Charles Drew Middle

Charles Drew Middle is a public school serving 607 students in grades 7-8 in the Florence-Firestone neighborhood of Los Angeles, part of the Los Angeles Unified district, where nearly all students come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Academically, the school faces significant challenges, with proficiency rates in English (22.55%), Math (13.54%), and Science (12.24%) well below state averages, and it is ranked in the bottom 12% of California middle schools. A major concern is chronic absenteeism, with over a third of students missing too much school, though this rate has improved from much higher levels in recent years. Interestingly, the school spends more per student ($26,932) and has smaller classes (17.7 students per teacher) than many nearby schools that perform better, suggesting resources alone are not the solution.

When compared to other schools in the area, the differences are striking. Charter schools like Animo Florence-Firestone Charter Middle (just 0.36 miles away) and Alliance College-Ready Middle Academy 4 serve similar student populations but achieve much higher test scores and have lower absenteeism, often with larger classes and less funding. There are some positive signs: Charles Drew has shown notable improvement in reducing absenteeism and, according to state rankings, performs relatively better for its Special Education and African American student subgroups than it does overall. For parents, this comparison highlights that different school models in the same community can yield different results, and while Charles Drew is making progress in some areas, it continues to trail its neighbors in core academic performance.