Summary
West Oakland Middle serves 165 students in grades 6–8 in Oakland, California. Chronic absenteeism has improved sharply but remains high: 34% of students were chronically absent in 2025–26, down from 59% in 2023–24, but above the 30% district rate and 18% statewide. The biggest concern is academic performance: proficiency remains low across all three tested subjects, with the school especially far behind in English language arts and math.
Compared with the seven nearby schools that had 2025–26 results, West Oakland had the lowest proficiency in English language arts (11%) and math (8%); science was a relative strength, with 14% proficient, higher than three peers. Still, all three rates were below Oakland Unified and state averages. English language arts proficiency was 11%, versus 34% districtwide and 49% statewide; math was 8%, versus 28% and 38%; science was 14%, versus 27% and 36%. Among nearby schools with current absenteeism data, West Oakland’s 34% rate was also higher than each listed peer.
Science has improved most over time: proficiency rose from 0% in 2022–23 to 14% in 2025–26, narrowing the gap with the state from 30 points to 22. Over the same period, English language arts rose from 9% to 11% and math from 7% to 8%, while their state gaps widened. SchoolDigger ranks the school in the 3rd statewide percentile, with 0 stars, for 2025–26; its student–teacher ratio was 11 in 2024–25, the lowest among nearby schools with reported ratios. Its 2024–25 low-income measure was 71% directly certified for free meals; California is a statewide free-meals state, and the school likely serves all students free meals through Community Eligibility, so this measure is not comparable with nearby schools’ free/reduced-lunch rates. SchoolDigger’s English Language Learner Students ranking fell from the 74th percentile in 2021–22 to the 1st in 2023–24, indicating a sharp decline in how well the school served that group by this measure. Its Special Education Students ranking rose from the 14th percentile in 2023–24 to the 58th in 2024–25, indicating a notable improvement.
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