YES LA selects high achieving, low-income students from traditional and charter middle schools in the Los Angeles Unified and Lennox School Districts. Students are selected in the 6th grade based on academic performance, teacher recommendations, and an interview process.
A majority of our students come from homogenous low-income neighborhoods, and have not been exposed to many opportunities outside of their homes and schools. We seek students who are not only academically bright, but who can persevere, adapt, and thrive in new environments. YES selects approximately 30 students per year.
Our Middle School Partners
Camino Nuevo Charter Academy - Burlington Campus
Hollenbeck Middle School
ICEF Vista Academy
ICEF View Park Prep Middle School
Jane Addams Middle School
Johnnie L Cochran Jr Middle School
Lennox Middle School
RH Dana Middle School
St Lawrence of Brindisi School through Operation Progress
Will Rogers Middle School
High School & College Support
Once in high school -- whether private day school, boarding school, or public -- students receive support through email check-ins, lunches at schools, contact with school counselors, access to virtual tutoring, and enrichment program application support. Students also participate in group dinners and field trips to provide a safe place to discuss social and personal challenges they may face in their high school experiences.
Students are prepared for the college admissions process through direct SAT tutoring, YES college counseling, college tours, and a college boot camp to provide application and financial aid support.
College-to-Career with YES
High Schools YES Scholars Have Attended
Archer School for Girls
Brentwood School
Buckley School
Campbell Hall
Chadwick School
Crossroads School
Epsicopal School Los Angeles
Geffen Academy at UCLA
Harvard-Westlake School
LaSalle High School
Marlborough School
Muse School
New Roads School
Oakwood School
Pacifica Christian High School
Pilgrim School
Polytechnic School
Rolling Hills Prep
Sequoyah School
Viewpoint School
Vistamar School
Waverly School
Wildwood School
Windward School
American University Prep School
Cate School
Choate Rosemary Hall
Culver Academies
Deerfield Academy
Lawrenceville School
The Loomis Chaffee School
Phillips Academy Andover
Phillips Exeter Academy
Thacher School
The Webb Schools
Alliance Morgan McKenize High School
California Academy of Math and Science (CAMS)
Da Vinci Communications
Esperanza College Prep High School
Lawndale High School
Lennox Math, Science, and Technology Academy (LMSTA)
Leuzinger High School
Roosevelt High School Magnet Program
Zoo Magnet High School
Our Scholars Currently Attend the Following Colleges & Universities
Barnard College
Bates College
Bowdoin College
Boston University
California Institute of the Arts
California College of the Arts
California Polytechnic State University
California State University, Fullerton
California State University, Long Beach
California State University, Northridge
Carnegie Mellon University
Centre College
Chapman University
Colorado College
Columbia University
Connecticut College
Denison College
Duke University
El Camino College
Emory University
Hampshire College
Harvard University
Harvey Mudd College
Indiana University
Lafayette College
Loyola Marymount University
Middlebury College
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mount Holyoke College
Mount St Mary’s University
New York University
Northeastern University
Occidental College
Pitzer College
Princeton University
Regis College
Santa Monica College
Stanford University
Tufts University
UC (Berkeley, LA, Merced, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz)
Union College
University of Miami
University of Michigan
University of Notre Dame
University of Pennsylvania
University of Redlands
University of Richmond
University of Southern California
Washington University in St Louis
Wesleyan University
Yale University