Grading the arts in LAUSD

Van Nuys Middle

5435 Vesper Ave, Van Nuys

Enrollment: 1,266

Low-income students: 81%

Race/Ethnicity: Latino: 82%, white: 8%, Asian: 3%, black: 3%, other: 4%

Rank

68 of 249

secondary schools

C

What arts classes are offered?

Theater

Visual

Dance

Music

Vocal

Film

Media

Van Nuys Middle scored 36 out of 80 points on a first-of-its-kind survey of arts education at L.A. Unified. The secondary school offers four 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

 Yes

Grants

 No

Donations

 No
* Amount from budget reported as "$1,001 - $2,999"

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
Kester Avenue Elementary Elementary 5353 Kester Ave B
Chandler Learning Academy Elementary 14030 Weddington St D
Sylvan Park Elementary Elementary 6238 Noble Ave V C
Hesby Oaks Leadership Charter Elementary 15530 Hesby St C
Hesby Oaks Leadership Charter Secondary 15530 Hesby St D
Will Rogers Continuation Secondary 14711 Gilmore St D
Sherman Oaks Elementary Charter Elementary 14755 Greenleaf St A
Van Nuys Elementary Elementary 6464 Sylmar Ave B
Robert A. Millikan Middle Secondary 5041 Sunnyslope Ave A
Van Nuys Senior High Secondary 6535 Cedros Ave C
Columbus Avenue Elementary 6700 Columbus Ave C
Erwin Elementary Elementary 13400 Erwin St V B
Andres and Maria Cardenas Elementary Elementary 6900 N Calhoun Ave C
Kittridge Street Elementary Elementary 13619 Kittridge St C
Riverside Drive Charter Elementary Elementary 13061 Riverside Dr B

Reader comments

Share what you know about arts education at Van Nuys 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