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Oakland Unified: Oakland Unified middle schools lead at 35.5. A 66.6-point spread across all schools shows this is a district of contrasts.

Below Average2024–25 data102 schools · avg 33.7/100

Oakland Unified has 102 ranked schools across elementary, middle and high levels with an average Scope Score of 33.7/100 — 11.1 points below the state average of 44.8. The highest-scoring school is Downtown Charter Academy at 74/100, where 45.2% of students exceed the state standard. The district spends $18,173 per student (above the state average of $14,815). 4 schools show positive growth trajectories. Chronic absenteeism averages 30.6%, above the state average. Data source: CDE CAASPP 2025 and NCES fiscal data, analyzed by SchoolScope.

Avg Scope Score
33.7
State avg: 44.8
SchoolScope composite
Score Range
66.6
7.0 – 73.6
Avg Exceeded %
12.1%
State avg: 21.3%
Chronic Absenteeism
30.6%
State avg: 17.9%
Schools Ranked
102
With Scope Scores
Charter Schools
26
of 102 ranked
LevelAvg ScoreSchoolsExceededAbsent
ElementaryDeveloping
34.5/100
7113.0%27.9%
MiddleDeveloping
35.5/100
1412.8%29.2%
HighNeeds Support
29.0/100
178.0%42.8%

Oakland Unified's middle schools average 35.5/100 — 7.1 points below the state average.

K–12 pipeline

The typical school path in Oakland Unified, top-scoring shown first.

Elementary
34.5
avg score · 71 schools
+68 more elementary schools
Middle
35.5
avg score · 14 schools
Claremont Middle
Solid
56/100
+11 more middle schools
High
29.0
avg score · 17 schools
Oakland Unity High
Developing
49/100
AIMS College Prep High
Developing
45/100
+14 more high schools

District Analysis

Oakland Unified has 102 ranked schools with an average Scope Score of 33.7/100 — 11.1 points below the state average of 44.8 (CDE CAASPP 2025).

Strongest level: Oakland Unified's middle schools lead the district with an average Scope Score of 35.5.

District-wide elementary growth averages -0.4pp (state avg: -2.9pp) — growth is essentially flat.

Score range of 66.6 points — showing significant variation between schools.

District chronic absenteeism averages 30.6%, 12.7pp above the state average of 17.9%.

District suspension rate averages 3.5%, near the state average of 1.6%.

Downtown Charter Academy leads the district at 74 with 45.2% exceeding standard.

How we score · Scope Score methodology

School archetypes in Oakland Unified

34 On the Rise4 Growth Engine4 Solid Base4 Culture First55 Building Momentum

Hidden gems: 38 schools in Oakland Unified are classified as On the Rise (34) or Growth Engine (4) — showing positive growth trajectories that raw proficiency scores alone don't capture. These are schools where students leave with more than they arrived with.

Archetypes are data-driven labels based on Scope Score dimensions. Learn more

Student demographics

Hispanic
51.5%
White
9.6%
Asian
7.5%
Black
21.2%
Other
10.2%
Free/Reduced Lunch
80%
Economic need indicator · district avg

District averages · California Department of Education enrollment data

District Funding

Oakland Unified spends $18,173 per student in current expenditures — $3,359 above the state average of $14,815.

Per-Pupil Spending
$18,173
State avg: $14,815
District Enrollment
35,489
Students for funding calc
2016–2020 Trend
↑ 56.4%
$11,617 → $18,173
Spending Efficiency
1.86
Scope Score per $1K spent
Spending Breakdown
Instruction 61%Support 36%Other 3%
NCES F-33 Finance · District-level data — not school-specific

Data source: NCES Common Core of Data, Fiscal Survey (F-33) · 2019–2020

Teacher compensation

Salary Range
$62,696–$109,878
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
Teaching Staff
2,010
Full-time equivalent teachers

CDE Form J-90 salary schedule · 2024–25

For the data nerds

Every school in Oakland Unified

ranked by Scope Score · 2024–25 CAASPP

Elementary Schools (71)

Oakland Unified has 71 ranked elementary schools averaging a Scope Score of 34.5 — 10.3 points below the state average of 44.8.

Growth is essentially flat at -0.4pp.

The highest-scoring elementary school is Redwood Heights Elementary with a Scope Score of 70 and 44.5% exceeding standard.

#SchoolExceededScore
1Redwood Heights Elementary
Oakland Unified Building Momentum
44.5%Solid
70/100
2Chabot Elementary
Oakland Unified Building Momentum
47.6%Solid
68/100
3Lincoln Elementary
Oakland Unified Growth Engine
35.3%Solid
66/100
4Crocker Highlands Elementary
Oakland Unified Strong All-Around
43.6%Solid
63/100
5Hillcrest
Oakland Unified Solid Base
50.9%Solid
63/100
6Peralta Elementary
Oakland Unified Solid Base
46.5%Solid
62/100
7American Indian Public Charter School II
Oakland Unified Solid Base
35.5%Solid
59/100
8Thornhill Elementary
Oakland Unified Building Momentum
38.4%Solid
57/100
9Montclair Elementary
Oakland Unified Solid Base
39.8%Solid
56/100
10Sequoia Elementary
Oakland Unified Culture First
39.7%Solid
55/100
11Melrose Leadership Academy
Oakland Unified Growth Engine
20.2%Solid
52/100
12Francophone Charter School of Oakland
Oakland Unified On the Rise
24.9%Solid
50/100
13Oakland School for the Arts
Oakland Unified Growth Engine
20.4%Developing
48/100
14Cleveland Elementary
Oakland Unified Culture First
33.8%Developing
47/100
15Joaquin Miller Elementary
Oakland Unified Building Momentum
30.4%Developing
45/100
16Emerson Elementary
Oakland Unified Building Momentum
23.8%Developing
44/100
17ASCEND
Oakland Unified On the Rise
9.7%Developing
44/100
18Glenview Elementary
Oakland Unified Culture First
33.6%Developing
43/100
19Aspire Monarch Academy
Oakland Unified On the Rise
8.8%Developing
41/100
20Burckhalter Elementary
Oakland Unified On the Rise
11.6%Developing
41/100
21East Bay Innovation Academy
Oakland Unified Building Momentum
19.4%Developing
40/100
22Oakland Military Institute, College Preparatory Ac
Oakland Unified On the Rise
5.4%Developing
37/100
23Global Family Elementary
Oakland Unified On the Rise
2.1%Developing
37/100
24Franklin Elementary
Oakland Unified On the Rise
10.4%Developing
37/100
25EnCompass Academy Elementary
Oakland Unified On the Rise
3.7%Developing
37/100
26Piedmont Avenue Elementary
Oakland Unified Building Momentum
12.6%Developing
36/100
27Achieve Academy
Oakland Unified Culture First
8.6%Developing
35/100
28LIFE Academy
Oakland Unified On the Rise
4.1%Developing
35/100
29KIPP Bridge Academy
Oakland Unified Building Momentum
12.4%Developing
34/100
30Madison Park Academy Elementary
Oakland Unified On the Rise
7.9%Developing
34/100

Middle Schools (14)

Oakland Unified has 14 ranked middle schools averaging a Scope Score of 35.5 — 7.1 points below the state average of 42.6. 1 of 14 middle schools score above 70.

Grade-to-grade growth averages +1.6pp — schools are adding value beyond what students arrive with.

The highest-scoring middle school is Downtown Charter Academy with a Scope Score of 74 and 45.2% exceeding standard.

#SchoolExceededScore
1Downtown Charter Academy
Oakland Unified Building Momentum
45.2%Strong
74/100
2Claremont Middle
Oakland Unified Building Momentum
30.6%Solid
56/100
3AIMS College Prep Middle
Oakland Unified Growth Engine
19.7%Solid
51/100
4Edna Brewer Middle
Oakland Unified Building Momentum
28.0%Developing
48/100
5Montera Middle
Oakland Unified Building Momentum
20.3%Developing
45/100
6Oakland Charter Academy
Oakland Unified Building Momentum
6.5%Developing
33/100
7Bret Harte Middle
Oakland Unified On the Rise
5.5%Needs Support
28/100
8West Oakland Middle
Oakland Unified On the Rise
2.4%Needs Support
27/100
9Westlake Middle
Oakland Unified On the Rise
2.6%Needs Support
26/100
10Roosevelt Middle
Oakland Unified Building Momentum
7.3%Needs Support
26/100
11Elmhurst United Middle
Oakland Unified On the Rise
4.2%Needs Support
24/100
12Urban Promise Academy Middle
Oakland Unified On the Rise
3.0%Needs Support
21/100
13United for Success Academy Middle
Oakland Unified Building Momentum
3.2%Needs Support
21/100
14Frick United Academy of Language Middle
Oakland Unified Building Momentum
0.5%Needs Support
17/100

High Schools (17)

Oakland Unified has 17 ranked high schools averaging a Scope Score of 29.0 — 14.7 points below the state average of 43.7.

The highest-scoring high school is Oakland Technical High with a Scope Score of 54 and 26.0% exceeding standard.

#SchoolExceededScore
1Oakland Technical High
Oakland Unified Building Momentum
26.0%Solid
54/100
2Oakland Unity High
Oakland Unified Building Momentum
18.7%Developing
49/100
3AIMS College Prep High
Oakland Unified Building Momentum
15.5%Developing
45/100
4Skyline High
Oakland Unified Building Momentum
19.1%Developing
45/100
5ARISE High
Oakland Unified Building Momentum
11.4%Developing
42/100
6Lighthouse Community Charter High
Oakland Unified Building Momentum
12.7%Developing
42/100
7Oakland High
Oakland Unified Building Momentum
12.1%Developing
37/100
8LPS Oakland R & D Campus
Oakland Unified Building Momentum
4.1%Developing
33/100
9MetWest High
Oakland Unified Building Momentum
9.4%Developing
32/100
10McClymonds High
Oakland Unified Building Momentum
2.8%Needs Support
29/100
11Fremont High
Oakland Unified Building Momentum
0.9%Needs Support
23/100
12Castlemont High
Oakland Unified Building Momentum
1.1%Needs Support
15/100
13Ralph J. Bunche Continuation High
Oakland Unified Building Momentum
0.0%Needs Support
14/100
14Dewey Academy High
Oakland Unified Building Momentum
2.0%Needs Support
11/100
15Oakland International High
Oakland Unified Building Momentum
0.0%Needs Support
8/100
16Rudsdale Continuation High
Oakland Unified Building Momentum
0.0%Needs Support
8/100
17Street Academy Alternative High
Oakland Unified Building Momentum
0.0%Needs Support
7/100
Source: CDE CAASPP 2025 · 102 schoolsMethodology · Explore all schools

Data source: California Department of Education · CAASPP 2024-25 · Methodology

Scores are SchoolScope's analysis of public data, not official CDE ratings. They represent one way of interpreting test results and should not be the sole basis for school decisions.

What Scope Scores can't tell you about Oakland Unified

Numbers tell you whether students are clearing the bar. A school visit tells you whether they're happy doing it. These metrics are intentionally missing from the Scope Score: class sizes and student-teacher interaction quality; arts, music, athletics, and enrichment programs; teacher experience and turnover; campus safety and social-emotional support; parent and community engagement; quality of special education and gifted programs; how resources are distributed across schools within the district. Full methodology

Frequently asked questions

Is Oakland Unified a good school district?
Oakland Unified has 102 ranked schools averaging a Scope Score of 33.7/100, which is 11.1 points below the state average. 12.1% of students exceed the state standard on average. The Scope Score measures academic performance and school climate across seven dimensions. Data source: CDE CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What is the best school in Oakland Unified?
The highest-scoring school in Oakland Unified is Downtown Charter Academy with a Scope Score of 74/100 and 45.2% exceeding standard. See methodology.
How much does Oakland Unified spend per student?
Oakland Unified spends $18,173 per student in current expenditures. The state average is $14,815. Spending data comes from the NCES Common Core of Data Fiscal Survey (F-33). Higher spending does not automatically mean better outcomes — the Scope Score measures what happens in the classroom regardless of budget.
What is the teacher salary range in Oakland Unified?
Teacher salaries in Oakland Unified range from $62,696–$109,878 based on the district's salary schedule (CDE Form J-90). The California statewide median teacher salary is approximately $98,000.
What does the Scope Score measure?
The Scope Score is SchoolScope's proprietary composite rating (0–100) based on seven dimensions of publicly available California school data: the exceeded-vs-met standard split, overall proficiency, grade-level growth, chronic absenteeism, suspension rate, ELPAC English Learner proficiency, and baseline proficiency. Full methodology and weights.