Isana Nascent Academy, Los Angeles CA

Original Research by School Decision on Isana Nascent Academy

ISANA Nascent Academy is a charter school serving kindergarten through eighth grade in Los Angeles, with a small enrollment and a student body composed almost entirely of Hispanic and Black students, more than nine in ten of whom qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school sits on West Jefferson Boulevard in a neighborhood defined by working-class residential use and proximity to the city's mixed commercial and industrial zones. It operates under authorization from Los Angeles Unified School District.

The school's testing data shows low performance in both English language arts and mathematics. In English language arts, proficiency rates range from roughly one quarter of third graders to near half of eighth graders. Mathematics proficiency is significantly weaker, with rates generally below one fifth across all tested grades and dipping to single-digit percentages in sixth grade. Science proficiency, measured only in fifth and eighth grade, falls in the low teens to low twenties. Across tested subjects and grades combined, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among district schools countywide, meaning academic attainment is well below the midpoint of what county schools are achieving.

The low test results do not reflect a new or unstable school; enrollment appears stable across grade levels and has been sustained in recent years. Rather, they reflect a student population with complex academic and economic needs. A vast majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on English learner enrollment and special education rates were not available, so a parent may want to look into those percentages directly with the school to understand how the student body's needs shape instruction and resource allocation.

The school's defining pedagogical focus is Social-Emotional Learning woven throughout classroom instruction, paired with an emphasis on Visual and Performing Arts. The district network publicly reported a partnership with the Amazing Grace Conservatory to create an audiobook and audio-based literacy work in early 2026, and announced a multi-year facility upgrade in late 2025 through partnerships with Heart of America and CIM Group, adding play areas, sports courts, outdoor gathering spaces, and murals. These moves signal ongoing investment in the physical and creative environment, though they sit alongside the low test results.

For a family considering enrollment, the key tension is clear: the school operates with a stated arts and social-emotional emphasis in a low-income community and shows sustained enrollment, but test results indicate that many students are not meeting grade-level standards in core subjects. The school operates under a charter renewal petition covering the 2020-2025 term with LAUSD, meaning its authorization is subject to periodic review. A family weighing this school would benefit from directly asking about current English learner and special education services, how the school targets math proficiency growth in upper grades where performance drops sharply, and what support is available for students not meeting standards in reading and writing.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 328%

School 28% · district not reported

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Grade 414%

School 14% · district not reported

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

Grade 519%

School 19% · district not reported

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 69%

School 9% · district not reported

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 715%

School 15% · district not reported

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 813%

School 13% · district not reported

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 331%

School 31% · district not reported

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 425%

School 25% · district not reported

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 539%

School 39% · district not reported

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 627%

School 27% · district not reported

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Grade 734%

School 34% · district not reported

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 847%

School 47% · district not reported

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Science

Grade 521%

School 21% · district not reported

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 817%

School 17% · district not reported

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

This schoolDistrict average, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.