Grading the arts in LAUSD

Mary McLeod Bethune Middle

155 W 69Th St, Los Angeles

Enrollment: 1,308

Low-income students: 96%

Race/Ethnicity: Latino: 86%, white: 0%, Asian: 0%, black: 13%, other: 1%

Rank

39 of 249

secondary schools

B

What arts classes are offered?

Theater

Visual

Dance

Music

Vocal

Film

Media

Mary McLeod Bethune Middle scored 42 out of 80 points on a first-of-its-kind survey of arts education at L.A. Unified. The secondary school offers three 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

 Yes

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

 No

Parent or community volunteer

 Yes

Accomplished artist

 No

How did nearby schools score?

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

Name Type Address Grade
Sixty-Sixth Street Elementary Elementary 6600 S San Pedro C
Sixty-Eighth Street Elementary Elementary 612 W 68th St C
Seventy-Fifth Street Elementary Elementary 142 W 75th St C
Sixty-First Street Elementary Elementary 6020 S Figueroa St C
John C. Fremont Senior High Secondary 7676 S San Pedro C
Gerald A. Lawson Academy of the Arts, Mathematics and Science Elementary 929 W 69th St C
Augustus F. Hawkins High B Community Health Advocates Secondary 825 W 60th St C
Augustus F. Hawkins High C Responsible Indigenous Social Entrepreneurship Secondary 825 W 60th St C
Estrella Elementary Elementary 120 E 57th St C
Augustus F. Hawkins High A Critical Design and Gaming Secondary 825 W 60th St C
Loren Miller Elementary Elementary 830 W 77th St C
Los Angeles Academy Middle Secondary 644 E 56th St C
John Muir Middle Secondary 5929 S Vermont Av C
Main Street Elementary Elementary 129 E 53rd St C
McKinley Avenue Elementary Elementary 7812 Mc Kinley Av C

Reader comments

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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