Original Research by School Decision on Dr. Maya Angelou Community High
Dr. Maya Angelou Community High is a regular public high school serving grades nine through twelve in Los Angeles, located on East 53rd Street in the 90011 zip code. The enrollment is small, slightly under one thousand students, with ninth and tenth graders forming the largest cohorts and senior enrollment noticeably smaller.
The school's student body is predominantly Hispanic, with Black students forming the second-largest group and very small representation of other racial and ethnic groups. Nearly all students—close to a near-universal rate—qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school firmly in a high-poverty setting and marking it as a Title I eligible school serving families with substantial economic need.
State testing results for 2024-25 show limited proficiency across measured subjects. In English language arts, fewer than a third of students met proficiency standards. In mathematics, just over a tenth met standards. In science, proficiency was in the low double digits. These numbers represent the school's current performance snapshot; only one year of data was available, so trend analysis was not possible. A parent may want to look into these results further with the school to understand context—whether the school serves a large share of English learners or recently arrived students, what support systems exist, and what improvement work is underway.
The school is part of Los Angeles Unified, which covers the sprawling city and operates as the nation's second-largest school district. LAUSD recently implemented a student cellphone ban throughout the entire school day, including lunch, using locked storage pouches at most middle and high schools. This took effect in February 2025 and affects daily school culture and student-parent communication across the district. The district also adopted Measure US, a major school facilities bond, which means families moving into the district face a long-term property tax increase tied to building repairs and upgrades. Additionally, LAUSD's Black Student Achievement Plan, funded with culturally responsive curriculum and dedicated counseling staff, shapes programming at targeted schools including this one, with enhanced funding allocated for 2025-26.
The neighborhoods surrounding the school, in south Los Angeles, sit within a city undergoing active housing growth and rezoning driven by statewide housing shortage. Downtown Los Angeles is experiencing significant transformation ahead of the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics, with major mixed-use developments and convention center expansion. The broader Los Angeles area remains car-dependent, though transit options exist through the Metro system and other agencies. Housing costs in the area are substantial relative to median household income, with rents consuming a significant share of family budgets. Employment in the region centers on county government, LAUSD itself, higher education, aerospace and defense, healthcare, entertainment, and fashion.
Data on the school's graduation rate, chronic absenteeism, staffing ratios, course and program offerings, and English learner population were not available. The school's civil rights compliance status and discipline data were similarly not provided. These gaps often reflect the timing and scope of state reporting systems, particularly for individual schools within large urban districts, rather than indicating a problem. For families considering enrollment, direct contact with the school about these specifics would fill the picture meaningfully.
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