Celebrating 30 Years of LACER After School!

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**THE COMMUNITY LIFT 2025:** On Thursday, May 15th, from 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM, we will host our **2nd Annual Community Lift** event at Fairfax High School. This event will bring together LACER students from **Hollywood High School**, **Fairfax High School**, and **Marshall High School** to promote a positive and healthy community.
The event will feature a weightlifting competition, during which students will track their progress and celebrate their gains. However, it goes beyond physical strength. As part of our mission to foster compassion and service, students will also assemble care packages for local communities in need, making this a truly impactful event.

**LACER GETS MORTIFIED** - Wednesday, May 21, at Dynasty Typewriter. Mortified meets LACER! A refreshing show that finds people reading aloud their most embarrassing, pathetic, and private teenage diary entries, poems, love letters, lyrics, and locker notes in front of total strangers. A show that’s equal parts comedic, cathartic, and voyeuristic, Mortified is the largest and longest-running project of its kind, featuring a cast of LA’s bravest souls, a live band, and hosted by Mortified’s Neil Katcher and LACER’s Will Seymour. Share the shame!

**STARFEST 2025: 30th Anniversary Edition**, a student variety show and art exhibit, will be held on Saturday, June 7th, at Hollywood High School. It will showcase student work in the visual and performing arts from the LACER Afterschool Programs across Los Angeles.

Our Mission

The L.A.C.E.R. Afterschool Programs provide free classes in the arts, athletics, and academics every day, after school, to almost 1,000 students a day, grades 6th-12th. L.A.C.E.R. is creating opportunities, building academic skills, and preparing students for their future.

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Creating Opportunities

LACER Afterschool offers courses in over 50 different subjects in the Arts, Athletics, and Academics. From help with Trigonometry in the Homework Club, to lessons on an electric guitar in the Rock Band Workshop. LACER provides a wide-range of visual and performing arts classes, team sports including soccer and basketball, and the assistance and supplies students need to complete their homework and succeed.

Building Academic Skills

LACER Afterschool Programs provide daily Homework Clubs at the high school and middle school level with qualified tutors to assist in every subject. Students and the tutoring team have all the supplies, printers, computers, and text books to get the job done. Students who attend LACER Afterschool five days a week, raise their grades by a full letter grade. The students who attend the most, graduate the most: the LACER graduation rate is 94%. When we look at student attendance, 86% of our student's go to school more school because they have LACER to go to after school.

“LACER makes me feel safe, and it is the type of environment where you can meet ALL kinds of different people with different personalities.”

— Vanessa, 8th grade LACER student

Preparing Student Futures

The LACER Afterschool Programs provide a safe and productive place to be after school, offering FREE opportunities every day, that can only be found after school at LACER. Students learn about themselves, the community around them, and take leadership in their lives, at school, and in the activities after school. Student Leadership groups plan special field trips, college preparation, lunch-time events, concerts, college visits, career fairs, and create advocacy events for issues that are important to them including immigration rights, women’s equality, and no-smoking and vaping campaigns.

86% of students say LACER helped them learn to be collaborative,

73% of students say they have a higher degree of commitment because of LACER and what they have learned in the classes.
LACER’s College and Career Program led by students and staff take part in a year-long process that includes Personal Statement Writing Workshops, FAFSA Panels and Career Fairs.