Students arrived on LAUSD campuses Tuesday with new backpacks, and positive outlooks on the new school year. (photo by Aaron Blevins)

Members of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Board of Education, Superintendent John E. Deasy, district officials and special guests on Tuesday celebrated the first day of school and encouraged staff, parents and students to maintain their hard work and achievements.

The morning started early in the LAUSD at Solano Elementary School, where guests and media toured the active construction site. Officials later joined students, parents and communities to kick off the school year at various campuses throughout the day.

“Welcome class of 2015 through 2027. We have high expectations for you and this super fabulous school year,” board member Mónica García, 2nd District, said. “Parents, teachers and staff, we are counting on you to build support around each student. We embrace our roles as our sisters’ and brothers’ keepers. Thank you all for joining our movement toward 100 percent graduation.”

As with every new school year, the district continues to recognize the potential of every student, Deasy said.

“We have come a long way in achieving our highest graduation rates in history, seeing a dramatic upswing in the number of students, taking the Advanced Placement exam and reducing suspensions by a record amount,” he added. “We can graduate every single student college-and-career ready. We can say no to dropouts and yes to graduation for all. I’m excited to embark upon — and celebrate — this new school year.”

District officials highlighted several achievements in the LAUSD from the past year. Fourth-graders in the district improved by 4 points in reading since 2011 on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Eighth-graders in the LAUSD who are Latino, Asian and socio-economically disadvantaged students recorded the highest gains in reading of all urban districts over the past 10 years on the tests. Eighth-grade African American and Asian students in the district had the highest gains in math since 2003, compared to other urban districts on the NAEP.

Despite declining enrollment, the number of students taking Advanced Placement courses and exams hit an all-time high with 48,000 tests taken in 2013-14, a 62 percent increase over the last seven years, an all-time high for the district.

AP test taking increased among Latinos by 89 percent and among African American students by 29 percent.

The district’s $19.5 billion New School Construction and Modernization Program provide safe and healthy neighborhood schools. To date, the district has completed 130 new schools and approximately 23,000 modernization projects.

For information, visit www.laschools.org.