Oakland Unified School District

Oakland Unified School District serves 33,916 students across 82 schools in Oakland, California. With 79 of those schools carrying ranked scores, the district offers parents a wide range of options to evaluate side by side. The average school score across ranked campuses lands at 6.6 out of 10, giving families a clear baseline when weighing individual schools against the district norm.

Several schools score well above that average. Sequoia Elementary and Melrose Leadership Academy both earn 9.1 out of 10, placing them among the district's strongest performers at the elementary level. Redwood Heights Elementary follows closely at 8.9, as does Edna Brewer Middle School — making Brewer a notable option for families thinking ahead to the middle grades. At the high school level, Oakland Technical High scores 8.7 out of 10, standing out as a top-performing option in a district where high school choices carry significant weight.

The gap between the district average and its top schools is meaningful. A 9.1 at Sequoia or Melrose sits nearly 2.5 points above the district-wide average of 6.6 — a difference parents should factor in when prioritizing school selection, particularly for elementary placement, which often shapes a student's longer academic path. Edna Brewer's 8.9 similarly outpaces the average by a wide margin, signaling consistent performance through the middle grades.

For parents navigating Oakland Unified, the data suggests a district with genuine high performers concentrated at specific campuses rather than uniform performance across the board. The spread between the 6.6 average and the 9.1 ceiling means school choice matters more here than in more evenly distributed districts. Families who identify target schools early — and understand the geographic and enrollment priorities that govern access — will be better positioned to land in one of Oakland Unified's strongest programs.