Liberal Arts and Science Academy High School

CEEB Code: 440069

2009-2010 School Profile
7309 Lazy Creek Drive • Austin, TX 78724
Telephone: 512-414-LASA • Fax: 512-414-6050 • Web site: www.lasaonline.org

SUMMARY CURRICULUM
The Liberal Arts and Science Academy (LASA) High School is a four-year The curricular expectations for LASA students exceed that of a traditional
comprehensive, public, urban, advanced academic magnet high school of curricular program. At LASA, all core courses are taught at two academic
874 students. The class of 2010 numbers 170 students. The program levels: magnet and topics. Magnet level courses contain more lecture, are
recruits the most academically advanced students from public and private more traditional and are the equivalent of a strong pre-AP or AP
middle schools in Austin; as such, admission to LASA is competitive, curriculum. Topics level courses move at a quicker pace, cover more
based on test scores, previous accomplishments and teacher material, are project-based and contain special “topics” within the subject
recommendations. matter. Due to AISD data reporting constraints, LASA transcripts do not
note the magnet or topics status of our core courses. However, counselor
HISTORY recommendations will indicate if the student has enrolled in the most
The LBJ Science Academy, the first Austin magnet school, was created in demanding curriculum offered, i.e. Topics level. All courses at LASA,
1985. The Liberal Arts Academy at Johnston High School was opened in with the exception of Health, Speech Communication, and Physical
1987. The Liberal Arts and Science Academy (LASA) of Austin emerged Education, are offered at the minimum of a magnet level. The Course
from these two separate magnet schools in 2002 on the Lyndon Baines Description Guide is available on the LASA Web site: http://lasaonline.
Johnson High School campus. In 2007, the School Board approved the org/docs/LASA_Course_Descriptions_2009-10.pdf
separation into two high schools: the Liberal Arts and Science Academy
High School and Lyndon Baines Johnson High School. The two high SIGNATURE COURSES
schools, housed on the same campus, still share fine arts and athletics One of the cornerstones of LASA is the group of courses known as
classes and compete in UIL events as one school. Signature Courses. These innovative classes are collaborative in nature.
Student groups research, design, implement and present projects in the
MISSION sciences and humanities. LASA freshmen take Electronic Magazine and
LASA educates socially responsible leaders, problem solvers, and thinkers Science and Technology; sophomores take Planet Earth and Great Ideas.
through a nationally recognized, rigorous, innovative, interdisciplinary These classes are described in more detail on the LASA Web site in the
curriculum. Academics section.
STUDENT PROFILE GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
Race/Ethnicity (2009-2010) LASA students complete a rigorous program of study that requires a
Black/African-American 5.7% minimum of 24 credits for graduation. In addition to completing the
Asian/Pacific Islander 14.9% requirements for the state of Texas Distinguished Achievement Program
Hispanic 22.7% (as prescribed by the Texas Education Agency), students must complete a
American Indian 0.11% minimum of 17 magnet credits to receive a Magnet endorsement upon
White 56.6% graduation.
Free/Reduced Lunch Program: 25%
ADVANCED PLACEMENT
2008-09 RECOGNITIONS An upperclassman at LASA will typically take 4 to 5 AP courses per
§ Ranked #36 on Newsweek’s top 1300 high schools semester. In 2009, on their own initiative, LASA students took 993
§ Earned Exemplary Accountability Rating from the state of Texas Advanced Placement tests with a 79.5% passing rate. Advanced
§ 7 (out of 8 possible) Gold Performance Awards from TEA: Placement exams are offered at LASA in the following areas: U.S.
Comparable Improvement: Reading/ELA; Commended Government, Comparative Government, French Language, Computer
Reading/ELA; Commended Mathematics; Commended Writing; Science A/AB, Spanish Language, Statistics, Chinese Language, Calculus
Commended Science; Commended Social Studies; Texas Success AB/BC, English Literature, French Literature, German Language,
Initiative: ELA; Texas Success Initiative: Mathematics Japanese Language and Culture, U.S. History, European History, Studio
§ Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce Award for Highest Direct to Art, Biology, Music Theory, Physics B, Physics C:M/EM, Chemistry,
College Enrollment Rate by a HS Campus in Central Texas, Class of Environmental Science, Psychology, English Language, Economics:
‘08 Micro/Macro, World History, Spanish Literature, and Latin Literature.
GRADING SYSTEM NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
Letter Grade Numeric Value 2008 2009 2010
A 90 – 100 Commended 31 32 32
B 80 – 89 Semifinalist 19 22 13
C 70 – 79 Finalist 15 20 13
F 69 or Below National Achievement Scholars 1 3 3
National Hispanic Scholars 12 10 6
The theoretical maximum GPA is 4.8 on a 4.0 scale, reflecting the number
of required unweighted courses as well as 1 additional grade point for pre- SAT DATA & SCORE DISTRIBUTION
AP, AP, magnet, and topics courses. (169 students) Class of 2009
CR M W
CLASS RANK Overall Mean 634 636 610
Ranking and GPA are determined at the end of each semester. All 700-800 60 46 39
courses count for purposes of ranking and GPA (unless listed as 600-699 50 71 58
Pass/Fail). Since admission to LASA is competitive and tested aptitudes 500-599 35 37 47
are above the national average, rank in class cannot be regarded as a valid 400-499 23 15 22
indication of preparation for college for the students at LASA. Should 300-399 1 0 3
rank be considered an important factor, LASA students should be 200-299 0 0 0
measured against the totality of Austin ISD’s senior class, approximately
4000 students, since they have chosen to attend the most academically ACT DATA & SCORE DISTRIBUTION
rigorous school and to travel much farther across town to prepare for (75 students) Class of 2009
college. E M R S Comp
Overall Mean 25.6 25.7 25.9 24.2 25.5
TRANSCRIPT EVALUATION Class Code Equivalent Course Subject
To aid in the evaluation of the transcript for admissions review, those TAWEBMAS Web Mastering Tech Appl
courses, where further explanation is deemed appropriate, are listed SS ADV Model UN Other Electives
below with corresponding codes. LASA Signature Courses are so HUMANIT Humanities Other Electives
designated. IND ENG SAT Prep Other Electives
LM Literary Magazine Other Electives
Class Code Equivalent Course Subject LIT GENR Literary Genre Other Electives
INTHUML Great Ideas Other Electives NPLUS Networking Essentials Other Electives
LOC ENG Electronic Magazine Local Credit SPTSS Constitutional Law Other Electives
SCI TECH Science-Technology Science SPTSS2 Contemporary Issues Other Electives
PEARTH Planet Earth Science SPTSS3 Facing History Other Electives
BUSIM/MM Business Image Mgmt & Career/Tech Ed SS ADV Amateur Radio Other Electives
Multimedia TECH WR Music & Revolution or Other Electives
CA-TP Robotics 1 Career/Tech Ed Screenwriting
CMAT-TP Computer Multimedia & Career/Tech Ed
Animation LASA OFFICE PERSONNEL
EET-TP Robotics 2 Career/Tech Ed Mr. Rene Sanchez – Principal
FF Firefighter Academy Career/Tech Ed Ms. Melanie Meyer – Associate Principal
APTACS1 AP Computer Science Tech Appl Mr. Alan Santucci – Assistant Principal
TACS1 Computer Science Tech Appl Ms. Karen Foree – Principal’s Secretary
TADGA Digital Graphing & Tech Appl Dr. David Qualls – Counselor (A-Ha)
Animation Ms. Lisa Adams – Counselor (He-Pa)
TADTP Desktop Publishing Tech Appl Ms. Stacey Hopper – Counselor (Pe-Z)
TAIND1 Robotics 3 Tech Appl Ms. Jamie Kocian – Project ADVANCE College Advisor
TAVIDTEC Video Technology Tech Appl Ms. Paula Boothe – Registrar
Ms. Michelle Rivera – Guidance Secretary

COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY ACCEPTANCES – CLASS OF 2009

Universities and colleges that have accepted Liberal Arts and Science Academy High School students include:
(#) – Designates where members of the class of 2009 matriculated and corresponding number enrolled

Academy of Art University Fashion Institute of Technology (1) Parsons School of Design, Paris University of Cincinnati
Agnes Scott College Florida Institute of Technology (1) Pomona College (1) University of Colorado at Boulder (1)
American Academy of Art Fordham University (1) Prairie View A&M University University of the Cumberlands (1)
American University Franklin and Marshall College Pratt Institute (1) University of Dayton
Angelo State University Furman University Princeton University (2) University of Denver
Arizona State University George Washington University (2) Purdue University University of Evansville
Auburn University (1) Georgia Institute of Technology (3) Reed College (1) University of Hartford
Austin College (6) Grove City College (1) Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute University of Hawaii at Manoa
Austin Community College (12) Guilford College Rhode Island School of Design University of Houston (1)
Bard College (1) Hamilton College (1) Rhodes College (1) University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Baylor University (1) Hampshire College (1) Rice University (2) University of the Incarnate Word (2)
Beloit College (2) Harvard University (1) Rochester Institute of Technology University of Iowa
Bennington College Haverford College (1) Roosevelt Academy (1) University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (1)
Blinn College Hendrix College (3) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology University of Maryland, College Park
Boston College Hofstra University Santa Clara University University of Massachusetts at Amherst (1)
Boston University (1) Houston Baptist University Sarah Lawrence College (1) University of Michigan
Bowdoin College Howard University Savannah College of Art and Design University of Missouri at Columbia (1)
Brandeis University Illinois Institute of Technology School of the Art Institute of Chicago University of Nebraska at Lincoln
Brigham Young University (1) Indiana University at Bloomington (1) School of Visual Arts University of New Mexico (1)
California College of the Arts Ithaca College Seton Hall University University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Carleton College (2) James Madison University (1) Skidmore College University of North Texas (4)
Carnegie Mellon University (2) Johns Hopkins University Smith College University of Notre Dame
Case Western Reserve University (2) Juniata College Soka University of America (1) University of Oklahoma (1)
Chaminade University of Honolulu Kettering University (1) South Plains College (1) University of Pennsylvania (2)
Chapman University Lawrence University Southern Methodist University University of Portland
Clark University Lehigh University Southwestern University (1) University of Richmond
Clarkson University Lewis and Clark College St. Edward’s University (2) University of Rochester
College of Notre Dame of Maryland Louisiana State University (3) St. John’s University – Manhattan (1) University of San Francisco
College of Wooster Louisiana Tech University Stanford University University of Southern California
Colorado College Loyola University, New Orleans (1) Stephen F. Austin State University University of Texas at Arlington (2)
Colorado School of Mines Lubbock Christian University Swarthmore College (1) University of Texas at Austin (16)
Colorado State University Macalester College Syracuse University University of Texas at Brownsville
Columbia College Marymount Manhattan College (1) Temple University – Japan (1) University of Texas at Dallas (2)
Columbia University Massachusetts College of Art Texas A&M University (9) University of Texas at El Paso
Concordia University at Austin Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2) Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi (2) University of Texas at San Antonio (20)
Connecticut College Memphis College of Art Texas A&M University at Galveston University of Tulsa
Cornell University (2) Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design (1) Texas A&M University at Kingsville University of Virginia
Creighton University Minneapolis College of Art and Design Texas Lutheran University University of Washington (1)
CUNY Brooklyn College Morehouse College Texas Southern University (1) University of West Florida (1)
Curry College (1) Mount Holyoke College Texas State University (9) University of Wisconsin at Madison (2)
Dartmouth College New York School of Interior Design Texas Tech University (2) Vassar College
Denison University New York University (3) Trinity University (2) Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State
DePaul University North Carolina State University (1) Trinity Western University University
Drexel University Northeastern University (1) Truman State University Washington University in St. Louis
Drury University Northern Arizona University Tufts University Wellesley College (1)
Duke University Northwestern University (3) Tulane University (1) Wentworth Institute of Technology
Earlham University (1) Norwich University U.S. Air Force Academy (2) Wesleyan University
Eckerd College (1) Oberlin College U.S. Naval Academy West Texas A&M University
Elizabethtown College Ohio Wesleyan University University of Alabama Wheaton College
Emerson College Otis College of Art and Design University of California at Berkeley (2) Whitman College
Emory University (1) Our Lady of the Lake University (1) University of California at Irvine Worcester Polytechnic Institute
The Evergreen State College Pacific University University of California at Los Angeles Xavier University of Louisiana (1)
Fashion Institute of Design and Parsons School of Design, New School University of California at San Diego Yale University (2)
Merchandising University (1) University of California at Santa Barbara
University of Chicago (1)

Last Updated: March 1, 2010