According to the US Census Bureau, the residency area for the Belmont High School community has the highest concentration in the United States of America

immigrants

non-citizens

low-income families

households with second languages

households of residents without a high school diploma.

Plagued by widespread gang activity, Pico Union district has one of the highest crime rates in Los Angeles. The community is notorious for housing two of the country’s most infamous gangs:

18th Street Gang

Mara Salvatruchas

These socio-economic factors of the Pico-Union community put students at risk for:

academic failure

anti-social behavior

negative peer interaction

emotional deficiencies

The an Alliance for a Better Community study of 993 Belmont students found the following:

There exists a disconnection between a student’s desire to succeed academically and the reality of dropping or being pushed out of the educational pipeline.

The graduation rate for Belmont High School hovers around 55.6%, considerably lower than the 66.4% for LAUSD and almost 30% lower than the California average.

The school currently lacks the resources and funding to hire enough qualified personnel to provide appropriate intervention, prevention and counseling services.

70% of the current 9th graders will not graduate in 4 years.

Only 9% of Belmont students are likely to complete the A-G College course requirement.

These findings represent a clear danger for the students and the community. The results also demonstrate the need for a comprehensive Juvenile Intervention and Prevention Program.