Academia Avance Charter is a public charter middle and high school in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, approximately seven miles northeast of downtown. It is part of the Los Angeles County Board of Education and chartered through the California State Board of Education. First established in 2005 with an enrollment of 100 students, Academia Avance has since grown to a student body of approximately 350 students from grades six to twelve across two campuses: a middle school location by Sycamore Grove Park and a high school location in the basement of a Presbyterian church at North Avenue 53 and Figueroa Street.. In 2017, Academia Avance gained international media attention after an eighth grade student filmed ICE agents arresting her undocumented father Rómulo Avelica as he was dropping her and her sister off at the middleschool campus. The video eventually went viral and sparked widespread outcry among critics of United States immigration policy. Through the efforts of immigrants' rights activists, Avelica was freed from detention that same year. On March 12, 2020 after an exhaustive fight, the California State Board of Education approved the renewal of Academia Avance's charter. The current charter will enable the school to continue operating until the end of the 2024-2025 school year.
2008: Highland Park Presbyterian Community Church, Highland Park, Los Angeles
2009: Middle School - 2670 Griffin Avenue, Los Angeles. High School - Highland Park Presbyterian Community Church, Highland Park, Los Angeles
2010: Middle & High Schools - Highland Park Presbyterian Community Church - Highland Park, Los Angeles
2011: Middle School - Highland Park Presbyterian Community Church - Highland Park, Los Angeles. High School - World Trade Center - 333 S Flower St, Los Angeles
2012: Middle School - Los Angeles Boys and Girls Club, 2635 Pasadena Avenue, Los Angeles. High School - Highland Park Presbyterian Community Church, Highland Park, Los Angeles
2020: Middle School - Sycamore Park Care Center, 4585 N Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90065. High School - Highland Park Presbyterian Community Church, Highland Park, Los Angeles
