Citizens of the World Charter School Mar Vista, Los Angeles CA

Original Research by School Decision on Citizens of the World Charter School Mar Vista

Citizens of the World Charter School Mar Vista is a small, independent charter serving kindergarten through eighth grade on one campus in the Palms-Mar Vista area of Los Angeles. The school recently completed an expansion that now houses all grades together, allowing a family to keep a child enrolled from kindergarten through middle school without a transition to a new building.

The school enrolled a mixed student body, with a substantial majority of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch and roughly half the enrollment identifying as Hispanic. Black, white, and multiracial students each made up smaller shares. The overall enrollment is about average for a K-8 charter of its grade band.

State test results from spring 2025 reveal uneven patterns across subjects and grade levels. In English language arts, performance ranges widely: third and fourth graders performed around the midline, fifth graders posted notably stronger results, while sixth through eighth grades fell to roughly the middle or below. Math proficiency was more consistently weak across the school, with third graders performing better than older students and seventh graders showing the lowest results. Science proficiency was measured in only grades five and eight; fifth graders performed above average on the California Science Test, while eighth graders showed very low proficiency. Overall proficiency in reading and math combined places the school above the midpoint among Los Angeles County districts, though the trajectory in upper middle grades and the sharp differences between subjects suggest a parent may want to look into further how the school approaches math instruction and whether older students receive targeted support.

The school operates as an independent charter rather than as part of the Los Angeles Unified School District. It is situated in the Mar Vista neighborhood, in a housing market where median home values are substantial and rents reflect Southern California's cost of living. The locale offers diverse demographic and commercial texture, with nearby transit options and schools scattered throughout the broader Los Angeles metropolitan area rather than clustered around a central campus.

Data on special education enrollment, English learner enrollment, chronic absenteeism, and graduation outcomes were not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about these dimensions of student support and school operations. The school website and a direct conversation with the school community would round out this picture with details about curriculum philosophy, before-and-after-school offerings, and how the school works with students who need additional academic or language support.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 363%

School 63% · district not reported

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 439%

School 39% · district not reported

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

Grade 557%

School 57% · district not reported

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Grade 647%

School 47% · district not reported

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 731%

School 31% · district not reported

▲ 1 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 840%

School 40% · district not reported

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 350%

School 50% · district not reported

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 451%

School 51% · district not reported

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

Grade 579%

School 79% · district not reported

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

Grade 638%

School 38% · district not reported

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

Grade 755%

School 55% · district not reported

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 855%

School 55% · district not reported

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

Science

Grade 560%

School 60% · district not reported

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

Grade 820%

School 20% · district not reported

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 4 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-income57%Higher-income44%13 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income23%Higher-income91%67 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income78%Higher-income82%4 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income53%Higher-income62%9 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income48%Higher-income74%27 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income17%Higher-income71%55 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income54%Higher-income65%11 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income35%Higher-income54%19 pp gap