Surprise! A new survey conducted by a community youth organization shows that many high school students in South LA — formerly South Central LA — are disappointed with their classroom environments and feeling uncertain about their preparedness for the future.

Of the more than 6,000 students polled, only one-quarter said they felt safe at school and less than half said their school is preparing them for college or a high-paying job. 93 percent believe their school should offer more college-preparatory classes.

This data is diametrically opposite to a report released by the students’ school district in February, which claimed that 90 percent of students said they were being pushed to do their best and 80 percent believed their classes “[gave them] useful preparation for what [they] plan to do in life.” Oh, and this: “That same report was sharply critical of the district’s efforts to get all students into a college-prep curriculum by 2012.”

In a follow-up survey of 52 of the dissatisfied students, more than two thirds reported clinical levels of depression.