The Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education voted unanimously on April 14 to establish the Girls Academic Leadership Academy, Los Angeles, an all-girls science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) school that will be located on the campus of Los Angeles High School.

“It is clear that within our district, our female student population is underserved in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” LAUSD superintendent Ramon C. Cortines said. “Not only will this new school help our students discover their potential, think critically and develop important intellectual skills, it will also prepare them for college and beyond.”

The school’s mission is predicated on research that shows that an all-girls school focusing on STEM has a significant impact on the academic achievement of young women. Particularly, data demonstrates that there is an achievement and participation gap between male and female students in STEM areas. The school’s single gender admissions policy is designed to reduce the achievement and participation gap between male and female students.

“As we continue the national discussion on equal pay for equal work, I stand in support of our youth because our girls matter,” LAUSD Board member Mónica García said. “We push the envelope for parent choice and for the schools our students deserve. A diverse district requires an equally impressive diverse portfolio of educational options to get all our students to 100 percent graduation.”

The school’s highly rigorous college preparatory curriculum will provide girls with a clear pathway to college in the STEM fields, with the expectation that female students will graduate with a strong, confident and independent voice; collaborative leadership skills; and with a sense of self and community.

The school will start with grades six and nine in the 2016-17 school year, growing one grade level per year. It will cover each grade level by the time its first class graduates in 2020. The school will be funded by bond and general funds.