Frequently Asked Questions

The LACHSA Foundation is a registered 501(c)3 charitable nonprofit organization that was founded in 1984 with the sole focus of supporting the LA County High School for the Arts and in partnership with the LA County Board of Supervisors and the LA County Office of Education (LACOE).

For more than 40 years, the Foundation has furthered its mission providing millions of dollars in critical funding that bridges the gap between public education funding and the annual needs of the exemplary instruction and artistry at LACHSA. We also raise awareness for LACHSA’s opportunity, ensuring that LACHSA’s story is amplified and that student artists across Los Angeles County have access to its comprehensive high school experience and conservatory style education in five arts disciplines.   Learn more about the LACHSA Foundation. 

The LACHSA Foundation provides a portion of LACHSA’s annual budget, specifically to advance its arts education programs. Additional sources of funding come from the state of California for its CTE programs and a specialized grant for LACHSA’s arts curricula because LACHSA is a regional public high school.

The LACHSA Foundation is a small charity that employs three staff members to support our portfolio of giving in multiple fundraising strategies. Beyond our modest operational budget, donations raised for our mission benefit our outreach and awareness building, as well as direct investments in LACHSA’s curriculum, facilities, arts equipment, and performances at the school. Historically, our donations to LACHSA range from $700,000 to $1.5 million annually, with exceptions given to increased funding due to capital campaign, scholarships, or our endowment funds.

To donate directly, click here. To learn more about ways to give and get involved, visit our Ways to Give page.

LACHSA is a tuition-free specialized public high school for the arts that serves as a regional education hub for Los Angeles County. We do encourage parents and supporters to help support the school through donations, but there is no tuition or expectation to give, just as at any other public high school.

Nope! LACHSA is not an LAUSD-affiliated school. It is administered directly by the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) because it was founded to serve as a regional center for artistic education in the arts for Los Angeles County. LACHSA’s student artists come from many school districts throughout LA County, including LAUSD.  LACHSA is open to any high school student artist who is born to create, living in all socio-economic communities, and representing LA County’s multi-cultural, innovative, and resilient families.

LACHSA serves up to 600 talented students, who were born to create, from every corner of Los Angeles County. Some students travel an hour and a half each way to attend high school at LACHSA. LACHSA has a partnership with Metro that provides free services to its students, and the LACHSA parent community works together to host carpools.

No, LACHSA is not a charter school. It is a non-charter public high school, administered by the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE). It is a regional center for public education specializing in conservatory level arts education training in five arts disciplines and why the LACHSA Foundation has played a critical role in providing funding from before the school opened its doors in 1985.

For more information about our audition and admissions process, visit the lachsa.net Admissions Page.

If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to contact us! We would be happy to talk to you about how LACHSA Foundation supports the extraordinary public arts education at LACHSA.