Original Research by School Decision on Animo Venice Charter High
Animo Venice Charter High is a small charter school serving grades nine through twelve in Venice, on the Westside of Los Angeles. The school enrolls just under four hundred students, with a population that is overwhelmingly Latinx and economically disadvantaged. About nine in ten students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student body is racially concentrated, with Hispanic students comprising the vast majority of enrollment.
The school's most recent state testing results, from spring 2025, show a mixed academic picture. In English language arts, students achieved proficiency at a rate slightly above the midpoint of the distribution one might expect at a school of this type, though that metric alone does not fully characterize the school's academic stance. In mathematics and science, proficiency rates were notably low. Math proficiency reached roughly one in six students, and science proficiency roughly one in five. These are areas where a parent may want to look into further with the school to understand what supports are in place, whether the curriculum has been adjusted in response, and what pathways the school offers for students who struggle with these subjects.
State testing data was not available for prior years, so trends cannot be assessed. A four-year graduation rate was also not reported; many charter schools, particularly those serving lower-income populations, do report this metric, and a parent seeking that information should ask the school directly about cohort completion rates and where students go after high school.
The school is part of the Animo network, a charter operator. It sits on Broadway Street in a residential pocket of Venice, a neighborhood that mixes beach tourism, bohemian and creative culture, and a growing tech sector anchored by companies like Google and, historically, Snapchat. The area is highly walkable, with strong commercial corridors along Abbot Kinney Boulevard and Main Street, and Venice's famous boardwalk and canals nearby. Housing in the zip code is expensive; both home values and rents are well above the state median, reflecting Venice's status as a desirable Westside location. Rental costs have been relatively stable year to year, though ownership costs remain very high.
The neighborhood itself is in transition. Recent housing development has concentrated on affordable and supportive units, with projects like Thatcher Yard and Marian Place Apartments completed in the past few years. Oakwood, the historic African-American residential core of Venice, faces rising gentrification pressure as the area attracts new investment and higher-income residents.
Public school options in Venice include both LAUSD schools and charter schools. The school's immediate peer group for comparison would be other charter schools and traditional public schools in the Venice and surrounding Westside area. The school's enrollment is small, which can mean closer relationships with staff and more intimate class sizes, or it can mean fewer course electives and extracurricular options, depending on the school's staffing and program design. Specific details about course breadth, career pathways, AP offerings, or clubs and sports were not available in the data provided.
For families considering this school, the key questions are whether the low math and science proficiency rates reflect school-level challenges that are being actively addressed, what post-secondary pathways the school emphasizes, and how the school's small size and charter structure serve the student population it enrolls. Direct conversation with the school's leadership about academic supports, graduate outcomes, and program offerings would help clarify these points.
See more original research from School Decision →