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Environmental Charter Middle - Gardena

Q: Is Environmental Charter Middle - Gardena a good school?

Environmental Charter Middle - Gardena ranks 1456 th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades 6-8

1456^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 47% of California middle schools

Summary

Environmental Charter Middle - Gardena is a public charter school serving 360 students in grades 6-8 in Gardena, California, where it operates as its own independent district and has shown steady improvement in its statewide ranking over the last three years.

While the school's test scores in English, math, and science are below the state average, it is important to understand its performance in context. The school serves a community where a high percentage of families face economic challenges, and compared to other nearby schools with similar student populations—like Animo Mae Jemison Charter Middle and Animo Legacy Charter Middle—Environmental Charter Middle achieves stronger academic results. It also does a notably better job supporting students from low-income families and students with special education needs than many of its peers. However, the school has a critical, urgent need to improve its support for students who are learning English, as this group significantly struggles.

The school's story becomes more interesting when looking at resources and nearby comparisons. For instance, it spends less per student than schools like Walton Middle but gets better academic outcomes. A stark contrast is seen with Casimir Middle in the neighboring Torrance Unified district, which has far higher test scores and lower absenteeism with significantly different community resources, highlighting how local factors shape school environments. Overall, Environmental Charter Middle is a school on an upward trend that performs well for its community context but has clear areas for growth.

360

Students ?

22.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,509

Per pupil spending ?

88.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

812 West 165th Pl.
Gardena, CA 90247-5105

(310) 425-1605

District: Environmental Charter Middle - Gardena District

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

81.7%

African American:

11.7%

Two or more races:

3.3%

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Compare Environmental Charter Middle - Gardena to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 45th percentile in 2019 → 47th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (34% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Science scores 15 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school34%

California avg41%

1,456^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 47%▲ up 3 pts since 2019

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

823^rd of 1,543Environmental Charter Middle - Gardena District among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	41.2	1456 of 2761	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.0	1629 of 2783	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.4	1925 of 2781	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.7	1868 of 2740	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.5	1505 of 2715	44.6%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	52.3	254 of 609	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.1	322 of 613	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.9	305 of 637	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.7	220 of 643	65.8%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	26.5	1205 of 1531	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.5	1021 of 1491	31.5%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	21.3	1462 of 1478	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	22.0	1520 of 1521	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	20.9	1533 of 1540	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	21.2	1437 of 1442	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	40.8	1350 of 2533	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.9	1414 of 2551	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.8	1553 of 2531	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.8	1570 of 2509	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.3	1318 of 2380	44.6%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	55.3	866 of 2395	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.3	1034 of 2388	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	36.5	1387 of 2374	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.6	1239 of 2359	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	51.0	915 of 2213	58.7%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	53.2	971 of 2542	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	43.1	1265 of 2579	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	36.2	1485 of 2531	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.0	1366 of 2458	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	48.7	1049 of 2369	55.7%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	40.2	1372 of 2534	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.6	1620 of 2552	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	22.7	1956 of 2538	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.9	1892 of 2527	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.2	1457 of 2407	39.5%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	44.1	704 of 1566	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.3	659 of 1552	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	31.4	1029 of 1531	32.8%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Hispanic (2025)64th percentile+17 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)62nd percentile+15 vs school

African American (2025)58th percentile+11 vs school

Special Education (2025)55th percentile+8 vs school

Female (2025)47th percentile~ school

Male (2025)46th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)21st percentile-11 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)1st percentile-40 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy39%-10 vs state

Mathematics34%-4 vs state

Science18%-15 vs state

★

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Schools Near Environmental Charter Middle - Gardena

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Environmental Charter Middle - Gardena	Public, Charter	6-8	812 West 165th Pl.	Gardena	90247	Los Angeles County	Environmental Charter Middle - Gardena District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 425-1605	360	16	22.4	88.1%	3 (0.8%)	42 (11.7%)	294 (81.7%)	7 (1.9%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	12 (3.3%)	41.2	1456^th of 2761 public middle schools	47.3%		35	1629^th of 2783 public middle schools	41.5%	173	17.7	17.7	41.8	44.8	30.4	39.1	41.8	26.7	32.2	33.7	$21,509	$3,028	$18,481
Robert E. Peary Middle	Public	6-8	1415 West Gardena Blvd.	Gardena	90247	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 225-4200	1,082	58	18.5	90.8%	14 (1.3%)	291 (26.9%)	686 (63.4%)	45 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.6%)	40 (3.7%)	25.8	1966^th of 2761 public middle schools	28.8%		25.2	2022^nd of 2783 public middle schools	27.3%	56	17.1	17.1	28.1	32.4	34.2	31.7	22.0	20.5	22.1	21.5	$24,013	$4,317	$19,696
Casimir Middle	Public	6-8	17220 Casimir Ave.	Torrance	90504	Los Angeles County	Torrance Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 533-4498	617	24	25.5	44.1%	48 (7.8%)	26 (4.2%)	266 (43.1%)	199 (32.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.8%)	73 (11.8%)	83.3	407^th of 2761 public middle schools	85.3%		81.9	442^nd of 2783 public middle schools	84.1%	35	38.0	38.0	68.6	74.8	59.9	67.8	61.7	60.5	49.3	57.0	$15,830	$711	$15,119
Enterprise Middle	Public	6-8	2600 West Compton Blvd.	Compton	90220	Los Angeles County	Compton Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 898-6030	182	10	18.0	87.9%	0 (0.0%)	53 (29.1%)	123 (67.6%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	3 (1.6%)	1 (0.5%)	33.7	1687^th of 2761 public middle schools	38.9%		20.8	2228^th of 2783 public middle schools	19.9%	541	22.4	22.4	29.8	34.9	41.2	35.9	29.8	18.5	30.3	25.8	$27,891	$4,833	$23,058
Compton Community Day Middle	Public	6-8	2300 West Caldwell St.	Compton	90220	Los Angeles County	Compton Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 898-6154	2	2	.8		0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Walton Middle	Public	7-8	900 West Greenleaf Ave.	Compton	90220	Los Angeles County	Compton Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 898-6060	72	5	13.3	94.4%	0 (0.0%)	13 (18.1%)	58 (80.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16.6	2371^st of 2761 public middle schools	14.1%		23.3	2117^th of 2783 public middle schools	23.9%	254	2.8	2.8			33.3	33.3			11.1	11.1	$31,411	$6,356	$25,055
Animo Mae Jemison Charter Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	12700 S. Avalon Blvd.	Los Angeles	90061	Los Angeles County	Animo Mae Jemison Charter Middle District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(323) 565-4450	441	22	19.7	95.9%	2 (0.5%)	87 (19.7%)	348 (78.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	16.5	2377^th of 2761 public middle schools	13.9%		21	2219^th of 2783 public middle schools	20.3%	158	10.5	10.5	19.5	25.9	32.6	26.3	3.9	20.3	12.6	12.6	$28,330	$2,284	$26,046
Animo Legacy Charter Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	12226 South Western Ave.	Los Angeles	90047	Los Angeles County	Animo Legacy Charter Middle District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(323) 600-6000	887	46	19.4	94.6%	10 (1.1%)	275 (31.0%)	582 (65.6%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	9 (1.0%)	7 (0.8%)	13.7	2490^th of 2761 public middle schools	9.8%		10.6	2646^th of 2783 public middle schools	4.9%	156	7.5	7.5	24.6	21.2	24.8	23.6	11.6	8.2	15.0	11.8	$22,362	$1,548	$20,814
Glenn Hammond Curtiss Middle	Public	6-8	1254 East Helmick St.	Carson	90746	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 661-4500	341	21	16.1	89.7%	5 (1.5%)	194 (56.9%)	125 (36.7%)	3 (0.9%)	2 (0.6%)	2 (0.6%)	10 (2.9%)	32.1	1752^nd of 2761 public middle schools	36.5%		30.5	1791^st of 2783 public middle schools	35.6%	39	18.0	18.0	29.0	34.2	41.3	34.9	31.7	26.6	20.5	26.2	$34,372	$6,547	$27,825
Bud Carson Middle	Public	6-8	13838 South Yukon Ave.	Hawthorne	90250	Los Angeles County	Hawthorne	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 676-1908	601	25	23.9	94.5%	6 (1.0%)	184 (30.6%)	382 (63.6%)	7 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	7 (1.2%)	14 (2.3%)	34.3	1668^th of 2761 public middle schools	39.6%		36.6	1580^th of 2783 public middle schools	43.2%	88	13.2	13.2	39.4	33.9	35.3	36.1	38.1	27.3	24.5	29.8	$21,098	$4,945	$16,153

Frequently Asked Questions about Environmental Charter Middle - Gardena

How many students attend Environmental Charter Middle - Gardena?

In the 2024-25 school year, 360 students attended Environmental Charter Middle - Gardena.

What district is Environmental Charter Middle - Gardena in?

Environmental Charter Middle - Gardena District

Is Environmental Charter Middle - Gardena a good school?

Environmental Charter Middle - Gardena ranks 1456^th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Environmental Charter Middle - Gardena?

Students at Environmental Charter Middle - Gardena are 82% Hispanic, 12% African American, 3% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.