Education Programs

While the LA Conservation Corps is best known for its environmental and conservation work and service projects, our education programs are another important component of the services we offer to Los Angeles youth and young adults.

Alternative Education Program
Youth and young adults who were unsuccessful in a traditional high school have the opportunity to reclaim their academic futures and earn a high school diploma.

We partner with the Los Angeles Education Corps, an independent charter school authorized by the Nevada County (CA) Office of Education, to offer a high school diploma program accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

Young Adult Corps High School
EcoAcademy
Youth Opportunities High School

After School Program
The After School Program provides academic enrichment, tutoring and mentoring services at Los Angeles Unified School District elementary and middle schools.
Young Adult Corps High School caters to the 18- to 24-year-old youth enrolled in the Young Adult Corps who come to us for a second chance at a high school diploma and applicable work experience that will make them competitive for living wage jobs. This site fulfills the Young Adult Corps' school/work model by offering seven-week blocks of high school classes that are separated by alternating blocks of paid on-the-job training on work projects.

Academic instruction at Young Adult Corps High School involves small classes of 15-20 students who study the required core subjects needed to pass the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) including mathematics, English (reading and writing), science, history, computer technology and a number of elective courses (e.g., economics, speech, government or foreign language).

EcoAcademy

Located in Pico-Union, EcoAcademy High School is a vibrant part of the local community and serves approximately 130 14- to 18-year-old students each year. EcoAcademy was founded in 2002 in a call to action from the City of Los Angeles to address the needs of high school-aged youth. Today, the school remains housed at the site of an old fire station. The majority of students at EcoAcademy are between 15 and 17 years of age; 90% of the student body is Latino/Hispanic and 10% is African American.

EcoAcademy is another of the three Western Association of Schools and Colleges-accredited charter school sites operated in partnership with the Los Angeles Education Corps for the youth of the LA Conservation Corps. EcoAcademy has a unique identity and program model that combines a high-quality educational setting, mental health services and an emphasis on the environment. Our hallmark curriculum emphasizes environmental stewardship and students must complete an environmental awareness course and participate in community beautification projects in order to graduate. One recent project involved students converting a vacant lot near the school into a community garden.

Academic instruction at EcoAcademy involves small classes of 15 students who study the required core subjects needed to pass the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) including mathematics, English (reading and writing), science, history, computer technology and a number of elective courses (e.g., economics, speech, government or foreign language).

Youth Opportunities High School

Located in Watts, Youth Opportunities High School (YO Watts) is part of the larger City of Los Angeles Youth Opportunities Movement and currently housed at the Pitts Community Center. YO Watts was founded in 2000 in response to the growing need for educational and supportive services for low-income young people from this South LA neighborhood. Today YO Watts serves approximately 100 14- to 18-year-old students who were unsuccessful in their local public high schools. The majority of these students are 16 and 17 years old; approximately 56% of the student body is Hispanic and 44% is African American.

YO Watts has a unique identity and program model that combines a high-quality educational setting, mental health services and an emphasis on the performing and creative arts. Students work on murals, participate in drama or take part in video film production, in addition to other core academic subjects. We have seen how the arts can engage previously reluctant learners while providing them with a therapeutic outlet. Such an outlet is needed for these students who have witnessed gang violence or experienced the negative results of gang activities in their communities.

Fact Sheet

Academic instruction at YO Watts involves small classes of 15 students who study the required core subjects needed to pass the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) including mathematics, English (reading and writing), science, history, computer technology and a number of elective courses (e.g., economics, speech, government or foreign language).

Click the link below for the EcoAcademy and YO High School's calendar for 2009-10
Eco & YOHS Calendar 09-10