Liberal Arts and Science Academy is a selective publicmagnet high school in Austin, Texas, United States. Although LASA is open to all Austin residents and charges no tuition, competition for admission can be strong and is contingent on submission of an application, prior academic record, and the Cognitive Abilities Test. LASA shares its campus with LBJ High School, a non-magnet school. LASA is often ranked as one of the best public schools in Texas, with a ranking of #5 by U.S. News and World Report in 2018. As part of AISD's November 2017 bond, LASA will relocate to the old Eastside Memorial campus, with new school colors and mascot, as well as a new name. The move is expected to take place in 2021.
History
In 1928, the Austin City Council approved a plan to segregate the city, effectively forcing black populations to move to certain areas of the city. After a national movement for desegregation of public schools began, AISD announced that it would begin efforts to desegregate schools, even though the school district continued to not allow busing. In 1968, the U.S. Department of Justice sued AISD for not integrating schools fast enough, and after many years of litigation, school boundaries were redrawn, LBJ high school a product of this reorganization of the school system. But enrollment at LBJ steadily dropped as a result of white parents taking their kids out of public school, prompting the school board to take further action. In an effort to stem White flight and create more diverse public schools, the LBJ Science Academy was created in 1985. Classes were often shared in the science academy with LBJ students. The science academy was merged with a liberal artsmagnet program located at Johnston high school by AISD in 2002 to form LASA High School, although the school still didn't have a federal ID number, and thus was considered a part of LBJ. In 2007, so that LBJ could receive a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation and the typically lower performing students of the regular LBJ program could be granted automatic admission for the top 10 percent of students in their class, LBJ and LASA were split into separate schools. After the split, although LASA retained its name, classes besides fine arts were no longer shared, and teachers taught at either LASA or LBJ, but typically not both, although both schools continue to share fine arts and athletic programs.
Campus
LASA shares its campus with Lyndon B. Johnson Early College High School: LASA is on the second floor while Johnson is on the first floor. Melissa B. Taboada of the Austin American-Statesman stated that some members of the Austin community "say the division is a constant blemish on the campus".
Admission
Admission is based on multiple criteria including grades, standardized test scores, essays, teacher recommendations, extracurricular activities, awards earned, and an admissions exam.
Student Body
19.56% of LASA students are Hispanic and Latino and 2% are black. As of 2015 11.9% of the LASA students are low income. The percentages of low income, black, and Hispanic students at LASA decreased circa 2010-2015. The school spends $3,665 per student for academic programs and $5,919 per student for all school functions as of 2010.
School Rankings
In 2018, U.S. News and World Report ranked the school #16 among the nation's best high schools and #5 among high schools in Texas. Niche ranked LASA #11 nationally, and #1 in the state of Texas. In 2014, Newsweek ranked LASA #8 nationally, and #1 in Texas. 38 out of the 260 students in the LASA Class of 2018 were National Merit Scholars.
Traditions
The traditional "Senior Assassins" game was ended in 2014 after word of the game leaked to the media. The game began in 2006. Seniors would collect an entry fee, then chase each other in hallways during class breaks, trying to mark and "tag" each other with markers. A student who got marked was "dead." The last survivor claimed the cash prize. In 2013, students were injured in the hallway by running seniors. Walls were rammed and holes had to be repaired. The game finally ended that year when a male student chased a female into the women's bathroom and she complained. In 2014, the administration helped organize the game, setting additional rules. A parent alerted the media and the subsequent attention caused the district to order the principal to shut the game down. The official LASA mascot is the Raptor, decided upon via school-wide and alumni voting in February 2020. Prior to separation from LBJ, LASA shared LBJ's mascot, the Jaguar, in UIL and other collaborative events across the schools. In the upcoming 2020-2021 school year, a few extracurricular activities like marching band and the First Ladies dance team will continue to be shared between the two schools, and use LBJ's colors and mascot, while the rest of the LASA-sponsored extracurriculars will adopt LASA's new mascot and colors.
Sports
Sports at LASA include ultimate frisbee, golf, lacrosse, swimming, cross-country, and tennis. As with the fine arts wing, the sports offered have been shared between LBJ and LASA students, until the anticipated UIL split in 2020 and official separation the following year. The school offers, as a whole, 15 sports.
Clubs and Student Organizations
LASA offers more than 70 clubs and student organizations. These vary from year to year, and students may apply to create a new club each school year. LASA's Quiz bowl club won national titles at NAQT's High School National Championship titles in 2013 and 2014, as well as the PACE NSC in 2014. They have also had numerous top 4 finishes at both tournaments. LASA is also the only school as of 2019 to have won two National Championship titles in the Varsity Division of the National History Bowl. Science Olympiad is also offered at LASA as a club. LASA has placed in the top 3 at state 15 times. In 2015, the Science Olympiad team placed 3rd in Nationals.
Curriculum
To graduate with LASA's magnet endorsement, students must complete a minimum of 15 magnet classes, including a minimum three years of one language, four years of English, four years of social studies, four years of math, and four years of science. Course offerings include Advanced Placement courses covering 30 Advanced Placement tests; students may begin taking them their freshman year. Additionally, LASA offers specialized electives in various areas, such as How To Be An Adult, Amateur Radio, and a Modern Physics course. As of 2019, LASA has 20 elective science classes, which encompass astronomy, forensic science, and modern physics. Electives for humanities include creative writing, women's literature, amateur radio, and constitutional law.
LASA students are eligible to participate in the LBJ Fire Academy, a two year firefighting and EMT training course. The Fire Academy is a TCFP approved firefighter certification program and a Texas Department of State Health Services approved EMT certification program. It was created in 2006, and later expanded to allow students from 7 AISD schools including LBJ, LASA, Anderson, Austin High, McCallum, Navarro, and Northeast. Students begin the program their junior year with firefighter training, before switching to EMT coursework early in their senior year. The classes are "double-block", meaning students attend the academy for one and a half hours everyday. Additional skills training is completed in 8-hour blocks on certain Saturdays. Students complete their "ride-outs" with the Austin Fire Department.
Computer Science
LASA, the computer science program at LASA, offers courses that cover Java, C++, data structures, Python, web and mobile applications, and digital electronics. Additionally, there is an independent study class to allow more advanced students to work on their own projects.
Publications
LASA publishes its own newspaper every six weeks, The Liberator, as well as its own yearbook, Stetson.Stetson was previously LBJ's yearbook. When LASA and LBJ began to share a campus, LASA produced the book for both campuses. In 2016, LBJ began its own yearbook again, and LASA kept the Stetson name.
Signature Courses
Students must take two "Signature Courses" in both their freshman and sophomore years. These Signature Courses are semester-long, "double-block" period classes designed to make well-rounded students. Freshmen must take Introduction to Engineering and Graphic Design and Illustration ; sophomores take Introduction to the Humanities and Biogeology.
