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Downtown Magnets High School

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Coordinates: 34°03′42″N 118°15′14″W / 34.06172974099776°N 118.25397860025885°W / 34.06172974099776; -118.25397860025885
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Downtown Magnets High School
The Edward R. Roybal Learning Center, where the school resides
Address
Map
1200 Colton Street

Los Angeles
,
California
90026

United States
Coordinates34°03′42″N 118°15′14″W / 34.06172974099776°N 118.25397860025885°W / 34.06172974099776; -118.25397860025885
Information
Former nameDowntown Business Magnet
Downtown Business High
Type
Motto"Home of the Suns"
Established1981 (1981)
School districtLos Angeles Unified School District
NCES District ID0622710[1]
NCES School ID062271007757[2]
PrincipalSean Teer
Grades9–12
GenderCoeducational
Enrollment1,043 (2020–2021)
 • Grade 9278
 • Grade 10248
 • Grade 11283
 • Grade 12234
Student to teacher ratio21.50 (2020–2021)
Schedule typeBlock scheduling
Color(s)  Green
  Gold
Athletics conferenceCIF Los Angeles City Section
MascotSun
AccreditationsWASC,[3] IBO[4]
USNWR ranking194 (national)
PublicationThe Sunrise Press (2022–present)
NewspaperThe Helios (2016–present)
Websitewww.downtownmagnets.org

Downtown Magnets High School (DMHS) is an alternate magnet high school located in the Temple-Beaudry neighborhood near Downtown Los Angeles. The school belongs to the Downtown/MacArthur Park Community of Schools[5] and houses three magnet programs: Business (DBM), and Electronic Information (EIM), and the International Baccalaureate (IB). The three magnets combined hold a total student population of approximately 1,000 students.

Previously sharing a campus with the television station KLCS on West Temple Street, the school relocated to the Edward R. Roybal Learning Center beginning of the 2022–2023 year.[6]

History

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Aerial view of the former campus in 1999.

After founding the Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies in 1977, David Peha founded Downtown Business Magnet in 1981 as a component of LAUSD's expanding voluntary integration program specializing in bushiness training.[7] The school's first class consisted of 55 sophomores from different neighborhoods around Downtown Los Angeles. The first campus was previously a storage room for the textbooks used by LAUSD and shared the area with television station KLCS; before that the area previously being used by Custer Avenue School that was demolished in 1949 to make way for U.S. Route 101.[8][9] The school was focused on introducing a business program into the curriculum and mimicking a business environment.

In 1994, the Electronic Information Magnet was created for specialization in technology and multimedia. Because of the new magnet, Downtown Business Magnet adopted the name Downtown Magnets to incorporate both.[10]

On June 6, 2022, the school announced that it would be relocating to another campus after 40 years. They moved to the Edward R. Roybal Learning Center in the summer before the 2022–2023 school year.[6]

Academics and programs

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Upper gate at the former campus, 2021.

Downtown Business Magnet

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The Downtown Business Magnet was the first magnet program established at DMHS, and is the largest magnet program, with approximately 45% of the school's population. The curriculum includes accounting, business organization, corporate management, sales, entrepreneurship, careers, international relations, and the use of technology in business. It includes the Academy of Finance and the Academy of Fashion Design & Merchandising.

The Academy of Fashion Design & Merchandising was established in 1992 under as the Fashion Careers Center to educate students on the design and fabrication of general clothing apparel.[11] In 2014, the Fashion Careers Center was combined along with the existing Academy of Finance of DBM. It was renamed the "Academy of Fashion" in 2015, and then to "Academy of Fashion Design & Merchandising" in 2017.

Electronic Information Magnet

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The Electronic Information Magnet was established in 1994.[11] It has the second largest student population out of the three magnet programs and includes studies in computer science, computer programming and web design.[10] The magnet program was developed with the Los Angeles Central Library and the UCLA Graduate School of Education in collaboration with several local business leaders and LAUSD board members. The program incorporates technology and STEM into students' high school education.[12]

International Baccalaureate

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DMHS is a part of the International Baccalaureate diploma program, being authorized for the program on October 8, 2014.[13][14]

Grings College Center

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The Grings College Center was founded to assist students for college by helping with applications, financial aid, and scholarships. Previously known as simply the College Center, it was renamed in 2005 to honor Carol Grings, a college counselor who also served as a math teacher, and coordinator for DMHS from 1982 until 2005, when she died from cancer.[15]

In the 2021–2022 school year, the Los Angeles Times ran a story about the Center and the college counselor, Lynda McGee, and how they helped students from the school rival the college admissions rate of elite private schools.[16][17]

Athletics

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The school participates in sports such as basketball, cross country, softball, tennis, volleyball, and track and field.[18] Prior to the campus relocation, as they did not have a large enough room for classes, physical education classes would regularly be at school, Elysian Park, Echo Park Lake, or Griffith Park.[19]

In 2012, the boys and girls' tennis teams were introduced, and in the next year, the girls' tennis team won the school's first championship over El Camino Real Charter High School.[20]

Demographics and rankings

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Demographics of student body
Breakdown 2019 2020 2021
Native Americans <1% <1% <1%
Hispanic and Latino American 56% 58.4% 55.7%
Black 6% 5.4% 5.5%
Asian American 32% 33.9% 33.8%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander <1% <1% <1%
White 4% 1.8% 2.9%
Multiracial Americans – 1.8% 1.7%
Female 47% 49.1% 49%
Male 53% 50.9% 51%

For the 2019-2020 school year, DMHS had an enrollment of 1056 students, broken down into 25% freshmen, 27.3% sophomores, 25.4% juniors, and 22.3% seniors. 71.2% of students had English as their second language.[21] 2% were English learners.[22] The school had 83.6% of enrolled students economically disadvantaged in the 2012–2013 school year.[23]

As of 2022, DMHS is ranked 24th in California and 194th nationally according to the U.S. News & World Report.[24] In 2014, the school placed 25th out of 75 in Los Angeles's Challenge Index.[25][26] In 2015, it placed 84th out of the top 100 on the U.S. News & World Report list.[27]

US News 2022 Rankings
Academic Performance Index

The Academic Performance Index (API) measures the academic progress of schools across the state of California. Since the 2007-2008 school year, Downtown Magnets has placed number one in Local District 4, thanks to the continual growth of its API Its scores are as follows:

Year 2012 2011 2009 2008 2007 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999
API 826 807 746 736 690 655 645 616 606 601 593 595

The aforementioned data is provided by the California Department of Education.[28]

Notable people

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Alumni

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  • Brittany Diego – fashion stylist and founder of Fashion Mentor[29]
  • Stephanie Dorsey – co-founder and managing partner of E²JDJ[30]
  • Phlo Finister – R&B singer-songwriter (attended, did not graduate)[31]
  • Joshua Hong – vocalist for the South Korean boy band Seventeen[32]
  • Hayley Hoverter – founder of Sweet (dis)SOLVE and winner of the 2011 National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge by NFTE[33]

Staff

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  • Daniel Jocz – former social studies teacher, 2016 National Teacher of the Year finalist, and 2016 California Teacher of the Year winner[34][35]

References

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  1. ^ "Search for Public School Districts – District Detail for Downtown Business High". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  2. ^ "Search for Public Schools - Downtown Business High (062271007757)". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  3. ^ "Accrediting Commission for Schools: Directory of schools 2014-2015" (PDF). Western Association of Schools and Colleges. July 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-02-28. Retrieved 2017-02-12.
  4. ^ "IBO: Downtown Magnets High School". International Baccalaureate Organisation.
  5. ^ "Downtown/MacArthur Park Community of Schools". Downtown/MacArthur Park Community of Schools.
  6. ^ a b "Farewell DMHS Campus". Downtown Magnets. June 6, 2022.
  7. ^ McVey-Russell, Gar (July 26, 2013). "An Ode to Cows and Airplanes". The Gar Spot.
  8. ^ "Early Los Angeles Historical Buildings (1800s)". Water and Power Associates. p. 5.
  9. ^ "HISTORY OF SCHOOLS 1855–1972" (PDF) (3 ed.). January 1973. p. 19.
  10. ^ a b "Downtown Business Magnet (Computer Science/Engineering/MultiMedia)". Downtown Magnets High School.
  11. ^ a b "Drawn to the Magnets". LA Times. 24 December 2000. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  12. ^ "DMHS Course Catalogue" (PDF). Downtown Magnets. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  13. ^ "Downtown Magnets High School". International Baccalaureate.
  14. ^ Seigel, Dora (June 13, 2022). "Complete List of IB Schools in the USA, by State". PrepScholar.
  15. ^ "How did the Grings College Center get its name?". Grings College Center.
  16. ^ Watanabe, Teresa (December 29, 2021). "The unentitled kids: California's new generation of star college applicants". Los Angeles Times.
  17. ^ Watanabe, Teresa (April 15, 2022). "College admission season wraps up with a rejection party, a paper shredder and joy". Los Angeles Times.
  18. ^ "Coaching Staff". Downtown Magnets High School.
  19. ^ "Students Take a Lap at Echo Park Lake as Street Closures for Sunday's Marathon Announced". Patch. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  20. ^ "Downtown Magnet wins City Invitational girls tennis crown, school's first title in any sport". Los Angeles Daily News. November 18, 2013.
  21. ^ "Downtown Business Magnet". L.A. Unified Enrollment. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  22. ^ "Downtown Business High School". Great! Schools. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  23. ^ Morse, Robert (June 13, 2013). "Top High Schools With the Most Minority, Disadvantaged Students". U.S. News & World Report.
  24. ^ "Downtown Business High School". U.S. News & World Report.
  25. ^ Clough, Craig (September 26, 2014). "LAUSD places 9 schools among top 25 in county 'Challenge Index'". LA School Report.
  26. ^ Matthews, Jay (September 23, 2014). "75 Los Angeles County High Schools—Public and Private—That Bring Out the Best in Students". Los Angeles.
  27. ^ Clough, Craig (May 15, 2015). "LAUSD charters score well on U.S. News & World Report list". LA School Report.
  28. ^ "Academic Performance Index (API) Report - Select Final Report Parameters". Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  29. ^ "DMHS Suns making their mark!". Downtown Magnets High School.
  30. ^ "A World Without Food Waste: Stephanie Dorsey". Village Capital. April 19, 2021.
  31. ^ Haithcoat, Rebecca (November 30, 2011). "Phlo Finister: A Portugese [sic], Black, And Irish Former Model Who Sings R&B". LA Weekly.
  32. ^ "Joshua Hong: CLASS OF 2013". classmates.com.
  33. ^ McNicholas, Kym (October 7, 2011). "16-Year Old Social Entrepreneur Wins National Competition Vowing To Reduce World Waste". Forbes.
  34. ^ Slayton, Nicholas (November 17, 2015). "Does the Best Teacher in the Country Work Downtown?". Los Angeles Downtown News.
  35. ^ Frank, Brian (January 12, 2016). "LAUSD's Daniel Jocz is 1 of 4 finalists for national teacher of the year". KPCC.
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