News & Announcements

For many years, world-renowned dermatologist Dr. Pearl Grimes has been an inspiring mentor and advocate for Value Schools students. On Saturday, she hosted the second session of the CARRY Foundation Speaker Series, providing an invaluable experience for our aspiring doctors from University Prep and Central City Value High Schools. The students had the opportunity to meet orthopedic surgeon Dr. Sonu S. Ahluwalia, MD, from Cedars-Sinai Hospital, along with medical student Nicole C. Oparaugo.

Meghann Nuño, our experienced English Language Development Coordinator at Downtown Value School, has dedicated her career to creating lasting connections and empowering students to thrive academically and personally. Now in her third year at Downtown Value, Meghann reflects on the powerful impact that long-term commitment has on a school community.

As we enter the 2024-2025 school year, we celebrate 23 years of providing the Value Schools brand of education to families in Los Angeles. The values we teach at our four schools reinforce those our parents impart at home and ultimately guide our students in their decision-making. The Value Schools Foundation provides students with access to inspiring educational experiences, which strengthens the impact of our educators and school leaders.

Last spring, Susan Porath, wife of Value Schools' founder, Dr. Jerome Porath, introduced us to Ms. Shakila Stewart, who provided a one-hour presentation at University Prep with 9th grade students in the school's Community Room.

At Value Schools, we are incredibly fortunate to be led by 18 creative, innovative, generous, and selfless professionals who serve on both our School Board and Foundation Board. This year, we proudly honor their volunteer service, which has had a lasting impact on our students, parents, and educators. Collectively, our current board members have provided an amazing 159 years of expert service to Value Schools.

On behalf of the Value Schools community, we are pleased to share this year-end report, highlighting the progress we’ve made together for our students. This report reflects the positive impact of your ongoing support and partnership. We are grateful to all who have contributed to advancing our mission to provide every student with access to a quality education.

“It’s so important for people to believe in you. It’s a big part of becoming successful, especially for people of color. It helped me believe in myself.” - Roxana, Central City Value class of 2012; UCLA, Southwestern Law School

As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, Lucia Gomez, the Freshman Seminar teacher at University Prep Value, exemplifies the profound impact of cultural identity and values in education. Lucia understands the power of recognizing and celebrating diversity in her classroom, particularly in the culturally rich neighborhood of Pico-Union.

"I enjoyed every moment at Public Storage. Just learning about how everything works and how much the employees loved their job reinforced my hope of pursuing a career in architecture." – Taken from our survey, 11th Grade Student, University Prep Value

“This experience allowed me to gain knowledge about Glenair, the college admissions process, and different types of professions. I was able to learn about vertical/horizontal integration, high-cost-of-failure systems, and transactional relationships. I will apply these concepts as I think about my future career plans and business ideas." – Eddy, 12th Grade