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Ralph J. Bunche Continuation High

Public Grades 9-12

2148^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 1% of California high schools

Summary

Ralph J. Bunche Continuation High is a very small public high school in Oakland Unified, serving about 58 students in grades 9-12 who have faced significant challenges in traditional school settings.

The school faces profound difficulties, most critically with student attendance, where 96% of students are chronically absent, and with academic achievement, where 0% of students tested as proficient in English or math. Its statewide ranking has fallen to the very bottom, and despite spending over $37,000 per student—one of the highest rates in the area—these resources have not translated into better outcomes. The graduation rate of 63.5% is below district and state averages, and the school serves a student population where every child qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch.

When compared to nearby schools, the challenges at Ralph J. Bunche are particularly stark. Other continuation schools like Dewey Academy High and Street Academy Alternative High show similar struggles, but traditional schools like McClymonds High, which also serves a high-need community, achieve much higher graduation rates and lower absenteeism. This contrast suggests the continuation school model in Oakland may need reevaluation, as schools like Oakland School for the Arts demonstrate that strong academic performance is possible within the same city.

Students ?

8.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$37,441

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1240 18th St.
Oakland, CA 94607-2223

(510) 879-2309

District: Oakland Unified

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

44.8%

African American:

39.7%

White:

5.2%

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Compare Ralph J. Bunche Continuation High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 57th percentile in 2009 → 1st in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 8 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (0% vs 43% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (1st percentile)

!Graduation rate below the California average (64% vs 88%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school0%

District avg30%

California avg43%

2,148^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Bottom 1%▼ down 7 pts since 2015

From bottom 8% (2015) to bottom 1% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

14^th of 14High Schools in the Oakland Unified

1194^th of 1,543Oakland 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
2025	7.0	2148 of 2162	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.8	1873 of 2133	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	10.6	1790 of 2021	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	10.6	1821 of 2039	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	10.1	1832 of 1994	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	15.1	1876 of 2426	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	20.3	1614 of 2354	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2011	10.2	2040 of 2367	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	10.0	2010 of 2281	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	42.1	955 of 2238	57.3%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	14.7	524 of 592	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	7.1	2002 of 2013	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.1	1667 of 1937	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2019)11th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)1st percentile~ school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy0%-49 vs state

Mathematics0%-37 vs state

★

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Schools Near Ralph J. Bunche Continuation High

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)				Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)					Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)					Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Ralph J. Bunche Continuation High	Public	9-12	1240 18th St.	Oakland	94607	Alameda County	Oakland Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 879-2309	58	7	8.3	100.0%	3 (5.2%)	23 (39.7%)	26 (44.8%)	3 (5.2%)	1 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.4%)	7	2148^th of 2162 public high schools	0.6%					(n/a)								0.0	0.0				0.0	0.0	$37,441	$7,918	$29,523
McClymonds High	Public	9-12	2607 Myrtle St.	Oakland	94607	Alameda County	Oakland Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 879-2303	273	25	10.8	96.0%	9 (3.3%)	191 (70.0%)	45 (16.5%)	5 (1.8%)	1 (0.4%)	5 (1.8%)	17 (6.2%)	15.2	1800^th of 2162 public high schools	16.7%		13.5	1869^th of 2159 public high schools	13.4%	69		7.3		8.0				17.5	17.5				8.3	8.3	$36,281	$5,777	$30,504
Oakland School for the Arts	Public, Charter	6-12	530 18th St.	Oakland	94612	Alameda County	Oakland School for the Arts District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 873-8800	828	40	20.5	28.7%	213 (25.7%)	210 (25.4%)	173 (20.9%)	45 (5.4%)	4 (0.5%)	3 (0.4%)	153 (18.5%)	81.6	389^th of 2162 public high schools	82.0%		94.2	126^th of 2159 public high schools	94.2%	263	37.6	42.9		40.1	51.7	53.0	56.0	88.5	61.6	31.0	31.9	38.1	34.3	33.8	$19,352	$623	$18,729
Envision Academy for Arts & Technology	Public, Charter	6-12	1515 Webster St.	Oakland	94612	Alameda County	Envision Academy for Arts & Technology District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 596-8901	207	12	17.2	73.9%	7 (3.4%)	61 (29.5%)	78 (37.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	58 (28.0%)	55.4	928^th of 2162 public high schools	57.1%		33.1	1424^th of 2159 public high schools	34.0%	496	0.0		14.3	10.5	42.9	10.5	20.0	56.3	36.3	7.1	5.3	6.7	33.3	17.3	$28,559	$3,543	$25,016
Street Academy Alternative High	Public	9-12	417 29th St.	Oakland	94609	Alameda County	Oakland Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 879-2313	77	4	21.7	90.9%	1 (1.3%)	31 (40.3%)	36 (46.8%)	5 (6.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (5.2%)	11.2	1954^th of 2162 public high schools	9.6%		16.9	1760^th of 2159 public high schools	18.5%	194		0.0	9.1	4.2				0.0	0.0				0.0	0.0	$30,923	$5,348	$25,575
Oakland Military Institute College Preparatory Academy	Public, Charter	6-12	3877 Lusk St.	Oakland	94608	Alameda County	Oakland Military Inst College Prep Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 594-3900	480	32	15.0	90.2%	4 (0.8%)	67 (14.0%)	327 (68.1%)	50 (10.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (6.5%)	41.8	1218^th of 2162 public high schools	43.7%		57.9	817^th of 2159 public high schools	62.2%	401	19.0	15.1		17.4	20.3	20.5	38.0	58.5	33.1	6.8	2.6	19.0	15.1	10.8	$19,512	$1,847	$17,665
Emery Secondary	Public	9-12	1100 Steve Dain Dr.	Emeryville	94608	Alameda County	Emery Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 601-4998	162	14	11.6	60.5%	14 (8.6%)	71 (43.8%)	37 (22.8%)	19 (11.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.2%)	18 (11.1%)	26	1568^th of 2162 public high schools	27.5%		51.3	976^th of 2159 public high schools	54.8%	592		2.9	7.5	5.4				37.1	37.1				17.1	17.1	$24,131	$693	$23,438
Gateway to College High at Laney College	Public	9-12	900 Fallon St.	Oakland	94607	Alameda County	Oakland Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 879-2311	104			81.7%	10 (9.6%)	30 (28.8%)	43 (41.3%)	9 (8.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	10 (9.6%)								(n/a)			17.4	15.6											$21,011	$2,840	$18,171
Young Adult Program	Public	12	915 54th St.	Oakland	94608	Alameda County	Oakland Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 879-5003	126	11	11.4	87.3%	10 (7.9%)	48 (38.1%)	45 (35.7%)	17 (13.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (4.8%)								(n/a)															$32,227	$7,168	$25,059
Dewey Academy High	Public	9-12	1111 2nd Ave.	Oakland	94606	Alameda County	Oakland Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 879-8310	125	8	15.9	96.8%	6 (4.8%)	49 (39.2%)	43 (34.4%)	12 (9.6%)	2 (1.6%)	5 (4.0%)	8 (6.4%)	16.6	1753^rd of 2162 public high schools	18.9%					(n/a)								8.3	8.3				12.0	12.0	$44,119	$9,319	$34,800

Frequently Asked Questions about Ralph J. Bunche Continuation High

What district is Ralph J. Bunche Continuation High in?

Oakland Unified

What is the racial makeup of Ralph J. Bunche Continuation High?

Students at Ralph J. Bunche Continuation High are 45% Hispanic, 40% African American, 5% White, 5% Asian, 3% Two or more races, 2% American Indian.

How many students attend Ralph J. Bunche Continuation High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 58 students attended Ralph J. Bunche Continuation High.

Is Ralph J. Bunche Continuation High a good school?

Ralph J. Bunche Continuation High ranks in the bottom 0.6% of California high schools.

Rate Ralph J. Bunche Continuation High!

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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.