Grading the arts in LAUSD

Verdugo Hills Senior High

10625 Plainview Ave, Tujunga

Enrollment: 1,506

Low-income students: 62%

Race/Ethnicity: Latino: 55%, white: 32%, Asian: 3%, black: 4%, other: 6%

Rank

16 of 249

secondary schools

B

What arts classes are offered?

Theater

Visual

Dance

Music

Vocal

Film

Media

Verdugo Hills Senior High scored 48 out of 80 points on a first-of-its-kind survey of arts education at L.A. Unified. The secondary school offers seven 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

Yes

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

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

No

Parent or community volunteer

Yes

Accomplished artist

Yes

How did nearby schools score?

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

Name Type Address Grade
Mt. Lukens Continuation Secondary 7705 Summitrose St C
Plainview Academic Charter Academy Elementary 10819 Plainview Ave C
Mt. Gleason Middle Secondary 10965 Mt Gleason Ave C
Apperson Street Elementary Elementary 10233 Woodward Ave C
Sunland Elementary Elementary 8350 Hillrose St C
Pinewood Avenue Elementary Elementary 10111 Silverton Ave C
Mountain View Elementary Elementary 6410 Olcott St C
Vinedale Elementary Elementary 10150 La Tuna Canyon Rd C
Brainard Elementary Elementary 11407 Brainard Ave D
Stonehurst Avenue Elementary Elementary 9851 Stonehurst Ave C
Glenwood Elementary Elementary 8001 Ledge Ave B
Roscoe Elementary Elementary 10765 Strathern St C
Arminta Street Elementary Elementary 11530 Strathern St C
Sun Valley Magnet Secondary 7330 Bakman Ave B

Reader comments

Share what you know about arts education at Verdugo Hills 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