East LA Performing Arts Magnet Academy

The East LA Performing Arts Academy shares the Esteban E. Torres HS campus with four other small schools. The campus is in the heart of East Los Angeles, in a vibrant urban neighborhood, near Cal State LA and East LA College.

Urban

Counselor, College Counselor, Pupil Services and Attendance Counselor, School Nurse, School Psychologist, Resource Specialist Teacher, Special Day Program Teacher

4 laptop carts, WiFi throughout campus

Musical Theatre, Leadership, Rock Band Club, Dance Team, Cheer, Pep Band, Drawing Club, Bible Club, Yearbook, Math Club

Free

Collared shirts, dress to learn

The East LA Performing Arts AcademyVision & Mission
To establish a model performing arts academy in East Los Angeles for all students interested in the arts, who will achieve at high levels in the classroom and in performance.

The mission of the East Los Angeles Performing Arts Academy is to develop creative, contributing members of society through a standards-based curriculum featuring rigorous interdisciplinary instruction that is rich in the performing arts.

Our school is an exciting place to get ready for college, to learn about music, dance and theatre, and to explore careers in Los Angeles' creative economy. Start your journey to achievement with students who learn by singing as well as by writing essays, who can program the light board for a Shakespeare play in addition to taking tests, and who can use dance to demonstrate concepts in trigonometry.

The East LA Performing Arts Academy was founded by a group of teachers, students and parents who sought to provide opportunities for young people in their community to prepare for college and careers by learning about and through the performing arts. Nearly all students at the school spend 25-50% of their school day in performing arts or arts-related classes, including Orchestra, Choir, Guitar, Brass/Woodwinds, Jazz, Theatre, Dance, Humanities, Film-making and Creative Writing. The school's Academic Performance Index (API) has climbed 65 points since 2011, from 577 to 642. The teachers, students, parents and support staff have worked together to help students graduate on time, with an 85% graduation rate far exceeding the historical graduation rates for comprehensive high schools serving the same population. Each year since 2012, approximately 40% of seniors are UC/CSU eligible, and all eligible seniors are assisted with college/university applications.

The school has been selected to receive grants from national and local arts foundations, including: Exploring the Arts/Tony Bennett Foundtion, Flourish Foundation, Huntington Library and Gardens, Los Angeles Education Partnership, Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation, International House of Blues Foundation, Fender Music Foundation, Donorschoose.org.

Eddie Hernandez - Class of 2012, UCLA Film Major and NBCUniversal Internship recipient
Rocio Diaz - Class of 2012, Cal State LA student leader, actress and activist
Pedro Rodriguez, Class of 2012, Humboldt State University Music Education major
Savanah Hernandez, Class of 2012, UC Santa Cruz Psychology major

Athletics, After-school Tutoring Center, After-school nutrition program, Breakfast-in-the-Classroom

East LA Performing Arts Academy students learn from professional musicians, dancers and actors through long-term arts residency programs with LA Opera, the LA Repertory Theatre, the Flourish Foundation, VersaStyle Dance Company, Contra-Tiempo Urban Latin Dance Company, MusicianCorps, Get Lit Poetry Performance Troupe, StreetPoets, and the Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles.