Summary:
New Designs Charter School-Watts is a public charter high school serving grades 6-12 in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, with 255 students. The school faces significant academic and operational challenges, with lower-than-average performance across multiple metrics compared to the state and nearby schools.
Academically, New Designs Charter School-Watts struggles, with significantly lower proficiency rates than the state in English Language Arts and Mathematics across all grade levels tested. For example, only 44.44% of 11th graders were proficient in ELA, compared to 55.73% statewide, and the 11th-grade Math proficiency rate was just 25%, compared to 27.9% statewide. The school's four-year graduation rate has improved but is still below the state average, and its dropout rate of 11.8% is higher than the state average. The school also struggles to effectively serve certain student subgroups, with rankings in the bottom 50% of California high schools for African American, Multi-racial, English Learner, and Low Socioeconomic Status students.
However, the school does have some bright spots, such as a significantly lower chronic absenteeism rate of just 1.1% compared to the state average. When compared to nearby schools, Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy, a charter school just 0.06 miles away, outperforms New Designs Charter School-Watts across multiple metrics, including higher academic proficiency rates, graduation rates, and lower chronic absenteeism. The high-need student population at New Designs Charter School-Watts, with 63.53% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, may contribute to the school's challenges, and the fluctuating student-teacher ratio could also impact its ability to provide individualized attention and support.
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