in extracurricular activities; a personal statement; and grades. Loyola draws its students from throughout the greater Los Angeles area, from Pacific Palisades to East L.A., from Pasadena to San Pedro, from the South Bay as well as the San Fernando, San Gabriel, Santa Clarita, and Hidden Valleys. Nearly 50% of the student body is composed of individuals of African-American, Latino, and Asian heritages, which serves to enhance the ethnic and socio-economic diversity of the school. Approximately 800 students apply for 310 slots in the freshman class each year. Curriculum Four years each of social studies and English studies courses are required, along with three years of foreign language study and of science, and one year of fine art. Eight semesters of theology are also a central part of the curriculum, covering Holy Scripture, systematic theology, Catholic social thought, moral theology, and one senior elective. Advanced Placement courses are offered in 25 subject areas with a historical "pass" rate of almost 80%, and students are encouraged to take a wide variety of electives outside of the required courses. Loyola also offers more than 19 Honors courses. Ninety-six percent of Loyola graduates attend a four-year college. In 2014, Loyola sent 23 students to USC which has an 18% acceptance rate: the Loyola contingent was the most from any school. In 2017, among 153 private high schools in the Los Angeles metro area, Niche ranked Loyola 13th in college readiness, and among 52 Catholic high schools 2nd overall with an A+ grade. Also, according to Niche, Loyola is the best all boy school. Service Since the 1970s, Loyola students have performed over one million hours of service to the community. As part of its commitment to educating men for and with others, Loyola students participate in four major service-oriented projects during their high school careers. The freshman serve as tutors on the Loyola campus for the award-winning High School Placement Test Prep Projects for 8th (October - January) and 7th graders (February - April), as well as assist with the Special Olympics. The second and third service projects include minimum 25-hour service projects during each of the sophomore and junior years. The Senior Service Project is a minimum 85-hour immersion commitment to a non-profit service organization in January of senior year. Inner city grade schools, special education schools, hospitals, hospices, shelters, and soup kitchens are preferred sites for this service experience. Now in