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New Designs Charter School-Watts · Los Angeles

New Designs Charter School-Watts: The score trails the state median. The trajectory doesn't.

New Designs Charter School-Watts still trails on raw proficiency — and it's climbing 24.1pp between this year's grade 6 and grade 8, faster than most schools anywhere near it.

12714 South Avalon Boulevard, 90061 (opens in new tab)·Los Angeles Unified·Los Angeles·Grades 6-12·194 students·93% low-income·Charter·2024–25 CAASPP·(323) 418-0600·Website
Charter school — publicly funded, independently operated, open enrollment via lottery. Learn more
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope4043
% Exceeded3%17%
% Met+12%39%
Growth+24.1+1.5
Absence15.7%18.5%
Suspension3.5%3.7%
Scope Score
40
📈 On the Rise · Developing
ranked #1,163 statewide · #124 of 226 in Los Angeles Unified

New Designs Charter School-Watts scores 40 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 48th percentile of 2,238 California middle schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).

Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →

📈 On the Rise — Ask how many years the improvement has held, not just the latest one — one strong cohort and a real turnaround can look identical in a single year of data.

CDE CAASPP 2025

Most rating sites would stop at “12% proficient” and call it done. New Designs Charter School-Watts deserves a closer read. The school sits in Los Angeles, where four in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

The headline number: +24.1pp separates this year's grade 6 from its grade 8. The state average falls 0.5pp over the same span.

As a charter, New Designs Charter School-Watts enrolls by application rather than address. That changes how you get in, but it doesn't change the score.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 2,238 middle schools statewide

Climbed from the 10th to the 48th percentile since 2019 — past roughly 600 middle schools.

This school hasn't fully recovered from the pandemic: 12% meet the standard today, versus 18% in 2019 — a gap worth asking about on a visit.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 624%7%—13%0%
Grade 721%26%8%26%23%
Grade 820%19%10%21%19%
Grade 1143%19%32%44%53%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 624%8%—13%0%
Grade 712%19%15%17%0%
Grade 89%12%10%7%30%
Grade 115%5%27%25%30%

The 5 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
3.1%
State 16.8%
13.7pp below state avg
Growth (G6→G8)
+24.1pp
State +1.5pp
Scores improve across grades
Met or exceeded
11.8%
State 39.3%
27.5pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
15.7%
State 18.5%
2.9pp below state avg
Suspension rate
3.5%
State 3.7%
0.1pp below state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask what changed — new curriculum, new principal, new program. Momentum has a cause, and a visit will find it.

  • Ask how teachers track each child's growth over the year, not just where the class lands on test day.
  • Ask whether the tour can step into a working classroom — watch how the teacher handles a student who's stuck.
  • Ask to tour while school's in session, and notice how hallways and transitions feel — culture shows up between classes, not just in them.
  • Ask how the school communicates with families when a child starts to struggle.
  • Ask what a typical day looks like for a new student in the first few weeks.

How every group of students does here

At New Designs Charter School-Watts in Los Angeles, 33.8% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 40.9% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. New Designs Charter School-Watts trails its district average for low-income students by 7.2 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (22.1% Math proficient); Black students (25.5% ELA proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 77 students tested.

All students at this school: 24% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 24%, district —, state 39%24%
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 28%, district 36%, state 32%28% · +4 vs school
MaleMale: this school 22%, district 41%, state 42%22% · −2 vs school
Black/African AmericanBlack/African American: this school 23%, district 30%, state 26%23% · −1 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 36%, district 14%, state 15%36% · +12 vs school
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 64%, district 36%, state 32%64% · +40 vs school

5 of 11 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.

this school district, same group California, same group
Subgroup growth by grade

Change in proficiency from the lowest tested grade — which groups gain ground the longer they stay. Groups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 15.7%, district 24.5%, state 18.5%15.7% · −2.9pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 3.5%, district —, state 3.7%3.5% · −0.1pp vs state

Where the path goes

New Designs Charter School-Watts serves grades 6-12 — students can complete middle and high school here, without a separate middle-to-high transition.

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 18:1, district 20:118:1
Teaching staff14 teachers
Avg. experience11.6 years
Fully credentialed48%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$60,420 – $122,706
Principal salary$154,576 – $170,030
Superintendent salary$440,000

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $18,180, CA average $14,815$18,180 · district average
District current expense · FY 2024–25$29,292 per student

The district's current expense of education per student, from CDE's annual SACS filing — the freshest district spending figure the state publishes.

Where the district's dollars go · FY 2024–25 · CDE SACS
Instruction52%
Instruction support16%
Student services12%
Administration7%
Buildings & maintenance10%
Other2%

District-level, from the district's own SACS general-ledger filing — school-by-school breakdowns aren't published by the state.

district detail, 2016–2020 — the newest published
2020$18,180 per pupil
2019$16,355 per pupil
2018$15,793 per pupil
2017$13,247 per pupil
2016$13,549 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

Black55.7%
District 7.2% · CA 4.8%
Hispanic31.4%
District 73.2% · CA 56.1%
Other8.8%
District 6.3% · CA 9.0%
White4.1%
District 9.9% · CA 19.9%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 93.3% (30pp above CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$61K · CA $85K
Median home value$602K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+12% · CA 35%
ZIP population30,051
Median age33 years

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level

Worth Knowing

At 194 students, this school is much smaller than the typical California middle school (≈860).

On the state's science test (CAST), 34% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is New Designs Charter School-Watts a good middle school?

New Designs Charter School-Watts has a Scope Score of 40 out of 100, placing it in the 48th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #1,163 statewide. 3.1% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 13.7 percentage points below the California average of 16.8%. The Scope Score weights 6 dimensions for middle schools: exceeded standard (38%), grade 6-to-8 growth (27%), met or exceeded (proficient) (20%), chronic absenteeism (5%), suspension rate (5%), and ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.

What are New Designs Charter School-Watts's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 11.8% of students at New Designs Charter School-Watts met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 3.1% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 8.7% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 3.1% pushed past it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it reveals whether a school's curriculum challenges students beyond minimum proficiency or paces toward it. 120 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does New Designs Charter School-Watts rank in California?

New Designs Charter School-Watts ranks #1,163 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 48th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), grade-level growth (Grade 6 to grade 8 growth), chronic absenteeism, and suspension rate. Unlike single-number ratings, the Scope Score shows what drives the ranking so parents can decide what matters most to their family. See full methodology.

Is New Designs Charter School-Watts getting better or worse?

Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at New Designs Charter School-Watts increases by 24.1 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth. This upward trajectory suggests the school is adding measurable value — students leave with higher proficiency rates than they entered with. Growth trajectory is weighted at 15% in the middle Scope Score because it measures what the school does, not just who walks in the door.

What is the attendance and school culture like at New Designs Charter School-Watts?

15.7% of students at New Designs Charter School-Watts are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 18.5%. The suspension rate is 3.5%. SchoolScope includes these culture metrics in the Scope Score because they reflect day-to-day school experience in ways test scores alone cannot.

How does New Designs Charter School-Watts compare to other schools in Los Angeles?

New Designs Charter School-Watts scores 40/100 (48th percentile) among California middle schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same metrics side by side: exceeded rate, proficiency, growth trajectory, and school culture indicators. The school serves 194 students. Use the schools in Los Angeles page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.

How does New Designs Charter School-Watts serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At New Designs Charter School-Watts in Los Angeles, 33.8% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 40.9% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. New Designs Charter School-Watts trails its district average for low-income students by 7.2 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (22.1% Math proficient); Black students (25.5% ELA proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 77 students tested. SchoolScope shows disaggregated test scores by demographic subgroup so you can see how a school performs for your child's specific group — not just the school-wide average. Subgroup data is context, not part of the Scope Score: we don't penalize schools for who they serve. See our equity approach.

Your other options

All schools in Los Angeles →

Private alternatives nearby

Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.

A low score doesn't tell the whole story. Read: Your School Scored Low — Here's What That Actually Means

How to get into a charter school in LA →
For the data nerds

Every number on this page

Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Exceeded standard · 38%
3.1%
↓ vs CA 16.8% · 35th pctile
Growth (G6→G8) · 27%
+24.1pp
↑ vs CA +1.5pp · 80th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
11.8%
↓ vs CA 39.3% · 28th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
15.7%
↑ vs CA 18.5% · 54th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
3.5%
↑ vs CA 3.7% · 51th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 6110%0%18%82%0%−47
Grade 7220%23%18%59%23%−25
Grade 8274%15%33%48%19%−28
Grade 113023%30%17%30%53%+6
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 6110%0%18%82%0%−35
Grade 7220%0%27%73%0%−34
Grade 82715%15%26%44%30%−3
Grade 113010%20%10%60%30%+7
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/11595%29%59%7%

CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.

Subgroup · ELATestedMET+vs districtvs CA
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged7733.8%−7−4
Black/African American5125.5%−10−7
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
New Designs Charter School-Watts ←—403.1%11.8%+24.13.5%
Davis Middle2.1 mi6222.6%53.5%−6.60.1%
Bunche Middle2.1 mi4813.1%36.1%+6.20.2%
Environmental Charter Middle - Gardena2.9 mi4512.4%36.3%−10.52.0%
California average—4316.8%39.3%+1.53.7%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20192210#18105.3%18.3%1.0%1.2%-9.9pp
20222621#17130.6%15.2%1.9%0.1%+8.2pp
2023259#19881.8%10.8%2.6%6.2%—
20243030#15541.9%16.0%4.9%0.6%+1.3pp
20254048#11633.1%11.8%15.7%3.5%+24.1pp
NO STATEWIDE TESTING 2020–21 (COVID) · SCORE AND PERCENTILE ARE RELATIVE TO EACH YEAR'S FIELD
What we can't show
  • — Scored here as a middle school — other grade spans appear in the data appendix.
EXC = exceeded standard · MET+ = met or exceeded ("proficient") · Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,238 middle schools · Vintages: climate subgroups 2019+2025 · district finance per its label · ACS 2022 · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue

SchoolScope scores and verdicts are our interpretation of public California Department of Education data — independent analysis, not an official rating. How we analyze · Request a correction

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