Kipp Empower Academy, Los Angeles CA

Original Research by School Decision on Kipp Empower Academy

KIPP Empower Academy is a charter school on South Figueroa Street in South Los Angeles, serving children from transitional kindergarten through fourth grade. The school is part of KIPP SoCal, a network that has shifted from expansion to consolidation in recent years, closing multiple campuses as enrollment and funding pressured the organization. That context matters for families evaluating a charter school whose viability depends on enrollment stability.

The school enrolls a small population of students, about evenly split across the five grade levels it serves. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, and the student body is predominantly Latino and Black, with very few white or Asian students. The school's geographic context is South Los Angeles, a part of the city marked by dense residential pockets and ongoing development activity as the broader city pursues housing growth through rezoning.

On the most recent state testing available, proficiency in both English language arts and math is well below the midpoint among Los Angeles County school districts. In math, about four in ten students overall met the proficiency bar; in English language arts, about one in three did. Fourth grade students, who were tested, scored lower than third graders in both subjects. These are low results that reflect genuine academic gaps, and a parent may want to look into this further with the school: what instructional changes are underway, how does the school track individual student progress, and what support is offered to families at home.

KIPP schools nationally are known for extended school days and a structured, accountability-focused culture. The school's partnership with KIPP Academy of Opportunity middle school means families can plan a kindergarten-through-eighth-grade pathway within the network if they wish, a useful continuity for parents managing school transitions. The school also recently expanded to include transitional kindergarten, opening earlier entry for younger learners.

In the immediate area, housing values are modest relative to the state benchmark, and rental costs have remained relatively stable. The broader South LA neighborhood offers street-level commercial activity, service employment, and transit access via the Metro bus system. Families choosing this school should expect a highly structured, high-expectations environment serving a majority low-income student population with significant academic work ahead.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 347%

School 47% · district not reported

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

Grade 437%

School 37% · district not reported

even with state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 337%

School 37% · district not reported

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

Grade 429%

School 29% · district not reported

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 15 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

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income33%Higher-income53%19 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income28%Higher-income38%10 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income44%Higher-income63%19 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income38%Higher-income35%2 pp gap