The top reported proficiency rate is 22% in English language arts. The lowest is 11% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Kimball Elementary
Kimball Elementary is a small public school in Antioch serving kindergarten through fifth grade. It sits in a city where housing affordability has become a defining challenge: more than three-quarters of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the median home price in the zip code reflects upper-mid-range Bay Area values alongside rental costs that consume a substantial portion of household income. The neighborhood composition is mixed, with students predominantly identifying as Hispanic, followed by Black, white, and smaller populations of Asian, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native students.
The school's academic performance is a soft spot that a parent should examine closely. State testing results for math and English language arts in spring 2025 show proficiency rates well below what the data allows us to characterize as strong. In math, fewer than one in five students in grades three through five scored at the proficient level; in fourth grade, single-digit proficiency rates appeared. English language arts shows somewhat higher results, with one grade at roughly a quarter proficient, but proficiency remained low in the other tested grades. Science proficiency at fifth grade was also notably low. When compared against other districts in Contra Costa County, Kimball's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile, meaning the school lags well behind the typical district in the county.
State testing represents a snapshot of achievement in English and math, and these numbers signal that students are not yet meeting grade-level standards in either subject at rates typical of schools across the region. A parent considering this school should ask what supports the school and district are putting in place to address this gap, and what the trajectory looks like over time. The payload provided only one year of test results, so trend data was not available.
The school's enrollment is small and stable, hovering around that size for its grade band, with kindergarten as the largest class. Special education enrollment and English learner counts were not available in the data provided, so a parent would benefit from asking the school directly about those populations and the services available to support them.
Antioch Unified, the parent district, is navigating serious fiscal strain. The district faced a substantial deficit in 2026, approved hundreds of layoff notices affecting teachers, paraeducators, and support staff, and was downgraded to "negative" budget certification by the county, a status suggesting the district may not meet financial obligations without significant changes. The district had previously passed a major school facilities bond in 2024, a long-term property tax obligation that affects any family purchasing or renting in the district. These currents matter: staffing cuts can reshape class sizes and the availability of specialist services, and budget instability creates uncertainty around programs and resources.
The city of Antioch itself is a large, predominantly residential community with a historic waterfront district but predominantly car-dependent neighborhoods away from downtown. New housing development is underway, and the community hosts significant employers in health care and municipal government. Families considering the area should factor in both the housing cost context and the district's current financial turbulence when evaluating school choice.
See more original research from School Decision →