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Highland Community

Q: Is Highland Community a good school?

Highland Community ranks in the bottom 0.7% of California elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Highland Community?

In the 2024-25 school year, 457 students attended Highland Community.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Highland Community?

Students at Highland Community are 78% Hispanic, 16% African American, 4% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

Q: What schools do graduates of Highland Community attend?

Students who attend Highland Community usually go on to attend: High : Castlemont High

Public Grades K-5

5766^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,804 California Elementary Schools

Better than 1% of California elementary schools

Summary

Highland Community is a K–5 elementary school in Oakland, California, with 457 students. In 2025–26, 9% of students were proficient in English language arts (ELA), 7% in math, and 10% in science. Science is a relative bright spot compared with nearby schools, but the most important finding is that proficiency remains low in all three subjects.

Compared with six nearby schools in Oakland Unified, Highland had the second-lowest ELA result and the lowest math result; its scores were 9% and 7%, versus nearby averages of 17% and 15%. Science was stronger locally: Highland’s 10% was the second-highest result and above the nearby average of 7%. Still, results were well below state and district levels: ELA was 40 percentage points below the state and 25 below the district; math was 31 and 21 points below; science was 26 and 17 points below. The comparisons show science as a local strength, not as a subject where Highland has closed the broader proficiency gap.

Since 2022–23, Highland’s proficiency rose by 1 percentage point in ELA, 2 in math, and 6 in science. State gains were 3, 4, and 6 points, respectively, so Highland’s gaps widened in ELA and math but narrowed slightly in science. Its statewide position remains very low: SchoolDigger ranked Highland 5,766th of 5,804 schools in 2025–26, at the 1st percentile with 0 stars. The school’s 2024–25 student-teacher ratio was 22.2:1, lower than five of six nearby district schools. In 2024–25, 62% of students were directly certified for free meals; data indicate the school likely serves free meals to all students through Community Eligibility. SchoolDigger’s subgroup rankings were stronger than its overall standing: English Language Learner Students ranked at the 26th percentile in 2023–24, and Special Education Students at the 18th percentile in 2025–26, compared with the school’s overall 1st percentile in each respective year.

457

Students ?

22.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,487

Per pupil spending ?

61.9%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

All students receive free meals (Community Eligibility, 2024-25)

All students in California receive free school meals.

8521 A St.
Oakland, CA 94621-1619

(510) 879-2125

District: Oakland Unified

Students who attend Highland Community usually attend:

High:

Castlemont High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

78.1%

African American:

16.0%

Two or more races:

3.7%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Highland Community to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 4th percentile in 2015 → 1st in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (8% vs 42% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (1st percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (32% vs 18% California)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school8%

District avg30%

California avg42%

5,766^th of 5,804

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 1%▬ steady since 2016

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

53^rd of 58Elementary Schools in the Oakland Unified

714^th of 968Oakland Unified among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	5.7	5766 of 5804	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	5.8	5813 of 5857	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.2	5833 of 5869	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.3	5837 of 5859	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.5	5799 of 5883	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	5.5	5743 of 5789	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.5	5633 of 5662	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	7.6	5605 of 5692	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	5.8	5587 of 5614	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	11.1	5414 of 5611	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	10.3	5278 of 5530	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	13.9	5026 of 5390	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	21.9	4545 of 5377	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	32.5	3660 of 5314	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2009	13.6	4826 of 5193	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	5.8	5073 of 5113	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	3.2	5095 of 5113	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	2.5	4807 of 4818	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	8.5	4714 of 4822	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	10.8	4627 of 4809	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	20.8	497 of 569	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.4	639 of 661	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	33.0	2343 of 3162	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.6	3185 of 3245	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	23.1	3055 of 3311	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	21.5	3112 of 3275	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	18.7	3118 of 3246	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	5.7	5552 of 5569	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	5.1	5592 of 5597	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.0	5577 of 5612	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.9	5564 of 5609	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.7	5606 of 5635	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	6.4	5447 of 5492	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.0	5392 of 5413	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	8.3	5005 of 5085	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	7.7	5059 of 5107	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.5	5073 of 5107	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.0	5053 of 5087	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.4	4970 of 5084	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.1	4922 of 4963	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.1	4801 of 4830	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	7.2	5353 of 5412	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	7.0	5414 of 5460	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.6	5472 of 5517	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.3	5336 of 5363	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.8	5155 of 5264	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	6.7	5125 of 5173	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.6	5053 of 5084	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	7.5	5514 of 5590	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	8.4	5515 of 5628	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.3	5619 of 5643	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.6	5626 of 5638	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.0	5502 of 5663	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	6.2	5474 of 5510	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.2	5407 of 5431	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	24.7	2393 of 2920	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.9	2273 of 2420	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

English Language Learner (2024)26th percentile+25 vs school

Special Education (2026)18th percentile+17 vs school

African American (2025)13th percentile+12 vs school

Hispanic (2026)2nd percentile~ school

Male (2026)1st percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)1st percentile~ school

Female (2026)<1st percentile~ school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

Science10%-26 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy9%-40 vs state

Mathematics7%-31 vs state

★

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Schools Near Highland Community

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CAST Science (2026)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)				% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Highland Community	Public	K-5	8521 A St.	Oakland	94621	Alameda County	Oakland Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 879-2125	457	21	22.2	—	0 (0.0%)	73 (16.0%)	357 (78.1%)	6 (1.3%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	17 (3.7%)	5.7	5766^th of 5804 public elementary schools	0.7%		5.8	5813^th of 5857 public elementary schools	0.8%	47	10.3	10.3	6.2	8.0	12.8	9.2	9.2	5.3	6.4	6.9	86.1	88.9	88.9	86.1	88.9	88.9	$23,487	$20,806	$2,681
Highland CDC	Public	K	1322 86Th Ave.	Oakland	94621	Alameda County	Oakland Unified	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(510) 636-5214	0			—															(n/a)
EnCompass Academy Elementary	Public	K-5	1025 81st Ave.	Oakland	94621	Alameda County	Oakland Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 879-2181	283	14	20.5	—	17 (6.0%)	32 (11.3%)	221 (78.1%)	5 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.1%)	5 (1.8%)	14	5303^rd of 5804 public elementary schools	8.6%		14.5	5314^th of 5857 public elementary schools	9.3%	11	2.3	2.3	28.6	14.6	31.8	25.0	20.0	20.0	13.6	17.7	80.7	86.0	91.2	82.5	80.7	80.7	$29,034	$25,846	$3,188
ACORN Woodland Elementary	Public	K-5	1025 81st Ave.	Oakland	94621	Alameda County	Oakland Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 879-5570	291	12	24.2	97.3%	7 (2.4%)	25 (8.6%)	250 (85.9%)	5 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.4%)	22	4622^nd of 5804 public elementary schools	20.4%		18.8	4937^th of 5857 public elementary schools	15.7%	315	12.2	12.2	18.8	31.8	28.6	26.2	34.0	34.8	18.4	29.0	84.1			86.4	90.9	93.2	$25,298	$22,916	$2,382
East Oakland Pride Elementary	Public	K-5	8000 Birch St.	Oakland	94621	Alameda County	Oakland Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 879-2107	314	14	22.4	97.8%	9 (2.9%)	62 (19.7%)	225 (71.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	6 (1.9%)	10 (3.2%)	5.4	5772^nd of 5804 public elementary schools	0.6%		4.1	5852^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	0.1%	80	8.5	8.5	4.4	7.7	10.6	7.6	10.9	9.8	4.2	8.3	77.1	85.4	91.7	81.3	79.2	81.3	$28,264	$25,346	$2,918
Aspire College Academy	Public, Charter	K-5	8030 Atherton St.	Oakland	94606	Alameda County	Aspire College Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 562-8030	206	11	18.7	96.1%	0 (0.0%)	45 (21.8%)	137 (66.5%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	3 (1.5%)	19 (9.2%)								(n/a)
Aspire Monarch Academy	Public, Charter	K-5	1445 101st Ave.	Oakland	94606	Alameda County	Aspire Monarch Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 568-3101	374	18	20.4	85.0%	2 (0.5%)	12 (3.2%)	355 (94.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.8%)								(n/a)
Lockwood CDC	Public	K	1125 69Th Ave.	Oakland	94621	Alameda County	Oakland Unified	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(510) 879-8823	0			—															(n/a)
Markham Elementary	Public	K-5	7220 Krause Ave.	Oakland	94605	Alameda County	Oakland Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 879-2138	327	14	24.2	—	6 (1.8%)	73 (22.3%)	226 (69.1%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	17 (5.2%)	6.3	5742^nd of 5804 public elementary schools	1.1%		5.1	5836^th of 5857 public elementary schools	0.4%	94	3.9	3.9	4.4	11.3	15.7	10.7	6.5	11.3	11.5	9.9	80.0	90.0	92.0	88.0	88.0	94.0	$26,364	$23,696	$2,668
Lockwood STEAM Academy Elementary	Public	K-5	6701 International Blvd.	Oakland	94621	Alameda County	Oakland Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 879-2123	678	28	24.6	—	55 (8.1%)	120 (17.7%)	451 (66.5%)	21 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (4.6%)	7.7	5698^th of 5804 public elementary schools	1.8%		6.4	5799^th of 5857 public elementary schools	1.0%	101	6.9	6.9	9.1	20.6	11.5	13.8	14.0	14.3	6.9	11.8	84.4	92.6			87.7		$22,437	$20,128	$2,309

Frequently Asked Questions about Highland Community

What is the racial makeup of Highland Community?

Students at Highland Community are 78% Hispanic, 16% African American, 4% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Highland Community?

In the 2024-25 school year, 457 students attended Highland Community.

What district is Highland Community in?

Oakland Unified

Is Highland Community a good school?

Highland Community ranks in the bottom 0.7% of California elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Highland Community attend?

Students who attend Highland Community usually go on to attend:

High : Castlemont High

Rate Highland Community!

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Latest California data All new data »

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 15, 2026

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresNewOct 15, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.