Envision Academy for Arts & Technology, Oakland CA

Original Research by School Decision on Envision Academy for Arts & Technology

Envision Academy for Arts & Technology is a charter school serving grades six through twelve in Oakland, operating as its own district within Alameda County. The school sits in downtown Oakland on Webster Street, in a walkable urban core with strong transit access via BART and AC Transit. It is a small school, with an enrollment skewing toward the early high school grades.

The student body is predominantly students of color, with a substantial majority identifying as Hispanic or Black. More than seven in ten students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic circumstances of the families Envision serves. The school does not report separate counts for special education or English learner enrollment; whether those data are not collected or not yet published is unclear.

Academic performance at Envision presents a complex picture that a parent may want to discuss directly with the school. In English language arts across all tested grades, the school's proficiency rate sits around mid-range for the county's schools when measured against districts in Alameda County. In mathematics, proficiency is notably lower, and in science proficiency registers as very low. The data shows substantial variation by grade level. Sixth-grade English proficiency is substantially higher than seventh and eighth grades, suggesting that early high school grades may face greater academic challenges in these subjects, or that student populations differ meaningfully between grade bands. Mathematics proficiency is very low across all three middle grades tested. Science proficiency in eighth grade was zero, which is a stark marker and worth clarifying with the school, as it may reflect testing logistics or a particular cohort rather than a broader instructional issue.

The school offers a charter pathway centered on arts and technology, which shapes the academic culture and program offerings in ways the state testing data alone does not capture. A parent considering this school should seek clarity on how the arts-and-technology focus integrates into the core curriculum, what partnerships or dual-credit pathways exist in those fields, and what support the school provides in foundational math and reading skills given the proficiency patterns shown here.

In 2023, Oakland Unified's school board did not approve facilities space for Envision Academy under Proposition 39, a state requirement that districts share space with charter schools. This unresolved co-location dispute created uncertainty over where the school's high school grades would be housed. A parent enrolling a child, especially at the high school level, should verify with the school's administration what the current facilities situation is and whether that dispute has been resolved.

Oakland itself is a walkable, mixed-income city with distinct neighborhoods, strong transit, cultural anchors like Lake Merritt and downtown plazas, and a visible arts presence. The neighborhood near the school's location is downtown, an urban civic and business core that transforms into a dining and nightlife destination in the evenings, with immediate access to BART and bus routes.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

90-94%Cohort of 94 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

2,394 schools plotted. 142 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 67%

School 7% · district not reported

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 75%

School 5% · district not reported

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Grade 87%

School 7% · district not reported

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 643%

School 43% · district not reported

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 711%

School 11% · district not reported

▼ 35 pts below state median · ▼ 39 pts below county median

Grade 820%

School 20% · district not reported

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

Science

Grade 80%

School 0% · district not reported

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

This schoolDistrict average, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.