You can read every page on our website. You can scroll through every photo on our Instagram. Does that tell you what it actually feels like to stand in the hallway at IVA High? 

We’re a tuition-free public charter school serving grades 9 through 12 in downtown Long Beach.  We invite every family to walk through our doors before they decide anything.

Here are five things you can expect when visiting in person: 

1. The Walls Talk Back

Our campus lives inside a repurposed, architecturally unconventional building on Long Beach Boulevard, and our halls prove it. Student art covers the walls. Writing from our Exhibition of Learning boards lines our common spaces. 

You’ll spot bold colors, sharp opinions, and big ideas everywhere you look, because our students treat this building as a canvas for their thinking. 

While a photo can show you one of our murals, standing in front of one, surrounded by three more just like it, shows you our culture.

2. The Room Feels Smaller Than the Roster Suggests

IVA High holds a 20:1 student-to-teacher ratio, and you feel that number the second you step into a classroom. Teachers call students by name. Students engage in meaningful discussions, thinking practices, and actively listen to one another. Nobody hides in the back row, mostly because there isn’t one. 

Numbers on a page tell you the ratio. Watching a teacher circle the room and check-in with every single student in fifteen minutes tells you how our ratio actually serves your kid.

3. Thinking Out Loud Sounds Different Here

IVA High builds its entire academic model around intellectual virtues like curiosity, open-mindedness, and intellectual courage. Sit in on a class discussion, and you’ll hear it immediately. Students ask each other real follow-up questions and create dialogue from challenging topics. They change their minds out loud, mid-conversation, and nobody treats that as a loss. Students learn that growth is progress within the process.

4. College Is Already Happening in the Building

Through the AXS Advanced and Accelerated Studies partnership with Long Beach City College, IVA High brings college professors directly onto campus. On the right day, your tour might walk straight past a dual enrollment class in session, taught by an actual LBCC instructor, full of IVA students earning real college credit before graduation. Ninety-seven percent of our graduates leave with free college credits already on their transcripts. Walking past that classroom shows you exactly how that happens.

5. The Community Feels Earned, Not Advertised

Ask any student why they stay, and you’ll hear some version of the same answer: people here actually know them. That’s what a small school like ours produces, where students, teachers, and families cross paths constantly. You’ll notice it in how staff greet families by name in the front office, how student ambassadors support new and incoming students, and how the whole building feels like a neighborhood.

A tour lets you see all five of these things stacked together in real time. Here’s what a typical visit covers:

1. A walk through classrooms during live instruction, not a staged demo
2. Time with current students to ask your own questions
3. A conversation with staff about our three pathways: University, CTE, and Individualized

None of it is scripted, and that’s the point. You’re not watching a presentation about IVA High. You’re watching IVA High happen.

Why an IVA High Campus Visit Beats a Website

If you’ve been comparing schools online, a tour is the fastest way to find out whether IVA High actually fits your family, or whether it just looks good on a webpage. Seven years running, families have voted us Long Beach’s favorite charter school, and the best way to know if you agree is to see it yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions 

How do I schedule a tour of IVA High?
Call the front office at (562) 283-4456 or check out the Visit IVA High webpage to schedule a tour or Shadow Day. Tours run throughout the school year, and staff will work around your schedule.

What should I expect during my visit?
You’ll walk through active classrooms, see our campus and student artwork firsthand, and get time to ask current students and staff direct questions. Nothing is staged for the tour.

Is IVA High still accepting new students this year?
IVA High enrolls year-round on a first-come, first-served basis. A tour is a great first step whether you’re applying for this year or planning ahead for next year.

About IVA High

IVA High is a fully accredited, tuition-free public high school in Long Beach, California with a mission to empower students to think well: creatively, critically, and with a capacity for self-growth. Our learner-centered approach puts students in charge of their education, while dual enrollment and paid internships transform learning into action. Students come for college prep, STEAM and exploratory pathways for their future; they stay for smaller, safer learning in a vibrant, caring community. Get to know us on social media @ivahigh and on the web at www.ivahigh.org 10 Years of Curious Minds, Empowered Community – Join Us!