Manual Arts High School was founded in 1910 in the middle of bean fields, one-half mile from the nearest bus stop. It was the third high school in Los Angeles, California after Los Angeles High School and L.A. Polytechnic High School, and is the oldest high school still on its original site in the Los Angeles Unified School District. The school that would eventually become Lincoln High had been founded decades earlier but was still an elementary school at this time. One of the school's first teachers was Ethel Percy Andrus. In 1916 Dr. Andrus became California's first woman high school principal at Lincoln High School in East Los Angeles. She later founded AARP. After three semesters in an abandoned grammar school building, Manual Arts High School was opened on Vermont Avenue. After the 1933 Long Beach earthquake, the entire campus was rebuilt, constituting the present Manual Arts High School campus adjacent to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and USC. In 1995, "The Arts" became a Pacific Bell Education First Demonstration Site joining thirteen other demonstration sites in California, and in 1996 the school was named a California Distinguished School. In 1998, Manual Arts was officially granted Digital High School status. The 2005–2006 school year opened with small learning communities, three on each track totaling nine SLCs. Manual Arts was relieved by the opening of Santee Education Complex in 2005.
The school was relieved in 2007 when West Adams Preparatory High School opened. During the same year, a section of the Manual Arts attendance zone was transferred to Belmont High School. In July 2008, the school became part of MLA Partner Schools through LAUSD's newly created iDesign Schools Division. MLA Partner Schools, in collaboration with West Ed, will operate Manual Arts on a 5-year performance contract approved by the LAUSD School Board. The school was expected be relieved by Central Region High School 16 when that school opened in 2011, and by Augustus Hawkins High School when that school opens in 2012. In the 2011–2012 school year, Manual Arts will return to a traditional school calendar schedule. As a result, several of the school’s small learning communities will be restructured and the number of security on campus will be reduced. The 'Blewett Football Field is named in honor of James Blewett who was a standout Manual Arts football player and longtime Head coach with 9 Los Angeles City titles and 225 wins.
Student body
The racial make-up of the school is mostly Latinos and African-Americans and the neighborhood surrounding the school reflects the same make-up. During the 2004–2005 school year, MAHS had 3,766 students, including:
As of 2010, the dropout rate at Manual Arts was 68%. With more than 90% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch provided by the Los Angeles Unified School district. The Manual Arts Student Store is where students may purchase school supplies, snacks, drinks and other items.
