City of Angels

City of Angels is an alternative K-12 school serving 1,058 students within the Los Angeles Unified district, notable for facing significant academic and attendance challenges compared to other schools in the area.

The school's outcomes are deeply concerning, with a graduation rate of only 46.4% and a chronic absenteeism rate of 74.3%, both of which are the worst among nearby comparable schools. Academic proficiency, especially in mathematics at 10.07%, is also far below district and state averages. While other virtual schools like Leadership & Public Service Virtual Academy and Virtual Academy STEAM share high absenteeism, they achieve much higher test scores and graduation rates, indicating City of Angels' struggles extend beyond its alternative format.

Importantly, the analysis shows that high-poverty alternative schools can succeed, as seen with Foshay Learning Center and Thirty-Second Street USC Performing Arts, which both have 100% graduation rates. Furthermore, Renaissance Arts Academy in a different district demonstrates exceptional performance. This suggests City of Angels' persistent issues over multiple years may be related to specific institutional factors rather than its student population, especially as it operates with less funding per student and a higher student-teacher ratio than some higher-performing peers.