HCC’s list of top Schools in Los Angeles (part 2 of 3)

When it comes to picking a school in the nations second largest school district, you have few metrics to compare schools and equally limited places to get that information. LAUSD has given parents a ridiculous amount of school choices, over 798, but its up to you the parent to compare and pick the schools. Where do you start look, lets see if we can help you out.

How do I know what my choices are?

Before you go off on your quest to look for a school you should know how many options you have. We made a handy dandy table of the different choices in LAUSD and what you need to qualify for each type. Chances are if you’ve heard of a school there is some path to getting in.

What are some things to look for?

Lets recap from Part 1. The most common factors for picking a school are Location, Calendar, Schedule, Available Classes and electives, Demographics and diversity, Support Services, API, Reputation, and newly added AGT.

Some great resources and what they do well

HopeChangeChoices.org : Location. We offer maps for Magnet schools, Charter Schools, and Open Enrollment. I think we do a descent job of explaining the differences in enrollment.

Greatschools.org: Location, Available Classes and electives (yes, but not updated), Demographics and diversity, Support Services, API, Reputation*.

Ask a neighbor* -Covers every category. A neighbor can be your best resource, especially with a child at the school you’re looking at.

LAUSD (+google) –Covers every category. LAUSD’s website contains lots of useful information in hard to find places. I recommend using Google (or your favorite search engine) and include the topic or school your interested in and add the phrase “LAUSD”. LAUSD has recently released school report cards for every school and School AGT which measures teacher effectiveness on test scores. Report cards give you a sense of both academic and school environment. One note here is that report cards are based on voluntary feedback so look at how many individuals responded.

* When it comes to online rankings and snapshot descriptions people will usually push toward an extreme of like or dislike. If you have a chance to talk to a person one on one, ask them questions that don’t just give you simple yes or no answers.