Parents of Los Angeles-area soon-to-be high school students take note: Los Angeles is home to one of the most competitive high school ecosystems in the country. A ton of pitfalls and wrong turns mar your path to selecting the best high school for your child, especially if they have ambitions to attend a highly selective college. What are the first steps to this process?

Elite College Admission Starts With Strategically Choosing a High School

Here’s the thing about so-called elite high schools in the Los Angeles metropolitan area: not all of them live up to the hype. While we at Ivy Coach couldn’t share the list of our recommended high schools, both public and private, in Los Angeles with prospective clients, as these selections are the sole purview of our package clients, we would be remiss not to point out that not all the schools that glitter are gold in this city. Sometimes, schools with the largest endowments or highest tuition fees don’t actually have strong relationships with the admissions offices at highly selective colleges. Conversely, it’s often the lower-profile schools that actually have the most consistent reputation for getting seniors into the best colleges in the nation.

Popular Los Angeles Public and Private High Schools

As you review this list of popular public and private high schools in Los Angeles, keep in mind that these are not necessarily the best schools for your child, but rather the schools that tend to capture the attention of local families. Only a former elite college admissions officer who knows which schools actually send their graduates to highly selective colleges can help you discern which of these high schools are actually worth the hype.

Popular Los Angeles Private Schools

Harvard-Westlake School

Brentwood School

Marlborough School

Crossroads School for Arts and Sciences

Flintridge Preparatory Academy

Oakwood School

Popular Los Angeles Public Schools

California Academy of Mathematics & Science

Downtown Magnets High School

Girls Academic Leadership Academy

La Canada High School

The Science Academy STEM Magnet

South Pasadena Senior High School

Let’s zero in on a couple of these schools with some more details.

Harvard-Westlake School

With a high school campus in Studio City, Harvard-Westlake School is as centrally located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area as it is prestigious. This private day school’s acceptance rate reportedly hovers around 20%, making it one of the most selective schools in the city. Naturally, getting into Harvard-Westlake is no walk in the park, as it requires a multi-step process that includes completing an admissions inquiry form, the school’s application, a student questionnaire, standardized testing, interviews, and more (a process that is much the same as that for admission to a highly selective college, only a whole lot easier)!

California Academy of Mathematics and Science

The California Academy of Mathematics and Science (CAMS) is a public magnet school located in Carson, California, on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills. With an admissions process that draws from inner-city and affluent middle schools alike, CAMS curates a diverse student body whose shared characteristic is an appreciation for academic rigor. Only about 10-15% of applicants to CAMS are admitted each year, making it one of the most selective high schools in the region. Applications are accepted from both within the Long Beach Unified School District and from non-LBUSD students through the “Consortium Admissions” program.

How Our LA College Admissions Consultants Help Students Secure Elite College Admission

Don’t dive into the Los Angeles elite high school shark tank without supervision. Ivy Coach is happy to help you navigate through this highly competitive and stressful process by equipping you with the insider information you need to separate the genuine gold high schools from those that are just glittering.

If you’re interested in getting started with us, fill out our complimentary consultation form, and we’ll be in touch with an outline of our services led by our team of former elite college admissions officers.