Enrollment
546
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Los Angeles, CA
Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy
Federal NCES profile for Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 25/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 060221911640Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 22
📚 AP courses 30
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #115 of 122
- high schools in Los Angeles · Resource Index
- 25
- Resource Index · Lower
- 19.5:1
- students per teacher
- 89.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy ranks #115 of 122 high schools in Los Angeles, CA.
School address
NCES ID 060221911640 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.5:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
89.2%
vs 55.5% California avg
+61% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy
Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter high school in Los Angeles, California, enrolling 546 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 19.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 89.2% of students qualify for free meals, 61% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 546 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,528 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #858.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 24/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 6 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 273 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 45.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Los Angeles's high schools, it stands alongside Venice Senior High (2,293 students): Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (19.5:1 vs 24.4:1).
Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy District is a single-school charter district, so Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy compares
Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.5:1 | ▼ 9% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 89.2% | ▲ 61% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 546 | top 39% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.5:1
Leaner classes than 18% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
546
Bigger than 67% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
89.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 61% above the California average of 55.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
19.5:1
students per teacher
- 9% below state mean
Top 31% in California - lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
45.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$17,266
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 273 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 86.3%
African American 10.1%
Two or More 2.7%
White 0.5%
Asian 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 86.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 24.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 24.4, Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy District, which includes Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy.
$17,266
Per student
+5%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 24.1%
State 64.4%
Federal 11.5%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Similar high schools in Los Angeles
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Venice Senior High
Standard public school
2,293 students 24.4:1 students per teacher
James a. Garfield Senior High
Standard public school
2,237 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
Alexander Hamilton Senior High
Standard public school
2,055 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
John C. Fremont Senior High
Standard public school
1,889 students 18.3:1 students per teacher
John Marshall Senior High
Standard public school
1,842 students 19.6:1 students per teacher
Theodore Roosevelt Senior High
Standard public school
1,678 students 18.6:1 students per teacher
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~546 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy's federal record.
- Compare Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy District's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy
How many students attend Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy?
Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy has 546 students enrolled. It is a high school in Los Angeles, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy is 19.5:1, which is 9% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 24% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy?
89.2% of students at Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy?
The largest demographic group at Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 86.3% of enrollment, in Los Angeles, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy?
Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy rank among high schools in Los Angeles?
By Resource Investment Index, Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy ranks #115 of 122 high schools in Los Angeles, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Los Angeles on the city page.
Is Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy a good school?
Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy District?
None; Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy District is a single-school charter district, and Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy is its only campus.
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Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.