Demographics

Plaza de la Raza’s primary constituency is the surrounding Latino community of Lincoln Heights and East Los Angeles, with many of its programs and services designed specifically for these immediate neighbors. Plaza also hosts a large and growing population of Asian (10%) and African-American children and families (5%). 

The students that attended Plaza’s School of Performing and Visual Arts are children and teenagers, ages 5-18,  and 95% of who are from poverty to low-income families. The 2010 US Census reports that 62% of the immediate area is at or below the federal income level. Plaza de la Raza’s programs are vital to the larger Latino community of Los Angeles as well.  

Census figures show Latinos comprise more that 40% of Los Angeles County’s population and Plaza remains the only multi-disciplinary cultural arts center solely dedicated to address the needs of this growing population.  As a result, Plaza has become a valuable bridge between the Latino community and the larger Los Angeles cultural landscape.  

In Lincoln Heights, one of the oldest regional communities in Los Angeles, we have a local population that is nearly 65% under the age of 18, and that margin is growing each year. Nationally, Latinos in the US are getting younger with each new census, an indication of the growth patterns of the population that will one day see Latinos in California alone at over 50%. Yet Latinos are nearly two third behind in income, education and other arenas of engagement in the greater society.

Area Schools

Plaza serves a wide geographic area throughout Los Angeles County, so the list of schools below is not inclusive.

Most schools in Plaza's proximity received a C score from the LA Times arts education report card.