Animo Florence-firestone Charter Middle, Los Angeles CA

Original Research by School Decision on Animo Florence-firestone Charter Middle

Animo Florence-Firestone Charter Middle is a single-school charter in Los Angeles operated by Green Dot Public Schools California, serving grades six through eight. It is located in the 90001 zip code, a residential industrial area near the port and Long Beach border.

The school's enrollment is small, distributed evenly across its three grades. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic, with only a handful of students of other racial backgrounds. Data on the share of English learners and students with IEPs was not available.

Academic performance is a clear area of concern. On California's 2024-25 state assessments, proficiency in math ranged from low in sixth grade to modest gains by eighth grade, while English language arts performance was higher, particularly in seventh grade. Science proficiency in eighth grade was quite low. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index placed it in the bottom quartile when compared to other schools in Los Angeles County. Performance data from prior years was not available, so it is not possible to see whether results are improving or declining over time. A parent considering this school may want to ask directly about academic trends and any targeted supports the school has put in place to strengthen student achievement.

The school's distinguishing programmatic feature is its Project Lead The Way curriculum, a structured STEM and engineering pathway. This is a lasting program offering that sets a clear academic direction if STEM interests align with a family's goals. Through its operator, the school is also covered by a 2023 two-year teacher and counselor contract that includes multi-year salary increases and a higher minimum salary, designed to support educator retention and classroom stability.

Housing in the immediate area is relatively affordable on a Los Angeles scale, with median home values noticeably below both state and national benchmarks. Rents are modest. The neighborhood itself is industrial and mixed-use, not a traditional residential enclave, and sits within Los Angeles's sprawling geography. Public transit access is part of the Los Angeles Metro system, though the specific walkability and transit convenience of the school's immediate surroundings within this industrial area would warrant a visit or direct conversation with the school about how families access the campus.

The school's student composition and location are plainly working-class and predominantly Latino, a specific demographic fit within Los Angeles's diverse landscape. Whether that environment meets a family's needs is a matter of personal choice and proximity. The core academic question is whether the low to moderate proficiency results and the PLTW pathway together align with what a family is seeking at the middle-school level.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 618%

School 18% · district not reported

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

Grade 729%

School 29% · district not reported

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 835%

School 35% · district not reported

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 624%

School 24% · district not reported

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

Grade 743%

School 43% · district not reported

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 840%

School 40% · district not reported

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

Science

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.