Living
Public Education
No matter what their residency status – permanent, visitor or illegal – all children in LA are entitled to a free education, which is provided by the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), and funded through federal, state and local taxes. In the majority of the LAUSD’s 424 elementary schools, 72 middle schools and 49 high schools, curriculum and budget are controlled by the state, with learning measured through standardised testing in maths, English, reading, writing, science and history. There are also physical education requirements. Schools with the allocated budget will offer programmes in music and art, but many struggle against serious financial restraints. You may often find the wealth and quality of a public school correlates with its neighbourhood, but be warned that is a generalisation, not a rule.
If your child is from a non-English speaking country, the school may test his or her English and will provide the necessary ESL (English as a second language) classes. In addition, there are two levels of bilingual teaching, but if your child speaks English well enough, the regular curriculum is preferable and you may have to ask for it. In California, school size is limited until the end of third grade, but after that there is no guarantee on the class size or student-teacher ratio, which is why many locals believe the disparity between public and private schools becomes apparent in middle school. It is of note, however, that LAUSD is currently in the process of adding several schools to the district in order to combat overcrowding and improve the learning environment. A $19.3 billion construction programme is already under way, with145 new schools anticipated by 2012.
In most cases, the LAUSD school your child attends is determined by your address. Unless you are considering an alternative programme listed on the next page, your first step is to determine your child’s school of residence using the LAUSD School Finder (213 241 5437; www.lausd.net). You can then learn how the school measures up by visiting www.greatschools.net, an independent, non-profit organisation that rates schools. To enrol your child in your local school, you must fill out the paperwork provided by the school to get him or her registered. Any child with an address in LA will be accepted, regardless of residency status, but you must provide proof of the child’s age (birth certificate and passport) and residence address (utility bill), in addition to complete health and immunisation records. All immunisations, including polio, chickenpox, DTP, MMR, hepatitis B and tuberculosis, must be up-to-date before your child may attend class. Your school can direct you to the nearest free immunisation clinic if necessary.
If your child is from a non-English speaking country, the school may test his or her English and will provide the necessary ESL (English as a second language) classes. In addition, there are two levels of bilingual teaching, but if your child speaks English well enough, the regular curriculum is preferable and you may have to ask for it. In California, school size is limited until the end of third grade, but after that there is no guarantee on the class size or student-teacher ratio, which is why many locals believe the disparity between public and private schools becomes apparent in middle school. It is of note, however, that LAUSD is currently in the process of adding several schools to the district in order to combat overcrowding and improve the learning environment. A $19.3 billion construction programme is already under way, with145 new schools anticipated by 2012.
In most cases, the LAUSD school your child attends is determined by your address. Unless you are considering an alternative programme listed on the next page, your first step is to determine your child’s school of residence using the LAUSD School Finder (213 241 5437; www.lausd.net). You can then learn how the school measures up by visiting www.greatschools.net, an independent, non-profit organisation that rates schools. To enrol your child in your local school, you must fill out the paperwork provided by the school to get him or her registered. Any child with an address in LA will be accepted, regardless of residency status, but you must provide proof of the child’s age (birth certificate and passport) and residence address (utility bill), in addition to complete health and immunisation records. All immunisations, including polio, chickenpox, DTP, MMR, hepatitis B and tuberculosis, must be up-to-date before your child may attend class. Your school can direct you to the nearest free immunisation clinic if necessary.
