Lodestar: a Lighthouse Community Charter Public, Oakland CA

Original Research by School Decision on Lodestar: a Lighthouse Community Charter Public

Lodestar: A Lighthouse Community Charter Public is a kindergarten-through-twelfth-grade charter school in Oakland serving a mostly low-income student body. It is a small to mid-sized school that opened as part of Lighthouse Community Public Schools and operates under Oakland Unified's oversight. The school's charter was renewed in October 2025, confirming its legal authorization to continue operating.

The student body is predominantly Latino, with a substantial share of Black and multiracial students. A large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in an economically challenged community. The school serves students from kindergarten through high school, with enrollment distributed across all grade levels.

Academic performance, as measured by California state testing in 2024-25, is significantly below state benchmarks across all tested subjects and grade levels. In math, proficiency ranges from very low in the upper elementary grades (single digits in grades five and six) to more moderate results in eighth grade. English language arts proficiency is similarly low across elementary and middle grades, with somewhat better results by eighth grade. Science proficiency is also limited. On a composite index comparing proficiency rates across tested subjects and grades, the school ranks in the bottom quartile among Alameda County school districts.

The school emphasizes science-based foundational literacy in its early grades through the EL Education model, with phonics, phonemic awareness, and fluency as core components. Teachers receive coaching on this approach, and the school engages families through a program called Lit for Literacy that helps parents understand reading standards. The school has also recently expanded to offer full-day Transitional Kindergarten, making early education available to four-year-olds at no cost.

No graduation rate data is available for this school, making it unclear how many high school students complete their diplomas. Data on chronic absenteeism, special education enrollment, and English learner populations were not provided, so parents may want to look into these categories with the school directly. The school website and enrollment portal should have current information on course offerings, program details, and enrollment procedures.

Oakland itself is a diverse, walkable city with distinct neighborhoods, robust public transit through BART and AC Transit, and strong cultural institutions. The 94603 zip code where Lodestar sits is in a working-class area of the city. Housing values in that area are moderate relative to the Bay Area and have declined modestly year-over-year, while rental costs have risen slightly. The area has seen economic pressure but also recent investment in affordable housing development.

Families choosing this school should understand that test performance is substantially below state averages, and this is the primary academic indicator available. The school's model emphasizes equity and access for low-income students; whether that mission and its current academic results align with a family's needs and expectations is an important conversation to have directly with the school.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 342%

School 42% · district not reported

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 422%

School 22% · district not reported

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

Grade 510%

School 10% · district not reported

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 32 pts below county median

Grade 65%

School 5% · district not reported

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

Grade 718%

School 18% · district not reported

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 854%

School 54% · district not reported

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 315%

School 15% · district not reported

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 34 pts below county median

Grade 411%

School 11% · district not reported

▼ 31 pts below state median · ▼ 42 pts below county median

Grade 56%

School 6% · district not reported

▼ 39 pts below state median · ▼ 51 pts below county median

Grade 614%

School 14% · district not reported

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

Grade 727%

School 27% · district not reported

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 844%

School 44% · district not reported

even with state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Science

Grade 56%

School 6% · district not reported

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 33 pts below county median

Grade 823%

School 23% · district not reported

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 8 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.