Kipp Philosophers Academy, Los Angeles CA

Original Research by School Decision on Kipp Philosophers Academy

KIPP Philosophers Academy is a charter middle school serving grades five through eight in Los Angeles, located in the 90002 zip code area. The school's current enrollment is small, distributed across a roughly balanced span of grade levels, with a notably high concentration of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.

The student body is predominantly Black and Hispanic, reflecting the demographics of the surrounding neighborhood. Detailed data on students identified as English learners or eligible for special education services were not available.

Academic performance across California's state assessments shows consistently low proficiency rates in both English language arts and mathematics. In English language arts, proficiency is below one-third of students across all four grade levels, with some grades performing somewhat better than others. Mathematics proficiency is more concerning, sitting in the single digits to low teens across grades five through eight. Science results from available grades also show proficiency in the low-to-mid teens. Within the county district comparison set, the school's overall proficiency index falls in the bottom quartile among Los Angeles County schools. A parent would want to examine the school's academic trajectory and instructional approach directly with school leadership, as these results suggest students are entering high school with significant gaps in foundational skills.

The school operates as part of KIPP SoCal, a charter network that has recently closed several schools due to enrollment declines and financial pressure. That context matters for families evaluating long-term stability. Additionally, a sister KIPP SoCal middle school narrowly avoided closure in a 2025 charter renewal vote after declining test performance. The network has rolled out a network-wide structured literacy overhaul moving toward evidence-based early reading intervention and assessment practices, a pedagogical shift that affects daily instruction at this school and all KIPP regions by the current year.

Los Angeles itself is a sprawling, polycentric city with residential neighborhoods, commercial districts, and industrial areas distributed across a vast geography. The immediate area around East 102nd Street is predominantly residential and working-class. Walkability and transit access vary sharply by neighborhood; while some parts of LA have strong pedestrian street life and Metro rail access, car dependence remains a defining feature of the region. The city is in an active growth and development phase driven by housing need, with ongoing rezoning to encourage mixed-use development. Housing values in the zip code sit below the California state median and have experienced modest decline. Major employers in the region include the county government, LAUSD, UCLA, Kaiser Permanente, and firms in aerospace, healthcare, and entertainment sectors.

The school's small size, its placement within a network currently navigating institutional challenges, and its significantly below-average test performance across core subjects are the most salient facts for a parent considering enrollment. Graduation rate data were not available, as the school serves only through grade eight.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 513%

School 13% · district not reported

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 69%

School 9% · district not reported

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

Grade 712%

School 12% · district not reported

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

Grade 815%

School 15% · district not reported

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

English language arts

Grade 523%

School 23% · district not reported

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 614%

School 14% · district not reported

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 31 pts below county median

Grade 726%

School 26% · district not reported

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

Grade 828%

School 28% · district not reported

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

Science

Grade 513%

School 13% · district not reported

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

Grade 818%

School 18% · district not reported

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 6 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.

Proficiency by household income

Mathematics

Grade 7Lower-income11%Higher-income18%7 pp gap