Charter School Opens at Former Factory Site

A charter school opened Monday on a new campus in South-Central Los Angeles thanks largely to Carol Little Fashion Industries, which donated the property valued at $6.8 million.

“It’s so exciting we are almost overwhelmed,” said Johnathan Williams, director of the Accelerated School, which for three years operated out of a nearby church.

Charter schools are public schools that operate independently of school districts. The Accelerated School teaches each student as if he or she were gifted and relies heavily on hands-on instruction and parent involvement. More than 300 students are on a waiting list to enroll.

Mayor Richard Riordan, who attended the opening of the kindergarten-through-sixth-grade school, praised the city’s collaborative effort with businesses to improve children’s education.