Downtown Magnets High School

Downtown Magnets High School (also known as DMHS, Downtown Business Magnet, or DBM) is an alternate magnet high school located in the Temple-Beaudry neighborhood near Downtown Los Angeles.

Downtown Magnets High School
Address
1081 West Temple Street

Los Angeles
,
California
90012

United States
Coordinates34.062956°N 118.250412°W / 34.062956; -118.250412
Information
Other namesDowntown Business Magnet
TypeMagnet, Public
Established1981
School districtLAUSD
PrincipalDr. Sarah Usmani[1]
Staff47.33 (FTE)[2]
Grades9–12
GenderCoeducational
Enrollment1056 (2019-2020)[3]
 • Grade 9265
 • Grade 10288
 • Grade 11268
 • Grade 12235
Student to teacher ratio22:1[4]
Schedule typeBlock schedule
Hours in school day7 hours 7 minutes
(Monday - Friday)
5 hours 37 minutes (PD Tuesdays)[lower-alpha 1]
4 hours 27 minutes (Minimum days)
Campus typeUrban
Color(s)Green and Gold
         
Athletics conferenceCIF Los Angeles City Section
MascotSun
AccreditationWASC,[5] IBO[6]
USNWR ranking15 (California)[7]
National ranking140[7]
NewspaperThe Helios
Feeder toLACC[8][9]
WebsiteDMHS Official Website

The school houses three magnet programs: Business (DBM), and Electronic Information (EIM), and the International Baccalaureate (IB). The three magnets combined hold a total student population of approximately 1,000 students.

History

The school was founded in 1981 with a specialization in business training. The school was named Downtown Business Magnet High School and was constructed near the Four-Level Interchange on the site of the defunct Custer Middle School. The school's first class consisted of 55 sophomores from different neighborhoods around LAUSD. By 1994, FCC & EIM were formed.

Academics

DMHS contains three magnet programs; Downtown Business Magnet (DBM), Electronic Information Magnet (EIM), and the International Baccalaureate (IB).

Downtown Business Magnet (DBM)

The Downtown Business Magnet (DBM) was the first magnet program to be established at Downtown Magnets, and is the largest magnet program, with approximately 45% of the school's population. The curriculum includes Accounting, Business Organization, Corporate Management, Sales, Entrepreneurship, careers, international relations, and the use of technology in business.

DBM houses two academies; Finance and Fashion Design & Merchandising.[10]

Academy of Finance

The Academy of Finance (also known as the Academy of Business and Finance), is one of the Academies a part of DBM. It provides courses in entrepreneurship, accounting, corporate finance (financial planning), and international relations. The Academy of Finance has been sponsored by CIT Group, PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG, Cornerstone OnDemand, and Cognizant, and receives support from Los Angeles Education Partnership and the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship with workshops, mock interviews, and internship opportunities.[10]

The Academy of Finance offers six classes[11]:

  • Introduction to Business
  • Business Organization
  • Business Entrepreneurship
  • Advanced Accounting
  • International Relations
  • Corporate Finance

Academy of Fashion Design & Merchandising

The Academy of Fashion Design & Merchandising was established in 1992[12] under the name "Fashion Careers Center" to educate students on the design and fabrication of general clothing apparel. In 2014, the Fashion Careers Center was combined along with the existing Academy of Finance of DBM. It was renamed the "Academy of Fashion" in 2015, and then to "Academy of Fashion Design & Merchandising" in 2017.

The Academy of Fashion Design & Merchandising has established partnerships with the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, Woodbury University, L.A. Trade-Tech, and the California Market Center.[10]

The Academy of Fashion Design & Merchandising offers four classes[11]:

  • Fashion Illustration
  • Beginning Clothing
  • Fashion Textiles and Apparel
  • Fashion Design and Fashion Management

Electronic Information Magnet (EIM)

The Electronic Information Magnet (also known as Downtown Business Magnet (Computer Science/Engineering/Multimedia))[13] was established in 1994[12] has the second largest student population out of the three magnet programs and includes studies in Computer Science, Computer Programming and Web Design. The magnet program was developed with the Los Angeles Central Library and the UCLA Graduate School of Education[11] in collaboration with several local business leaders and LAUSD Board Members. The program incorporates technology and STEM into students' high school educational processes.

EIM holds a constant collaboration with the Los Angeles Central Library. Both DMHS and the Central Library are used as instruction sites. In addition to the Central Library, EIM shares a partnership with Los Angeles City College (LACC).

EIM houses two academies; Information Technology and Engineering.

Academy of Information Technology (AOIT)

The Academy of Information Technology (AOIT) The Academy of Information Technology offers six classes[11]:

Academy of Engineering (AOE)

The Academy of Engineering (AOE) uses the curriculum from Project Lead the Way to help students learn engineering concepts, design, and technology to solve real world problems.[14]

The Academy of Engineering offers four classes[11]:

  • Introduction to Engineering Design
  • Principles of Engineering
  • Digital Electronics
  • Engineering Design and Development

International Baccalaureate (IB)

The International Baccalaureate (IB) program was introduced to DMHS in 2014. Since the 2014-15 academic year, Downtown Magnets has offered the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. Eleven subjects are offered:[6]

  • English 1 / 2 HL
  • History 1 / 2 HL
  • Spanish / Spanish 1 HL
  • Math Studies / Math HL
  • Film 1 / 2 HL
  • Physics HL
  • Biology HL
  • Theory of Knowledge
  • H. Advanced Biology
  • H. Humanities
  • Mandarin SL

Courses

Downtown Magnets offers a variety of classes, Advanced Placement (AP) courses[15], and Honors courses.

All areas of academic classes are offered at DMHS:

  • English
    • Regular English
    • Honors English
    • AP English Literature
    • AP English Language
    • AP English Composition

Extracurricular activities

Clubs

The following is a list of the clubs offered at Downtown Magnets as of 2020[17]:

  • American Red Cross
  • Anime
  • Astronomy
  • Aviation
  • B.R.I.D.G.E.S.
  • Black Student Union
  • Cambodian
  • Conspiracy Theory
  • Criminology
  • Debate
  • Division Suns
  • Music
  • Environmental
  • Film
  • Girls Learn International
  • GSA
  • JSA
  • K-Pop Fan
  • Kaibigan Pilipino
  • Key
  • Knitting
  • Korean Culture and Entertainment
  • Light Novel / Manga
  • Linguistic
  • M.E.C.H.A
  • Math (Aleph Delta)
  • Math–Help
  • Mental Health
  • Minecraft
  • Muslim Student Association
  • Networking
  • Robotics
  • School on Wheels
  • Self Empowerment
  • Supernova Cheer Team
  • Tabletop
  • Video Game

Grings College Center

The Grings College Center was established as simply the "College Center" to assist students for college by helping with applications, financial aid, and scholarships. In 2005, the College Center was renamed to "Grings College Center" to honor Carol Grings, a college counselor who also served as a math teacher, and coordinator for DMHS from 1982 up until 2005, when she died from cancer.[18]

Demographics

For the 2019-2020 school year, DMHS had an enrollment of 1056 students, broken down into 25% freshmen, 27.3% sophomores, 25.4% juniors, and 22.3% seniors. 71.2% of students had English as their second language.[19] 2% were English learners.[20]

EthnicityStudents (2018-2019)[20]
Hispanic or Latino56%
White4%
Asian22%
Black or African American6%
Filipino10%
American Indian or Alaska Native<1%
Pacific Islander<1%

Academic Performance Index (API)

The Academic Performance Index (API) measures the academic progress of schools across the state of California. Since the 2007-2008 school year, Downtown Magnets has placed number one in Local District 4 thanks to the continual growth of its API. Its scores are as follows:

Year201220112009200820072005200420032002200120001999
API826807746736690655645616606601593595

The aforementioned data is provided by the California Department of Education.[21]

References
  1. "Principal's Message". Downtown Magnets High School LAUSD. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  2. "Downtown Business High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  3. "DMHS School Profile 2019-2020" (PDF). Downtown Magnets. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  4. "Downtown Magnets High School". Niche. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  5. "Accrediting Commission for Schools: Directory of schools 2014-2015" (PDF). Western Association of Schools and Colleges. July 2014.
  6. "IBO: Downtown Magnets High School". International Baccalaureate Organisation.
  7. "Downtown Business High". US News. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  8. "Feeders-LACC-2". LACC. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  9. "Feeders-LACC-2018". LACC. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  10. "Downtown Business Magnet (Business/Fashion)". Downtown Magnets. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  11. "DMHS Course Catalogue" (PDF). Downtown Magnets. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  12. "Drawn to the Magnets". LA Times. 24 December 2000. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  13. "Downtown Business Magnet (Computer Science/Engineering/Multimedia)". Downtown Magnets. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  14. "Academy of Engineering". Downtown Magnets. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  15. "AP Courses". Downtown Magnets. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  16. "Students Take a Lap at Echo Park Lake as Street Closures for Sunday's Marathon Announced". Patch. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  17. "DMHS Clubs". Downtown Magnets.
  18. "Downtown Magnets High School". Retrieved 2009-10-07.
  19. "Downtown Business Magnet". L.A. Unified Enrollment. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  20. "Downtown Business High School". Great! Schools. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  21. "Academic Performance Index (API) Report - Select Final Report Parameters". Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  1. Every other Tuesday until Spring Break.
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