Manual Arts High School

Manual Arts High School is a secondary public school in Los Angeles, California, United States.

Manual Arts High School
Location
4131 South Vermont Avenue Los Angeles, California 90037 United States
Coordinates	34.0083°N 118.29217°W / 34.0083; -118.29217
Information
Type	Public
Motto	"It Can Be Done"
Established	1910
School district	Los Angeles Unified School District
Principal	Alejandro Macias
Staff	66.84 (FTE)[1]
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	1,046 (2023–24)[1]
Student to teacher ratio	20.03[1]
Color(s)	Royal Purple and Gray
Athletics conference	Exposition League CIF Los Angeles City Section
Mascot	Tommy Toiler
Team name	Toilers
Website	www.manualartshs.org

History

Manual Arts High School was founded in 1910 in the middle of bean fields, one-half mile from the nearest bus stop. It was the third high school in Los Angeles, California after Los Angeles High School and L.A. Polytechnic High School, and is the oldest high school still on its original site in the Los Angeles Unified School District. The school that would eventually become Lincoln High had been founded decades earlier but was still an elementary school at this time.

One of the school's first teachers was Ethel Percy Andrus (1911 - 1915). In 1916 Dr. Andrus became California's first female high school principal at Lincoln High School in East Los Angeles. She later founded AARP.

After three semesters in an abandoned grammar school building, Manual Arts High School was opened on Vermont Avenue. After the 1933 Long Beach earthquake, the entire campus was rebuilt, constituting the present Manual Arts High School campus adjacent to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and USC.

It was in the Los Angeles City High School District until 1961, when it merged into LAUSD.^[2]

In 1995, "The Arts" became a Pacific Bell Education First Demonstration Site joining thirteen other demonstration sites in California, and in 1996 the school was named a California Distinguished School. In 1998, Manual Arts was officially granted Digital High School status.

The 2005–2006 school year opened with small learning communities (SLCs), three on each track totaling nine SLCs. Manual Arts was relieved by the opening of Santee Education Complex in 2005.^[3]

West Adams High School

The school was relieved in 2007 when West Adams Preparatory High School opened. During the same year, a section of the Manual Arts attendance zone was transferred to Belmont High School.^[4]

In July 2008, the school became part of MLA Partner Schools through LAUSD's newly created iDesign Schools Division. MLA Partner Schools, in collaboration with West Ed, will operate Manual Arts on a 5-year performance contract approved by the LAUSD School Board.

The school was expected be relieved by Central Region High School 16 (which became Dr. Maya Angelou High School (Los Angeles, California)) when that school opened in 2011,^[5] and by Augustus Hawkins High School when that school opens in 2012.^[6]

In the 2011–2012 school year, Manual Arts will return to a traditional school calendar schedule.^[7] As a result, several of the school's small learning communities will be restructured and the number of security on campus will be reduced.^[8] The 'Blewett Football Field is named in honor of James Blewett who was a standout Manual Arts football player and longtime Head coach with 9 Los Angeles City titles and 225 wins.

In summer of 2022, Manual Arts High School selected its first Latino principal. During Alejandro Macias’ tenure, he helped the school meet or exceed all metrics measured by LAUSD’s Data Dig program, which aims to drive continuous improvement.

Student body

The racial makeup of the school is mostly Latinos and African Americans, and the neighborhood surrounding the school reflects the same makeup.

During the 2004–2005 school year, MAHS had 3,766 students,^[9] including:

• 3,054 Hispanics (81.1%)
• 701 African Americans (18.6%)
• 5 White Americans (1%)
• 4 Asian Americans (1%)
• 2 Native Americans (1%)

As of 2010, the school's dropout rate was 68%.^[10] More than 90% of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch provided by the Los Angeles Unified School District.^[11]

Notable alumni

Gus Arriola

Yvonne Brathwaite Burke

• Jon Arnett (1935–2021), football player, member of College Football Hall of Fame, class of 1952
• Gus Arriola, cartoonist and creator of Gordo, class of 1935^[12]
• Verna Arvey, musician and writer
• Roy L. Ash, (1918–2012), president of Litton Industries, budget director^[13]
• Ted Bates, football player
• Paul Blair (baseball), professional baseball player, Yankees, Orioles, Reds^[14]
• Lyman Bostock, professional baseball player, class of 1968
• Steve Broussard, former NFL running back, class of 1985
• Nacio Herb Brown, songwriter, class of 1914
• Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, member of the United States House of Representatives and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, class of 1950^[15]
• Frank Capra, film director
• Leland Curtis, artist, environmentalist, and Antarctic explorer
• Jimmy Doolittle, World War II aviator, class of 1914
• Carl Earn (1921–2007), tennis player
• Tom Fears (1922–2000), Pro Football Hall of Fame, Los Angeles Rams, class of 194
• Earl C. Gay (1902–1975), Los Angeles City Council member, 1933–45
• Kathryn Grayson, singer and film actress
• Philip Guston, artist, class of 1930
• Robin Harris, comedian and actor, class of 1971
• Ed Heinemann, self-taught aerospace engineer and aircraft designer for Douglas Aircraft Company.
• Virginia Jaramillo, painter
• Jimmie Jones, football player
• Lynton Richards Kistler (1897–1993), lithography printmaker, artist.^[16]
• Goodwin Knight, 31st governor of California, class of 1914
• Stanley Knowles, Canadian Member of Parliament and New Democratic Party House Leader^[17]
• Leo K. Kuter, film art director
• Mittie Lawrence, actress
• Harold Lehman, artist. Class of 1931.
• Woodley Lewis, football player
• Ned Mathews, football player
• Gerson Mayen, midfielder for Chivas USA of Major League Soccer, class of 2005
• Jimmie McDaniel, African American tennis player and track and field athlete
• Ernie Orsatti, outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals
• Victor Orsatti, Hollywood agent, film and television producer
• Dwayne O'Steen, football player
• Jerry D. Page, United States Air Force General, class of 1932
• Dwayne Polee, former professional basketball player, class of 1981
• Jackson Pollock, artist, class of 1930 (left before graduation)^[18]
• Marie Prevost, actress,^[19] class of 1916
• Mark Ridley-Thomas, Los Angeles Board of Supervisors member, class of 1972^[20]
• Rachel Robinson, American former professor and registered nurse, as well as the widow of professional baseball player Jackie Robinson^[21]
• Eugene Selznick (1930–2012), Hall of Fame volleyball player
• Oscar Sorto, MLS player for the Los Angeles Galaxy, class of 2012
• Andre Spencer (1964–2020), basketball player
• Scott Stephen, football player
• Irving Stone, author
• James B. Taylor, educator, class of 1945^[22]
• John Floyd Thomas Jr., serial killer
• Lawrence Tibbett, baritone, Metropolitan Opera, class of 1914
• Ansei Uchima, artist, class of 1940^[23]
• Paul Winfield, actor