, Times analysis

Credits: Ryan Menezes, Lily Mihalik, Zahira Torres, Ben Welsh

Icons: The Noun Project, Artworkbean, Raz Cohen, Benjamin Bours, Paul Stevens, Creative Stall, BraveBros., Jakub Caja, Alexander Cherkinsky, Austin Condiff, Yu Luck