Center for Advanced Learning, Los Angeles CA

Original Research by School Decision on Center for Advanced Learning

Center for Advanced Learning is a small, kindergarten through fifth-grade charter school in Los Angeles serving a concentrated student body in a working-class neighborhood. It operates as its own single-school district, having recently secured a multi-year charter renewal from LAUSD, which means the school's authorization to operate is secure for the foreseeable future.

The school's enrollment is small, spread across six grades with roughly similar-sized cohorts in each. The student body is predominantly Hispanic and nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, reflecting the economic profile of the neighborhoods the school serves. Race-ethnicity data on English learners and students in special education are not available from the school's public records.

Test results on California's CAASPP assessments show uneven performance across grade levels and subjects. In English language arts overall, about half of tested students achieve proficiency, with third grade performing somewhat higher and fourth and fifth grades lower. Math proficiency is significantly weaker, with about a third of students across all grades meeting proficiency targets, and fifth-grade science proficiency is notably low. When compared to schools tested in Los Angeles County, the school's overall proficiency index places it below the midpoint among county schools. These results suggest that students here face real academic challenges, and a parent may want to discuss with the school staff what supports are in place to address gaps, particularly in math and science.

The school's name emphasizes advanced learning, but the academic data does not show outcomes aligned with that framing. A parent considering this school would want to understand directly from school leadership what the instructional model is, what curriculum it uses, and what evidence the school has that its approach works for the students it serves.

Los Angeles itself is a sprawling, car-dependent city with significant socioeconomic variation by neighborhood. The school is located in South Los Angeles, an area of dense, mostly low-rise residential blocks with strong working-class and immigrant communities, modest housing values, and limited walkability. Public transit exists but is not as dense or reliable as in other LA neighborhoods. Families in this area typically rent or own modestly priced homes and rely heavily on school services for their children.

The school's physical size is small enough that family members likely know each other, which can foster community cohesion. For a family seeking a small elementary environment with a culturally cohesive peer group, this school offers that setting. For a family seeking stronger academic performance or broader peer diversity, the data suggest looking further.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 352%

School 52% · district not reported

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 417%

School 17% · district not reported

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

Grade 523%

School 23% · district not reported

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

English language arts

Grade 359%

School 59% · district not reported

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 445%

School 45% · district not reported

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

Grade 549%

School 49% · district not reported

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Science

Grade 518%

School 18% · district not reported

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 9 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.