About Us

ODLHA opened its doors in August 2003 with a founding class of 140 freshman students. Located in a temporary facility at the Salesian Boys and Girls Club in Boyle Heights, ODLHA’s goal was to provide the families of the Boyle Heights/East L.A. area with an alternative to the large comprehensive urban high schools in the area (Roosevelt Senior High and Garfield Senior High).

ODLHA was founded when Oscar De La Hoya, the seven time world boxing champion, businessman and philanthropist, joined Steve Barr and Green Dot Public Schools, a non-profit charter school developer dedicated to transforming secondary education in Los Angeles, to announce the partnership with his Oscar De La Hoya Foundation to open the Oscar De La Hoya Animo Charter High School in Boyle Heights. The commitment included a $1 million donation over five years for school materials and facilities, as well as for expanding the existing Oscar De La Hoya Boxing Gym and Technology Center currently in the heart of Boyle Heights for the school’s permanent facility. Oscar De La Hoya Animo Charter High School was Green Dot’s record-setting third charter High School in Los Angeles, furthering its plan to open 100 charter schools in metropolitan Los Angeles over the next 10 years. Due to the success of Green Dot’s first charter schools, Ánimo Leadership and Animo Inglewood, the Los Angeles Unified School district approved the charter and the opening of ODLHA in 2003.

ODHLA’s distinguishing features are embodied in the meaning of its name. Ánimo is a Spanish word which means “vigor, mind, spirit, valor, and the courage to overcome odds.” ODLHA is a school with an unwavering belief in the potential of all students. It is a place where a passion for learning prevails. It is a school founded on the belief that all students can and will go to college.