Garfield High School (Los Angeles County, California)
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James A. Garfield High School is a public, year-round high school in East Los Angeles, an unincorporated section of Los Angeles County, California. Although the school suffers from many of the problems common to inner-city schools, its strong computer science magnet, Academic Decathlon, and Advanced Placement programs have led to unexpected academic success stories. The school was made famous by the film Stand and Deliver, perhaps the most famous success story in the history of the school.
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[edit] Administration
Garfield is administered by the Los Angeles Unified School District.
[edit] Demographics
The school had a total of 4620 students in the 2005-2006 school year; 99.26% of the students were identified as Hispanic[1].
[edit] Demographics History
From the 1930s thru the 1950s, Garfield High was predominantly non-Hispanic white. However, since the 1960s, the majority of student body has been Hispanic. [2]
[edit] Academics
Overall, Garfield has a student population that places significantly below average in the California Standards Test.[3]
[edit] Academic Decathlon
Garfield has the following record in the California Academic Decathlon from 1998 to 2006[4]:
| Year | State standing | State points | LAUSD standing | LAUSD points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 10th | 42,707.9 | 6th | 44,310.4 |
| 2002 | Did not compete | N/A | 7th | 41,677 |
| 2001 | 12th | 39,398 | 3rd | 41,702 |
| 1999 | 8th | 44,557 | 2nd | 45,780 |
| 1998 | 6th | 45,912 | 2nd | Unknown |
[edit] Advanced Placement
Garfield achieved fame because of Jaime Escalante; during the 1980s he built an exceptional advanced placement calculus program. In 1982, 18 of his students passed the advanced placement calculus test. The College Board suspected cheating and required the students to re-take the examination. Further testing showed that the students had actually learned the material.
In 1987, 73 students passed, while another 12 passed the second year calculus test. In 1988, a popular film titled Stand and Deliver was made about the events of 1982. In 1990, there were over 400 students in Escalante's math program from algebra to calculus. In 1991, he had a falling out with the school administration, which he felt was geared more towards sports than academics[citation needed]. By 1996, only seven passed the basic calculus exam, with four passing the advanced exam. That was a total of eleven passing students, down from a high of 85 nine years earlier. In 2001, the school made a slight recovery in its calculus scores, with 17 passing the basic test and seven passing the second year test.
The legacy of Jaime Escalante can still be seen in the 722 students who took AP tests of some sort in 2000. They had a 44% overall pass rate, which is actually comparable to the national average.
[edit] Sports
The school colors are crimson, white, and blue. The school mascot is the bulldog.
[edit] Football
Garfield High School participates in the "East L.A. Classic" against Roosevelt High in football, a game that traditionally draws over 20,000 fans[5]. Garfield has the following record in the Classic:
| Year | W/L | Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | W | 35-13 | [6] |
| 2005 | W | 27-26 | [7] |
| 2003 | L | 0-33 | [8] |
| 1999 | W | 16-13 | [9] |
[edit] Notable Alumni
- Almaraz, Carlos — Artist
- de la Hoya, Oscar — Olympic gold medalist and professional boxer
- Hidalgo, David — Member of the band Los Lobos
- Gamboa, Harry Jr. — Artist and essayist
- Gonzalez, Alexander — President of California State University, Sacramento
- Lozano, Conrad — Member of the band Los Lobos
- Marquez, Roy E. — "Stand and Deliver" student and current Garfield math and computer science teacher[10]
- Mencia, Carlos — Comedian and host of Comedy Central's "Mind of Mencia"
- Rosas, Cesar — Member of the band Los Lobos
- Valdez, Patssi — Artist[11]
- Viramontes, Maria Helena — Fiction writer
[edit] References
- Jerry Jesness (2002). "Stand and Deliver Revisited".
[edit] Notes
- ^ http://search.lausd.k12.ca.us/cgi-bin/fccgi.exe?w3exec=enroll3&which=8679
- ^ http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/05/17/in_school_latinos_find_fewer_resources_ethnic_isolation?mode=PF
- ^ http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/lausd/offices/bulletins/8679_cst.pdf
- ^ http://www.academicdecathlon.org/scores.htm
- ^ http://www.nflhs.com/StateStories.aspx?id=8715&state=GJ
- ^ http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-spw-hsfbgarfield4nov04,1,201416.story?coll=la-headlines-sports&ctrack=1&cset=true
- ^ http://www.nflhs.com/StateStories.aspx?id=8715&state=GJ
- ^ http://archive.maxpreps.com/FanPages/Sports/Football/Common/Team.asp?TeamID={DE036292-2079-4DDA-AC9B-5E92FF9B8DBE}&setTeamType=3&setSeason={34E61A38-E781-4559-AD3B-975471A36E45}&setAffiliate=LAS
- ^ http://www.harvardindependent.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleID=8287
- ^ http://www.nea.org/neatoday/0301/learning.html
- ^ http://www.chicano-art-life.com/pr_text/Artist_Bios_Visions.doc
