Original Research by School Decision on Animo James B. Taylor Charter Middle District
Animo James B. Taylor Charter Middle District is a charter middle school serving grades six through eight in Los Angeles County. The school enrolls a small population of students, with roughly equal class sizes across the three grades. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a smaller representation of Black students and very few students of other racial groups.
State assessment data and proficiency rates were not available for this district, so a reader cannot see how students perform on California's standardized tests or how the school ranks academically against its peers. A graduation rate does not apply because the district serves only middle grades, not high school. Free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility data and counts of special education and English learner students were also not reported, leaving those student needs dimensions unmeasured in the available data.
The most visible metric for the district is chronic absenteeism, which is elevated. The rate sits in the bottom quartile among Los Angeles County's districts, indicating a meaningful attendance challenge. This matters because chronic absence correlates with lower academic gains and disconnection from school. A parent considering enrollment may want to ask the school directly what attendance support, outreach, and incentive systems are in place, and whether patterns have shifted in recent years.
Per-pupil spending is in the middle range of the county's districts, on the lower half of that span. The school operates as a Green Dot public charter, meaning it is a non-traditional public school with an independent operator but no tuition cost.
A recent and substantive development is the school's award of a California Community Schools Partnership Program grant, which publicly reported sources describe as funding a multi-year "whole-child" transformation. The grant supports integrated health, mental health, and family support services on campus, as well as expanded learning time outside the regular school day. For families, this signals a shift toward wraparound services that address barriers to engagement and learning beyond traditional classroom instruction. The school's charter was renewed by Los Angeles Unified for a term extending through 2026, confirming its authorization to continue operating.
The operator, Green Dot Public Schools California, recently settled a contract with its teachers union that included salary increases for credentialed teachers and counselors across the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years. Higher compensation can support teacher recruitment and retention, which affects classroom stability.
Without state testing data, graduation information, or a fuller picture of student demographics around poverty and language status, a prospective family does not have a clear view of academic results or the school's instructional strengths. The chronic absenteeism flag and the absence of proficiency reporting warrant a direct conversation with the school about academic programming, attendance culture, and how the newly funded community schools services are being deployed. For families prioritizing wraparound health and mental health support on site, the school's grant funding represents a concrete commitment to that model.
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