Animo Legacy Charter Middle

Animo Legacy Charter Middle is a public charter school serving 887 students in grades 6-8 in South Los Angeles, operating within its own Animo Legacy Charter Middle District and serving a community with significant economic need.

Academically, the school faces considerable challenges, ranking in the bottom 10% of all California schools and showing a steady decline in performance over the past six years. In core subjects, proficiency rates are significantly below state averages, with only 23.56% of students proficient in English and 11.76% in math. A major point of concern is the chronic absenteeism rate of 29.1%, which is notably higher than the state average and most nearby schools. Interestingly, comparisons show that other local schools with similar student populations, like Environmental Charter Middle - Inglewood and Alliance Jack H. Skirball Middle, achieve much stronger academic results, demonstrating that high performance is possible in the area.

The school spends $22,362 per student, which is less than some nearby charters like Animo Mae Jemison Charter Middle, but it maintains a more favorable student-teacher ratio of 19:1. The data reveals that higher spending does not automatically lead to better outcomes, as how resources are used appears more critical. Within the school, there are relative strengths, such as better performance with African American and homeless student subgroups, but significant struggles persist, particularly for English Language Learners. The strong correlation between high absenteeism and low academic performance in the area suggests that improving attendance could be a key lever for turning the school's declining trajectory around.