LACES has been extremely successful and distinguished in recent years because of unusually strong support and commitment by parents, students, and staff. In March of 1992 LACES was the only secondary school in the Los Angeles Unified School District to be named "Distinguished School" by the California State Department of Education. In the Spring of 1993 LACES won the prestigious National Blue Ribbon School designation by the U.S. Department of Education, again the only secondary school in the LAUSD to win this award. In the fall of 1994 the California State Department of Education ranked all the high schools in the state. This ranking was based on each high schools achievement in combination with several other factors. LACES was the top-ranked school in the district and far above the state average. This same year, Redbook Magazine listed LACES as an exemplary school and awarded an Honorable Mention for "OVERALL EXCELLENCE". In 1996, Redbook named LACES as "BEST SCHOOL IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA". In 2003, LACES earned the ranking of #1 SCHOOL IN CALIFORNIA along with the #10 SCHOOL IN THE COUNTRY from Newsweek.