Grading the arts in LAUSD

Benjamin Franklin Senior High

820 N Ave 54, Los Angeles

Enrollment: 1,459

Low-income students: 71%

Race/Ethnicity: Latino: 90%, white: 2%, Asian: 2%, black: 1%, other: 5%

Rank

62 of 249

secondary schools

C

What arts classes are offered?

Theater

Visual

Dance

Music

Vocal

Film

Media

Benjamin Franklin Senior High scored 37 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 C grade in a Times analysis of the results. Districtwide, 535 schools (70.8%) 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

 No
* 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

 Yes

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

 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
Monte Vista Street Elementary Elementary 5423 Monte Vista B
Richard Riordan Primary Center Elementary 5531 Monte Vista St C
Yorkdale Elementary Elementary 5657 Meridian St A
Buchanan Street Elementary Elementary 5024 Buchanan St C
Aldama Elementary Elementary 632 N Ave 50 C
Garvanza Elementary Elementary 317 N Ave 62 C
Luther Burbank Middle Secondary 6460 N Figueroa St C
Arroyo Seco Museum Science Elementary 4805 Sycamore Terr C
Arroyo Seco Museum Science Secondary 4805 Sycamore Terr C
Bushnell Way Elementary Elementary 5507 Bushnell Way C
Toland Way Elementary Elementary 4545 Toland Way C
Eagle Rock High Secondary 1750 Yosemite Dr C
Annandale Elementary Elementary 6125 Poppy Peak Dr C
Rockdale Elementary Elementary 1303 Yosemite Dr A
Mt. Washington Elementary Elementary 3981 San Rafael Ave C

Reader comments

Share what you know about arts education at Benjamin Franklin Senior High 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