Enrollment
194
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Los Angeles, CA
New Designs Charter School-Watts
Federal NCES profile for New Designs Charter School-Watts, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 54/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 060154312456Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 30
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 61
📋 Attendance 96
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
New Designs Charter School-Watts earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 81% of California schools.
- #5 of 41
- schools in Los Angeles · Resource Index
- 54
- Resource Index · Higher
- 17.6:1
- small classes for California
- 63.5%
- free-lunch eligible
New Designs Charter School-Watts has class sizes smaller than 81% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, New Designs Charter School-Watts ranks #5 of 41 schools in Los Angeles, CA.
School address
District: New Designs Charter School-Watts District · California
NCES ID 060154312456 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.6:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
63.5%
vs 55.5% California avg
+14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How New Designs Charter School-Watts compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at New Designs Charter School-Watts
New Designs Charter School-Watts is a higher-need, mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Los Angeles, California, enrolling 194 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 17.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 63.5% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 194 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 95% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 539 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #49, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (56%) and Hispanic or Latino (31%) (diversity index 58/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 194 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance holds up well here: only 1.5% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding New Designs Charter School-Watts District spends $21,288 per pupil, 29% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 32.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Los Angeles's public schools, it stands alongside Eagle Rock High (2,031 students): New Designs Charter School-Watts is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (17.6:1 vs 19.5:1).
New Designs Charter School-Watts District is a single-school charter district, so New Designs Charter School-Watts 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 New Designs Charter School-Watts compares
New Designs Charter School-Watts on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.6:1 | ▼ 18% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 63.5% | ▲ 14% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 194 | top 83% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.6:1
Leaner classes than 27% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
194
Bigger than 19% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
63.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 14% above the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.6:1
students per teacher
- 18% below state mean
Top 19% in California - lower ratio than 81% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
1.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$21,288
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 194 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
African American 55.7%
Hispanic or Latino 31.4%
Two or More 8.2%
White 4.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Largest group: African American at 55.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 58.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 58.3, New Designs Charter School-Watts is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for New Designs Charter School-Watts District, which includes New Designs Charter School-Watts.
$21,288
Per student
+29%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 18.0%
State 49.7%
Federal 32.3%
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 other schools in Los Angeles
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Eagle Rock High
Standard public school
2,031 students 19.5:1 students per teacher
Foshay Learning Center
Standard public school
1,530 students 18:1 students per teacher
Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies
Alternative education program
1,357 students 21.2:1 students per teacher
Benjamin Franklin Senior High
Standard public school
1,284 students 17.4:1 students per teacher
City of Angels
Alternative education program
1,058 students 19.2:1 students per teacher
Alliance Gertz-Ressler Richard Merkin 6-12 Complex
Standard public school
1,031 students 23.4:1 students per teacher
Similar other 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 (~194 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on New Designs Charter School-Watts's federal record.
- Compare New Designs Charter School-Watts against another school. Compare schools
- New Designs Charter School-Watts 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 New Designs Charter School-Watts
How many students attend New Designs Charter School-Watts?
New Designs Charter School-Watts has 194 students enrolled. It is a public school in Los Angeles, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at New Designs Charter School-Watts?
The student-teacher ratio at New Designs Charter School-Watts is 17.6:1, which is 18% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 12% 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 New Designs Charter School-Watts?
63.5% of students at New Designs Charter School-Watts are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of New Designs Charter School-Watts?
The largest demographic group at New Designs Charter School-Watts is African American at 55.7% of enrollment, in Los Angeles, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 58.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for New Designs Charter School-Watts?
New Designs Charter School-Watts has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 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 New Designs Charter School-Watts rank among schools in Los Angeles?
By Resource Investment Index, New Designs Charter School-Watts ranks #5 of 41 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 schools in Los Angeles on the city page.
Is New Designs Charter School-Watts a good school?
New Designs Charter School-Watts earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 81% of California schools. 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 New Designs Charter School-Watts District?
None; New Designs Charter School-Watts District is a single-school charter district, and New Designs Charter School-Watts 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.