• Home
• Education
• School and Group Programs

School and Group Programs

A variety of experiences are available from interactive field trips and zoo patches to scholarship opportunities for school groups.

Field Trips

For field trip information related to all LAUSD and non-LAUSD primary or secondary schools, including scholarships, please click here.
For university and adult school special needs field trips, including scholarships, please click here.

Zoo Pals - The Los Angeles Zoo is excited to offer the ZOO PALS scholarship program. ZOO PALS is a special grant-funded program that provides schools and/or groups with free admission and free transportation to the Los Angeles Zoo for a self directed or docent-guided tour.

The ZOO PALS program funds transportation costs for participating schools and/or groups. Two buses per school/group, and a maximum of 120 participants and 12 chaperones will be covered.

Scholarship recipients are required to submit photos from the field trip along with letters and/or pictures from the students. Photos and written materials must be received by the Los Angeles Zoo within 3 weeks of the completion of your field trip.

Scholarship opportunities are available!
Click here for the ZooPals Scholarship Form or Click here for the ZooPals Group Scholarship Form.

On-Grounds Interpretation

While visiting the zoo you may encounter one of our friendly Zoo Educators. They have a passion for animals and love to share their knowledge about them.  Feel free to ask them any questions you may have as you explore the zoo. 

Zoo World Patch Program

The Patch program is a 4-hour class for scouts, both boy and girl, which focuses on the workings of the Zoo and its plant and animal collection.

Through slides, hands-on activities (art, creative writing & biofacts investigations), and adventures on Zoo grounds, the Zoo Patch program takes your scout on an investigative exploration of the zoo’s plant and animal collection examining the daily operations of a zoo, zoo careers, animal exhibit development, animal diets and much more. Each class is 4 hours long and led by a Los Angeles Zoo Docent (trained zoo volunteer). Each scout receives a special Zoo Patch after the completion of the program and Scout leaders receive a detailed sheet connecting the day’s activities to scout badges. The cost is $10 per Scout and patches are included in the program fee. One adult leader may attend free with every ten scouts.

Dates to be determined. Please check back!

For more information, please call 323/644-4211.

Highlighted Programs

Emergency Immigrant Educational Program

The Emergency Immigrant Educational Program, EIEP, selects and provides LAUSD students who have been in the country less than three years with a much needed opportunity to increase their English proficiency through specialized instruction and field trips. ZooSchool, an EIEP program, provides a science-based, Zoo curriculum for middle school students during their school “inter-sessions”.

Participating students spend four weeks at the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens learning about animals, ecosystems, and the role of Zoos while strengthening their language skills. Throughout the course, students explore the Zoo as field biologists and behaviorists creating their own personal field guides. They continue their research of the natural world utilizing a variety of resources including books, Zoo tours, inquiry-based activities, and guest speakers, as they are charged with designing and creating their own model Zoo exhibits and behavioral enrichment for several captive animal species. Through this process, the students discover the role of Zoos, increase English fluency and science literacy, and develop a sense of community, self-confidence, and belonging.

Biological Sciences / Zoo Magnet

This program, established in 1981, is located adjacent to the Los Angeles Zoo in Griffith Park and is ten minutes by shuttle bus from the North Hollywood High School main campus. Students have the opportunity to excel in a highly academic curriculum with emphasis on animal studies and biological sciences, while observing and conducting research at the zoo facilities and in the nearby park and museums.

Students from anywhere in the Los Angeles Unified School District can enroll in the magnet program. For further information, and to find out the documents necessary to enroll a student in North Hollywood High School, please call the school at 818-753-6292.