La Tijera K-8 Academy of Excellence Charter, Inglewood CA

Original Research by School Decision on La Tijera K-8 Academy of Excellence Charter

La Tijera K-8 Academy of Excellence is a charter school serving kindergarten through eighth grade in Inglewood, part of a district that has operated under state receivership since the early 2010s—the longest such period in California—though a review underway in 2026 may return local control to the elected board as early as 2027.

The school serves a densely low-income enrollment. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student body is predominantly Black, with a significant Latino minority. Enrollment is small to mid-sized for the charter K-8 configuration. The school opened as a district property and converted to charter status, remaining the only school at its location on North La Tijera Boulevard.

Reading and math proficiency both fall well below the midpoint among schools in Los Angeles County. Math proficiency is particularly weak across grades four through seven, dropping below one in five students at grade four and staying in the low double digits through grade seven; only in eighth grade does proficiency reach a third. English language arts performs somewhat better, with a majority of students proficient in grade three and again in grades seven and eight, though grades four through six dip to around forty percent. Science proficiency, measured at grades five and eight only, remains low at both levels. In the one available earlier data point, social studies proficiency in grade eight was very low.

The performance pattern, marked by stronger results in early elementary and eighth grade alongside weak results in the middle grades, is not uncommon in K-8 schools but warrants attention. A parent may want to ask the school directly about instructional priorities in grades four through six and what supports it offers for students not meeting grade-level benchmarks in math. The school does not yet report English learner or special education enrollment counts, so a family with students who have those needs should inquire about the services available.

The school is situated in Inglewood, a city in southwestern Los Angeles County in rapid development around the SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park district and anchored by the newly opened Metro K Line. The area is densely residential with a strong African American cultural presence and has seen substantial housing appreciation over recent years, though the charter serves a mostly low-income neighborhood demographic. Employment opportunities span entertainment and hospitality venues, health care, and nearby industrial and airport-adjacent sectors.

The Inglewood Unified School District, La Tijera's parent district, has faced persistent enrollment decline and chronic absenteeism, pressures that have driven school closures and consolidations. The district is also repaying a substantial state emergency loan. These fiscal and operational stresses will remain context for the school's resource environment even as the district moves toward a potential restoration of local governance control.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 364%

School 64% · District 34% · ▲ 31 pts above district

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

Grade 417%

School 17% · District 22% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Grade 518%

School 18% · District 20% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 627%

School 27% · District 14% · ▲ 13 pts above district

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

Grade 716%

School 16% · District 15% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 833%

School 33% · District 20% · ▲ 13 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 359%

School 59% · District 31% · ▲ 27 pts above district

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

Grade 441%

School 41% · District 27% · ▲ 14 pts above district

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

Grade 547%

School 47% · District 31% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 640%

School 40% · District 25% · ▲ 15 pts above district

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

Grade 775%

School 75% · District 36% · ▲ 40 pts above district

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

Grade 863%

School 63% · District 45% · ▲ 18 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 518%

School 18% · District 14% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 829%

School 29% · District 24% · ▲ 6 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grade 819%

School 19% · District 34% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

This schoolInglewood Unified, 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.