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School Profile · Oakland

Downtown Charter Academy: High scores, healthy climate, strong attendance. We looked for a catch — we didn't find one.

Downtown Charter Academy posts 45.2% exceeding the standard — versus 16.8% statewide — with climate numbers better than most. That doesn't make it perfect. It makes it worth a visit to find what numbers can't measure.

2000 Dennison Street, 94606 (opens in new tab)·Oakland Unified·Oakland·Grades 6-8·305 students·75% low-income·Charter·2024–25 CAASPP·(510) 535-1580·Website
Charter school — publicly funded, independently operated, open enrollment via lottery. Learn more
Scope Score
76
🌱 Building Momentum · Strong
ranked #101 statewide · #1 of 34 in Oakland Unified

Downtown Charter Academy scores 76 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 95th percentile of 2,238 California middle schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).

Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →

CDE CAASPP 2025

Most rating sites would stop at “76% proficient” and call it done. Downtown Charter Academy deserves a closer read. The school sits in Oakland, where three in four students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

The headline number: 45.2% of students scored in the top band on the state test. The California average is 16.8%.

As a charter, Downtown Charter Academy enrolls by application, not address — the score reads the same, the enrollment path doesn't.

The story this school is actually telling

The school, grade by grade

ELA · CAASPP 2024–25

Different students, same year — each bar is one grade's proficiency mix.

38%
41%
21%
Grade 6 · 79% proficient
35%
48%
17%
Grade 7 · 83% proficient
30%
40%
30%
Grade 8 · 70% proficient

The honest read: the share exceeding falls 7.8pp across grades; the floor slips 8.7pp. The state average falls 0.5pp over the same span. A school visit and conversation with teachers will tell you more than this number.

75.7%
Low-income · ELA · met standard

Downtown Charter Academy's most underrated number

75.7% of low-income students met the ELA standard — versus 38.2% for the same group statewide. That's the strongest kind of signal a school can post: it holds across income lines.

Downtown Charter Academy low-income: 75.7%State low-income: 38.2%Downtown Charter Academy EL: 17.4%State EL: 10.4%

The 5 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
45.2%
State 16.8%
28.4pp above state avg
Met or exceeded
75.8%
State 39.3%
36.5pp above state avg
Growth (G6→G8)
-7.6pp
State +1.5pp
Scores decline across grades
Chronic absenteeism
4.6%
State 18.5%
13.9pp below state avg
Suspension rate
0.5%
State 3.7%
3.2pp below state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask what the school is working on next. Strong numbers tell you where a school is, not where it's going.

Where the path goes

The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.

K-12 Feeder Path

Estimated path based on proximity within the same district. Contact your school district for official feeder information.

Your other options

All schools in Oakland →

Private alternatives nearby

Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.

The community around it

Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope Score

Student demographics

Hispanic13.1%
White0.7%
Asian74.8%
Black7.9%
Other3.6%
GenderFemale 47.9%Male 52.1%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 75.4% (12pp above CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
305
555 below CA avg (~860)
Student-Teacher Ratio
23:1
2 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$18,173
CA avg: $14,815 · District avg · NCES F-33
Teacher Salary Range
$62,696 – $109,878
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Downtown Charter Academy in Oakland, 75.7% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 24.0% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Downtown Charter Academy outperforms its district average for low-income students by 51.6 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (72.2% Math proficient); Asian students (82.7% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 62.3 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 230 students tested.
Equity Gaps
ELA · English Learner−62.3pp
15.0% vs 77.3% overall · n=20
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · English Learner−34.1pp
0.0% vs 34.1% overall · n=20
Math · English Learner−49.4pp
25.0% vs 74.4% overall · n=20
Math Exceeded · English Learner−46.3pp
10.0% vs 56.3% overall · n=20

Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.

Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income230 tested
ELA 75.7%·Math 72.2%· +51.6pp vs district
Asian225 tested
ELA 82.7%·Math 84.4%· +28.2pp vs district
English Learner46 tested
ELA 17.4%·Math 28.3%· +12.4pp vs district

Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.

Subgroup Growth by Grade
Change in proficiency from lowest tested grade. Shows which groups are gaining ground.

Low-income student ELA proficiency falls by 4.9pp from grade 6 to grade 8 at this school. District average: +2.9pp.

Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 61%Support 36%Other 4%

Source: NCES F-33 (2019–2020) · Full district breakdown →

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$72K
$13K below CA median
Median Home Value
$803K
$144K above CA median
Bachelor's+
38%
3pp above CA avg
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
Whole Child
Teacher experience, college/career readiness, and more. Context only — never part of the Scope Score.
Teacher Experience
8.4 years avg experience
16 teachers · 25% first-year · 6% second-year
Teacher Credentials
46% fully credentialed
11.5% on intern/emergency permit

Source: CDE SARC, 2024-25

Community Profile provides context about who attends this school and the resources available. These factors are never part of the Scope Score. Learn why →
For the data nerds

Every number on this page

Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Exceeded standard · 43%
45.2%
↑ vs CA 16.8% · 81th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
75.8%
↑ vs CA 39.3% · 79th pctile
Growth (G6→G8) · 15%
-7.6pp
↓ vs CA +1.5pp · 58th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
4.6%
↑ vs CA 18.5% · 69th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
0.5%
↑ vs CA 3.7% · 63th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 610938%41%9%12%79%+32
Grade 79835%48%11%6%83%+35
Grade 89430%40%22%7%70%+24
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 610949%24%15%13%72%+37
Grade 79869%15%11%4%85%+51
Grade 89451%15%17%17%66%+34
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/119429%31%38%2%

CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.

Subgroup · ELATestedMET+vs districtvs CA
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged23075.7%+52+37
Asian22582.7%+28+8
English Learners4617.4%+12+7
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Downtown Charter Academy ←—7645.2%75.8%−7.60.5%
Lincoln Middle1.9 mi7443.6%75.2%+1.34.6%
Edna Brewer Middle1.8 mi4928.0%52.5%+0.06.2%
Will C. Wood Middle1.6 mi4623.2%49.1%−8.75.3%
California average—4016.8%39.3%+1.53.7%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
68%76%'19'22'23'24'25
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #183 → #147 → #149 → #114 → #101
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,238 middle schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue
How to get into a charter school in LA →

Frequently asked questions

Is Downtown Charter Academy a good middle school?
Downtown Charter Academy has a Scope Score of 76 out of 100, placing it in the 95th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #101 statewide. 45.2% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 28.4 percentage points above the California average of 16.8%. The Scope Score weights six dimensions for middle schools: exceeded standard (43%), met or exceeded (22%), grade 3-to-5 growth (15%), chronic absenteeism (10%), ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%), and suspension rate (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What are Downtown Charter Academy's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 75.8% of students at Downtown Charter Academy met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 45.2% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 30.6% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 45.2% pushed past it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it reveals whether a school's curriculum challenges students beyond minimum proficiency or paces toward it. 602 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Downtown Charter Academy rank in California?
Downtown Charter Academy ranks #101 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 95th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), grade-level growth (Grade 6 to grade 8 growth), chronic absenteeism, and suspension rate. Unlike single-number ratings, the Scope Score shows what drives the ranking so parents can decide what matters most to their family. See full methodology.
Is Downtown Charter Academy getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Downtown Charter Academy decreases by 7.6 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth. This downward pattern doesn't necessarily mean the school is failing — it can reflect cohort differences, demographic shifts, or curriculum changes. A campus visit and conversation with teachers can reveal what the numbers can't. Growth trajectory is weighted at 15% in the middle Scope Score because it measures what the school does, not just who walks in the door.
What is the attendance and school culture like at Downtown Charter Academy?
4.6% of students at Downtown Charter Academy are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 18.5%. The suspension rate is 0.5%, indicating a low-discipline-incident environment. SchoolScope includes these culture metrics in the Scope Score because they reflect day-to-day school experience in ways test scores alone cannot.
How does Downtown Charter Academy compare to other schools in Oakland?
Downtown Charter Academy scores 76/100 (95th percentile) among California middle schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same metrics side by side: exceeded rate, proficiency, growth trajectory, and school culture indicators. The school serves 305 students. Use the schools in Oakland page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does Downtown Charter Academy serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Downtown Charter Academy in Oakland, 75.7% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 24.0% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Downtown Charter Academy outperforms its district average for low-income students by 51.6 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (72.2% Math proficient); Asian students (82.7% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 62.3 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 230 students tested. SchoolScope shows disaggregated test scores by demographic subgroup so you can see how a school performs for your child's specific group — not just the school-wide average. Subgroup data is context, not part of the Scope Score: we don't penalize schools for who they serve. See our equity approach.
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