Girls Academic Leadership Academy (GALA) - Los Angeles, California

Carolina T.

Best public school in LA! GALA provides students with an outstanding curriculum, a supportive environment, and unique opportunities, such as the Young Women Career Conference, where they meet top female STEM leaders from Los Angeles and beyond.

Aaron K.

The school focuses both on the academic and emotional life of their students. We had a sister that really grew in her social and academic life while at gals. It is a place to be called home. It is a great place for a young lady to discover her skills and potential. The safe environment helped her grow in all manners.

Gaby V.

We've been at GALA since it opened and every year gets better. I feel my daughter truly has a voice in her world for the first time. The teachers have been attentive and compassionate, and there have been so many different opportunities (SPARK program, sports, music, arts, robotics, sign language and student leadership). Being on the LA High campus, the school can continue to grow and takes advantage of all the large-school resources - indoor swimming pool, track, tennis courts and fully-equipped science labs. I feel that my daughter is getting a great education and the best part is that she loves to go to school every day.

J J.

My daughter is super happy here and so am I. Gala has managed to create a culture that's all about girl power and being proud of being smart. My daughter's now an avid reader, and excited about learning subjects she was never into before. I was worried because she's so creative and arty, but her English class was the best she's ever had and she wrote a ton. Because it's a STEM school we just do our fine art classes on the weekends, but I hear good things about the music and dance programs.

Gala is a unique model - an all-girls, public school inspired by super expensive private schools. They wear uniforms (makes life so easy in the morning) and are encouraged to be leaders.

As a school that's only been around for a couple years, there have been some bumps - mostly teachers that weren't great. But so far they've all been replaced, and everything seems to be constantly improving.

The application process is a lottery - they require essays and teacher recommendations, but if your application is complete, it's random. So it's hard to get in, but worth the try. We made it and so glad we did! Thank you Dr. Hicks and all the founding parents who helped to create this exciting place for girls to thrive.

Jennifer K.

A teacher at this school, along with a PTA member and a teaching assistant scammed me on Facebook marketplace and then blocked me so I couldn’t contact them again. I wonder what values this school is teaching the students if the faculty are scammers!

Popular G.

I would like to start off with the teachers. The teachers would always pick favorites and choose sides. Whenever there was a fight at school, the teachers would always side with the “better” looking students. Sometimes, it also affected the grades as well. I had a teacher who admit that she had to grade papers by covering the names, so she doesn’t grade with bias. The students there are also very toxic. My mental health was already so bad from the academic work, but gala changed everyone. It changed so many of my elementary friends into people who only cared about grades. Gala implants the idea of us always having to pass and never making mistakes. Not only did this affect the students academically, but also in their social lives. All my old friends only cared about being number one and being the best. Therefore, many students ended up becoming liars in order to reach the top. Honestly, my first year at gala was the only year I actually enjoyed it but the rest destroyed my mental health. My older brother, who went to LA high school, was so upset at GALA. He wished he had me go to LA high instead. I also experienced teachers having breakdowns because of how badly they were being treated. One of my favorite Spanish teachers quit gala because of the mistreatment. I am not sure about the other teachers, but it is very common for teachers to leave gala after one year of teaching. Ever since I moved schools, I felt a huge weight I was carrying disappear. I do jot recommend this school. Bad for mental health.

Rosi R.

Both my daughters are very happy at the school. Teachers and staff are caring and are dedicated. Excellent school for those interested in their daughters learning about leadership and STEM. The thing I love the best is that the students learn about growth mindset, a very important way to cope and thrive in life by learning from mistakes.

Leslie H.

This is the school that my daughter has been waiting for her whole life! The teachers are stellar, the academics are amazing, and the extracurriculars are off the chain! The administration has mastered the fine art of doing so much with so little. I expect the school to become the model of public schools in Los Angeles. Thank you GALA for enriching my daughter’s life.