LA Student Voice empowers LAUSD high school students to shape the policies that affect their education through advocacy, leadership, and real civic action.
Schools across LAUSD
Fellows per school
Mission: Student Power
LA Student Voice exists because the people most affected by education policy — students — are too often the last to be heard. We train young leaders to research, organize, and advocate for the changes their schools actually need.
Every initiative, every campaign, every priority is identified and driven by students themselves.
We don't just talk about problems — we train students to build solutions and present them to decision-makers.
From the Valley to South LA, we connect student leaders across every corner of LAUSD.
“The future of education belongs to the students living it every day. It’s time they had the tools to shape it.”— LA Student Voice
From your first meeting to the LAUSD boardroom, our programs give students the skills and platform to drive meaningful change in their schools.
Research the issues that matter most at your school — funding, mental health, safety, arts programs — and present real testimony at LAUSD board meetings.
Join your school's council of 15 fellows who meet weekly to identify priorities, discuss policy, and coordinate with students across the district.
Learn how school boards work, how budgets are decided, and how to effectively engage local government. Knowledge is the first step to power.
Pick a tangible problem — lunch quality, counselor access, outdated textbooks — and organize a real campaign to fix it. Concrete wins, real change.
Share your school experience through our student-run blog, podcast, and social channels. Your story deserves to be heard beyond your campus walls.
Connect with local professionals, community organizers, and civic leaders who help you build skills that extend far beyond high school.
A year-long leadership experience for LAUSD high school students who want to move from caring about their schools to actually changing them.
Meet virtually each week with your school's 15-member council to discuss issues, plan campaigns, and build strategy together.
Join fellows from across LAUSD for district-wide workshops, guest speakers, civic training, and cross-school collaboration.
Develop real policy briefs on issues affecting your school and present testimony at actual LAUSD board meetings.
Contribute to an annual published report that captures what students across LAUSD actually want from their education.
The fellowship is structured in four phases that build on each other — from learning the system to changing it.
Months 1–3
Onboarding, civic literacy training, and learning how LAUSD governance, budgets, and board meetings work.
Months 4–6
Each school council identifies a key issue, surveys classmates, conducts research, and drafts a policy brief.
Months 7–9
Present testimony at LAUSD board meetings, launch issue campaigns, and advocate for your policy proposals.
Months 10–12
Compile the annual Student Priorities Report, celebrate wins, and mentor the incoming cohort of fellows.
If you don't see your question here, reach out to us directly — we're always happy to chat.
Any student currently enrolled in an LAUSD high school (grades 9–12) can apply. There is no minimum GPA, no prerequisite experience, and no cost to participate. We're looking for students who care about their school community and want to make a difference.
Yes. All weekly council meetings and monthly assemblies are held over Zoom, so you can participate from anywhere. We may organize optional in-person events throughout the year, but virtual attendance is all that's required.
Plan for about 2–3 hours per week: one hour for your weekly school council meeting, plus time for any research, writing, or campaign work you take on. The monthly all-hands assembly is an additional hour. We designed the program to work alongside a full course load and extracurriculars.
Yes. Since all fellows are minors, we require a signed parental consent form before participation begins. We'll send you the form after you're accepted. Parents and guardians are welcome to reach out with any questions.
Absolutely. The fellowship provides real civic engagement experience, published policy research, public testimony at government meetings, and demonstrated leadership. These are exactly the kinds of experiences admissions committees value. We're happy to provide verification letters for applications.
We review applications on a rolling basis and aim to build diverse councils that represent the full range of perspectives at each school. We consider your short responses and interest level — not grades or test scores. We want students who are passionate, not just polished.
Be the one to start it. If you're the first applicant from your school, we'll work with you to recruit other fellows and get your council up and running. Some of our strongest councils started with a single student who decided to lead.
Applications for the Fall 2026 cohort are open now. Fill out the form below and we'll be in touch within one week.
Whether you're a student, parent, teacher, or community member — we'd love to hear from you.