The top reported proficiency rate is 15% in English language arts. The lowest is 9% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Belshaw Elementary
Belshaw Elementary is a kindergarten-through-fifth-grade public school in Antioch, serving a student body of about four hundred students. The school sits in a neighborhood where a substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the enrollment is predominantly Latino, with Black, white, Asian, and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students also present. The demographic composition reflects the broader Antioch population.
Academic performance at Belshaw is well below state proficiency in both English language arts and math. Across the tested grades (three through five), English language arts proficiency stands at a low level, with fourth grade showing the weakest results. Math proficiency is similarly low, particularly in fourth grade where results drop sharply. Fifth-grade science proficiency is also very low. When measured against the broader field of districts in Contra Costa County, Belshaw's overall proficiency index falls in the bottom quartile. The state testing data available is from spring 2025; earlier trend data was not available to assess whether performance has shifted in recent years, so a parent may want to look into that directly with the school or district.
Antioch itself is a large residential city in the eastern Bay Area Delta, formed around a historic waterfront downtown but now spread across newer subdivisions and commercial corridors. The city has grown substantially as residents displaced by Bay Area housing costs moved east. Housing values in the area have declined modestly over the past year, while rental costs have ticked upward slightly. The local job market centers on health care (Sutter Delta Medical Center is a major employer), retail, public employment, and construction. The waterfront and regional parks provide outdoor recreation; the newer Antioch BART station offers a transit connection, though the city remains largely car-dependent outside the historic downtown core.
At the district level, two major fiscal developments carry real weight for families. In March 2024, voters approved a school facilities bond that raised property taxes to modernize aging buildings. This is a long-term obligation that adds to property tax bills for any homeowner in the district. More acutely, in 2026 the Antioch Unified School District entered a serious budget crisis, facing a large structural deficit driven by expiration of COVID relief funds, rising staffing costs, and declining enrollment. The board authorized preliminary layoff notices affecting teachers, paraeducators, custodians, psychologists, and other support staff. The county downgraded the district's budget certification to negative in spring 2026, meaning the district cannot likely meet its financial obligations without significant changes and raising the prospect of state intervention. This fiscal turbulence directly affects class support levels, staffing, and the availability of student services that families rely on.
For a family considering Belshaw, the school's low proficiency rates point to substantial academic challenges that merit direct conversation with school leadership about current reading and math interventions, assessment trends over time, and the impact of recent district staffing changes. The broader context is a district in financial strain at a moment when many schools are operating with reduced support staff.
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