Original Research by School Decision on Dan M. Issacs Avalon High
Dan M. Issacs Avalon High is a small, alternative high school serving grades nine through twelve in Wilmington, a densely populated working-class neighborhood in Los Angeles's Harbor region. The school sits on North Avalon Boulevard, the palm-lined main commercial corridor that runs through the heart of the neighborhood.
The school serves a student body of about fifty-seven students, nearly all of whom qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating substantial economic need. The population is overwhelmingly Hispanic, with a handful of Black, Asian, and multiracial students. As an alternative school, Avalon High serves a different population and mission than a traditional comprehensive high school. Data on English learner enrollment and students with IEPs were not available, so a parent would want to ask the school directly about how it serves students learning English and students with disabilities.
Academic performance at Avalon High is critically low. State testing results from 2024-25 show roughly one in eight students met proficiency standards in English language arts, fewer than one in fifteen in mathematics, and zero students in science. These figures represent what appears to be a school designed to serve students who have not succeeded in traditional settings, with very deep academic gaps. A parent considering this school should understand that it is not a pathway toward strong grade-level proficiency in core subjects as measured by state assessments. That said, alternative schools often exist to serve students for whom that pathway has already proven unsuccessful, and the appropriate question is whether this school's actual mission and supports are a fit for the individual student's needs and circumstances. The school's website and conversations with its staff would clarify what curriculum approach, graduation pathway, and student supports it offers.
Graduation rate data was not available for this school, a gap that warrants direct inquiry about completion and diploma outcomes.
Wilmington itself is a neighborhood of renter-occupied apartments and older housing stock, with homeownership concentrated in the area but housing costs running above the national benchmark and rents moderately high relative to local income. The neighborhood is defined by its proximity to the Port of Los Angeles and heavy oil refining and petroleum infrastructure, with active drilling operations sometimes located very close to homes. Recent years have brought substantial investment in waterfront green space, including the Wilmington Waterfront Promenade opened in 2024, and a wave of affordable and supportive housing development. A major planned redevelopment of the idled Phillips 66 refinery site would transform the industrial footprint into mixed-use space with retail, a grocery anchor, sports fields, and industrial warehouses over the coming years.
The Los Angeles Unified School District, which operates Avalon High, implemented a district-wide cellphone ban across all school hours starting in February 2025. Any family with a student in LAUSD also faces a long-term property tax increase tied to Measure US, a major school facilities bond approved by voters to repair and upgrade aging buildings. The district has also overhauled its Black Student Achievement Plan to broaden eligibility and increase funding, a change that affects curriculum and support staffing at designated schools across the system.
For a parent or guardian considering this school, the critical next steps are to speak with school leadership about the alternative curriculum model, the actual graduation and post-secondary outcomes the school achieves, and how it serves students with language and disability needs. The academic proficiency numbers are stark and reflect a population facing severe learning gaps; whether this school's structure, staffing, and approach are suited to addressing those gaps for your student requires direct conversation with the people who work there.
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