Valley Academy Of Arts And Sciences

This is the best school in the Valley. Smaller than most but influential in academic culture and fostering awareness and compassion for current events. Students at this school are encouraged to have a voice and discover their inner leader. My daughter is thriving here and my son will soon be there as well. Thankful!

This school is not for everyone. It is a school that focuses on arts and, to a lesser degree, sciences. If you feel lots of homework is important, send your child some place else (GHCHS). If you feel nearly 40 hours of instruction is sufficient to educate your child and you don't think overtime on homework is necessary, this might be a good choice. VAAS provides for learning outside of the classroom through interesting projects, but the time demands are less than at other LAUSD options. My son had a pleasurable learning experience and this school was a good fit for him. Because of the smaller school size, he had a chance to participate in athletics and performing arts that he wouldn't have had at a larger facility. Some course offerings were unique, like "forensics." English courses and teachers had a slightly different emphasis that deviated from emphasizing strict grammar and syntax. Critical thinking is often stressed over rote memory in course offerings with both positive and negative results. Mathematics may be an area that needs improvement - my son's experience is consistent with the low standardized test scores associated with VAAS, so potential engineers might benefit from GHCHS. The campus is well-organized and maintained. The office staff is very helpful and pleasant. It's a good school overall and depending on your child, it might be the best option or something just "OK."

I graduated from this school just this year (2016), and let me tell you, I absolutely hated it. There were teachers who were extremely ineffective with their approach to teaching, not many students were capable of passing AP exams, largely due to the amount of nonsense courses a student had to take. The "signature project" was one of the most hectic and most draining things I have ever done. If you want to go to this school, beware that you will not be in for what you would see at a traditional high school. You will have eight classes; four a day, and have to use those horrendous LAUSD iPads, which are more of a distraction than are an educational tool. You won't have much support when it comes to SAT, AP, or ACT exams, and good luck if you choose this school over a better school like GHCHS.

I recently graduated from VAAS and lets just say i never loved a school so much. This school like all schools is what you make of it. Luckily that wasn't very hard. Everyone is so quick to judge our school based on the fact that is unconventional. However this is what makes it special. I went from being a troubled, bullied, and unnoticed student from my old middle school (which is also a high school) to being active in almost all school functions, having close bonds to teachers and staff, and never having to worry about drama. Yes this school is different but the fact is doing homework every night can only do so much. We absolutely learn life skills here, they do the best they can. I was a club president, principle cabinet member, and a leadership student. So lets just say I was active in school and well aware of things. This school is the place where anyone can be themselves and bullying is 100% not tolerated. Its a safe place, the bond students will have with their teachers are amazing, the things you learn and do are amazing as well. The principle is one of the best I've ever seen, she is professional and she actually helped write the plan that created the school so she works hard to achieve those goals. So I highly recommend this school to all students looking for more than just a basic high school experience. People who are looking for a family and who want to sing Bohemian Rhapsody. PS the signature projects are used in place of community service requirements in high school. So yes it does make sense that its mandatory in order to graduate. The goal of the project varies by year, each year in you learn more in depth about the topic your choosing. This project teaches us about connecting with our community, using resources, spreading awareness and fighting problems. If you actually work hard and NOT PROCRASTINATE AND COMPLAIN you will succeed!. ex; Make a notion save the ocean, California drought, Healthy eating, Animals in shelters, ect.