Dangerous Minds is a 1995 drama film based on LouAnne Johnson's autobiographical account of her experience as a Marine who left her career to become an English teacher at a well-off high school attended by bussed-in students from a ghetto. The film, starring Michelle Pfeiffer, focuses on the challenges of growing up in the inner-city of East Palo Alto, California and of the efforts of a dedicated teacher to allow her class to learn to believe in themselves.

When a retired U.S. Marine, LouAnne Johnson, arrives at "Parkmont High School" with poor, angry minorities from East Palo Alto, California, she finds a class of tough, street-wise kids, involved in gangs and drugs, whom Johnson quickly dubs the "rejects from hell." Her initially meek demeanour, small stature, and white skin earn her the nickname "white bread" from her students. Determined to have them trust and respect her, she quickly changes her presentation, wearing leather jackets, teaching karate to her students and cursing in the classroom. Creating her own curriculum for her "socially challenged" but otherwise extremely bright class, she starts having them read college-level texts, using Bob Dylan lyrics to teach poetry. Johnson rewards her students for hard work by giving them chocolate bars, toy prizes and trip to an amusement park. Along with helping her students with school work, she also provides emotional support to several students, including a pregnant girl, a boy who's in debt, and a teen who's caught in gang trouble. Although she intends to leave at the end of the year, the students quote the lyrics of the songs that they learned and insist that she's their "light" and refuse to let her leave. Touched, she agrees to stay.

The school in the film is based on Carlmont High School, but was filmed at Burlingame High School, 15 miles from the school where Johnson originally taught.

The rap-based music score is written by Wendy & Lisa, who also wrote one of the theme songs, "This Is The Life." The movie also featured the hip-hop Grammy Award winning song "Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio.

The film became a box office success grossing a total of US$179,519,401.00 in its worldwide revenues and went on to inspire a number of films including Freedom Writers, High School High and One Eight Seven. It also spawned a short-lived spinoff TV series, which features Johnson's further adventures at the school.

The appearance of Skye Bassett, playing the minor character Jodie, in the movie, and her eventual death some time after its premiere, is described in Dave Eggers' novel A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius.

Box office:
Total Domestic Grosses - $84,919,401.00
Total Overseas Grosses - $94,600,000.00
Total Worldwide Grosses - $179,519,401.00