The top reported proficiency rate is 26% in English language arts. The lowest is 17% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Alliance Virgil Roberts Leadership Academy
Alliance Virgil Roberts Leadership Academy is a sixth-through-eighth-grade charter middle school located in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, on West 70th Street in South LA. It operates under the Alliance College-Ready Public Schools network, which means decisions about curriculum, scheduling, and professional development flow through that network rather than from a traditional school district office.
The school serves a small middle-school enrollment, and its student body is almost entirely Hispanic and Black. The vast majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places this school firmly in the high-need tier. Data on English learner counts and students with IEPs was not available in the data provided.
On California's state assessments, the CAASPP results for the most recent school year show proficiency rates across sixth, seventh, and eighth grade that are low in both English language arts and math, with science scores at eighth grade in a similar range. Placed against districts in Los Angeles County, the school's overall proficiency index sits in the bottom quartile of that group. There is only one year of trend data in the record, so it is not possible to say whether scores are improving, declining, or holding steady; a parent who wants to understand trajectory should ask the school directly. The numbers here reflect real gaps and are worth a candid conversation with school leadership about what supports are in place and what the school's plan for improvement looks like.
One concrete development worth knowing is that Alliance College-Ready Public Schools launched what it calls the "Reimagining the Alliance Educator" initiative in 2023. Publicly reported accounts describe it as a structural redesign of school schedules that more than doubled teacher planning and collaboration time while expanding intervention and enrichment blocks for students. The network reports improved outcomes and higher teacher retention from pilot schools, and has been expanding the model to additional campuses. Whether Virgil Roberts specifically is part of the expanded rollout is worth confirming with the school, but families considering any Alliance school should ask about this, because a schedule built around more teacher collaboration and dedicated intervention time is a meaningful operational difference from a conventional middle school.
The school has no graduation rate because it does not serve high school grades.
The neighborhood sits in South LA, a part of the city that is predominantly working-class and Latino and Black, with local businesses, transit access, and the everyday texture of a dense residential grid. Housing near the school runs well above both the state and national medians, reflecting Los Angeles's broader affordability pressure. Rents in the surrounding zip code have risen over the past year. For families weighing whether to seek out this school through the Alliance application process, the cost of living context is a real factor.
Los Angeles itself is organized around neighborhood centers rather than a single downtown, and the school sits within a community that has historically had fewer enrichment resources than wealthier parts of the city. The Alliance network's explicit college-ready mission is aimed at exactly this context, though the current test scores suggest the school faces significant academic ground to cover. Program offerings beyond what is described in the Alliance network's scheduling initiative were not available in the data, so it would be worth asking what electives, counseling, and enrichment opportunities are available at this specific campus.
For a family in South LA looking for a structured charter environment with a college-focused orientation and a network making changes to how teachers are supported, this school is worth a visit. The academic proficiency numbers are a real signal that warrants follow-up, not a reason to stop looking, but also not something to set aside.
See more original research from School Decision →