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School Profile · Los Angeles

Watts Learning Center Charter Middle: No single number tells this school's story. Here's the honest picture.

Watts Learning Center Charter posts 26% meeting the standard and 7.3% exceeding it, against 39% and 16.8% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.

8800 South San Pedro Street, 90003 (opens in new tab)·Los Angeles Unified·Los Angeles·Grades 6-8·400 students·100% low-income·Charter·2024–25 CAASPP·(323) 565-4800·Website
Charter school — publicly funded, independently operated, open enrollment via lottery. Learn more
Scope Score
31
📈 On the Rise · Developing
ranked #1,642 statewide · #186 of 226 in Los Angeles Unified

Watts Learning Center Charter Middle scores 31 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 27th 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 →

Most rating sites would stop at “26% proficient” and call it done. Watts Learning Center Charter deserves a closer read. The school sits in Los Angeles, where nearly all students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

As a charter, Watts Learning Center Charter enrolls by application, not address — the score reads the same, the enrollment path doesn't.

The story this school is actually telling

The school, grade by grade

ELA · CAASPP 2024–25

Different students, same year — each bar is one grade's proficiency mix.

9%
20%
71%
Grade 6 · 29% proficient
25%
71%
Grade 7 · 29% proficient
14%
37%
49%
Grade 8 · 51% proficient

The honest read: the share exceeding rises 4.8pp across grades; the floor rises 21.7pp. The state average falls 0.5pp over the same span. Kids here gain ground the longer they stay — the pattern you want to see. A school visit and conversation with teachers will tell you more than this number.

The 5 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
7.3%
State 16.8%
9.5pp below state avg
Growth (G6→G8)
+12.9pp
State +1.5pp
Scores improve across grades
Met or exceeded
26.1%
State 39.3%
13.2pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
26.5%
State 18.5%
8.0pp above state avg
Suspension rate
6.2%
State 3.7%
2.5pp above state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask what the school is working on next. Strong numbers tell you where a school is, not where it's going.

Where the path goes

The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.

K-12 Feeder Path

Estimated path based on proximity within the same district. Contact your school district for official feeder information.

Your other options

Private alternatives nearby

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

The community around it

Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope Score

Student demographics

Hispanic83.0%
White0.5%
Black16.3%
Other0.3%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 100.0% (36pp above CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
400
460 below CA avg (~860)
Student-Teacher Ratio
27:1
6 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$18,180
CA avg: $14,815 · District avg · NCES F-33
Teacher Salary Range
$60,420 – $122,706
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Watts Learning Center Charter Middle in Los Angeles, 37.5% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 40.9% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Watts Learning Center Charter Middle trails its district average for low-income students by 3.5 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (16.2% Math proficient); Hispanic students (37.8% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 30.5 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 371 students tested.
Equity Gaps
ELA · Disabilities−30.5pp
6.3% vs 36.7% overall · n=16
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · Disabilities−9.2pp
0.0% vs 9.2% overall · n=16
Math · Disabilities−15.8pp
0.0% vs 15.8% overall · n=16
Math Exceeded · Disabilities−5.6pp
0.0% vs 5.6% overall · n=16

Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.

Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income371 tested
ELA 37.5%·Math 16.2%· -3.5pp vs district
Hispanic323 tested
ELA 37.8%·Math 16.4%· -3.3pp vs district
English Learner89 tested
ELA 6.7%·Math 2.2%· -0.3pp vs district

Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.

Subgroup Growth by Grade
Change in proficiency from lowest tested grade. Shows which groups are gaining ground.

Low-income student ELA proficiency rises by 21.7pp from grade 6 to grade 8 at this school. District average: -0.3pp.

Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 55%Support 40%Other 4%

Source: NCES F-33 (2019–2020) · Full district breakdown →

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$56K
$29K below CA median
Median Home Value
$577K
$82K below CA median
Bachelor's+
7%
28pp below CA avg
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
Whole Child
Teacher experience, college/career readiness, and more. Context only — never part of the Scope Score.
Teacher Experience
12.3 years avg experience
18 teachers · 6% second-year
Teacher Credentials
77% fully credentialed
5.9% on intern/emergency permit

Source: CDE SARC, 2024-25

Community Profile provides context about who attends this school and the resources available. These factors are never part of the Scope Score. Learn why →

Frequently asked questions

Is Watts Learning Center Charter Middle a good middle school?
Watts Learning Center Charter Middle has a Scope Score of 31 out of 100, placing it in the 27th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #1,642 statewide. 7.3% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 9.5 percentage points below the California average of 16.8%. The Scope Score weights six dimensions for middle schools: exceeded standard (43%), met or exceeded (22%), grade 3-to-5 growth (15%), chronic absenteeism (10%), ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%), and suspension rate (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What are Watts Learning Center Charter Middle's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 26.1% of students at Watts Learning Center Charter Middle met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 7.3% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 18.8% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 7.3% 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. 742 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Watts Learning Center Charter Middle rank in California?
Watts Learning Center Charter Middle ranks #1,642 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 27th 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 Watts Learning Center Charter Middle getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Watts Learning Center Charter Middle increases by 12.9 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 Watts Learning Center Charter Middle?
26.5% of students at Watts Learning Center Charter Middle are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 18.5%. The suspension rate is 6.2%. 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 Watts Learning Center Charter Middle compare to other schools in Los Angeles?
Watts Learning Center Charter Middle scores 31/100 (27th 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 400 students. Use the schools in Los Angeles page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does Watts Learning Center Charter Middle serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Watts Learning Center Charter Middle in Los Angeles, 37.5% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 40.9% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Watts Learning Center Charter Middle trails its district average for low-income students by 3.5 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (16.2% Math proficient); Hispanic students (37.8% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 30.5 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 371 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.

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%
7.3%
↓ vs CA 16.8% · 40th pctile
Growth (G6→G8) · 27%
+12.9pp
↑ vs CA +1.5pp · 46th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
26.1%
↓ vs CA 39.3% · 40th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
26.5%
↓ vs CA 18.5% · 39th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
6.2%
↓ vs CA 3.7% · 40th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 6859%20%29%41%29%−17
Grade 71454%25%32%39%29%−19
Grade 814114%37%26%23%51%+5
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 6852%11%34%53%13%−22
Grade 71457%10%33%50%17%−17
Grade 81417%10%28%55%17%−15
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/111415%15%64%16%

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 Disadvantaged37137.5%−3−1
Hispanic/Latino32337.8%−3−1
English Learners896.7%−0−4
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Watts Learning Center Charter Middle ←317.3%26.1%+12.96.2%
Vox Collegiate of Los Angeles1.5 mi4912.8%31.5%+12.60.6%
KIPP Scholar Academy2.1 mi4611.6%32.6%+2.10.5%
Alliance Kory Hunter Middle2.4 mi4611.1%35.5%+5.72.9%
California average4316.8%39.3%+1.53.7%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
38%31%'19'22'23'24'25
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #1045 → #1556 → #1715 → #1159 → #1642
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,238 middle schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue