Oak Middle, Los Alamitos CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Oak Middle

Oak Middle is a mid-sized public middle school in Los Alamitos, a small Orange County city between Long Beach and Anaheim that mixes residential neighborhoods with commercial corridors and sits adjacent to a large Joint Forces Training Base. The school serves sixth through eighth grade and draws students who are predominantly white and Asian, with a meaningful share of Hispanic students and a relatively small portion from lower-income households. About an eighth of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch.

On state assessments, Oak Middle shows a profile split between stronger performance in language arts and weaker performance in math. In sixth grade, students score well in English language arts, and this strength carries through seventh and eighth grades, with eighth graders reaching particularly high proficiency. Math proficiency is lower across all three grades, sitting in the mid-range. In eighth grade science, students scored at about the median level on California's science test. An older social studies result from the early 2010s showed solid performance. Overall, the school's proficiency index places it in the top quartile among the county's middle schools, a signal of academic standing relative to its peers.

The school's strength in English language arts suggests that reading, writing, and literacy instruction are working well for most students. The gap between language arts and math performance is worth noting if your child needs math support; a parent may want to look into how the school handles students who struggle with quantitative reasoning and whether there are targeted interventions or extra help available. The school appears to serve a generally middle-class enrollment with college-bound expectations, reflected in the relatively low free-lunch rate and the broader district context.

The Los Alamitos Unified School District context matters here. The district approved social justice teaching standards and an ethnic studies elective at the high school in 2021, a shift that generated community discussion and continues to shape what gets taught. For families moving through the district or considering its instructional values, this is a meaningful aspect of the school environment. The district has also invested heavily in facilities; a voter-approved bond funded an aquatics center that opened several years ago and a STEM building that came online more recently. That said, the district entered 2024 with significant budget strain, including a multimillion-dollar deficit tied to declining enrollment and expiring COVID-era funding, with anticipated cuts and staffing layoffs. This may affect program stability and staffing consistency going forward, something families should track with the school and district.

Los Alamitos itself is a small, mixed-use city. The central commercial area along Katella Avenue and Los Alamitos Boulevard is being developed as a pedestrian-oriented town center with wide sidewalks and mixed-use housing. Walkability is locally good in that corridor but remains car-dependent elsewhere. Schools are clustered on their own campuses near each other rather than integrated into the downtown. The housing market is expensive, with median home values well above state averages and monthly rents reflecting tight supply. Growth is being directed through infill development, including a major approved project that would add residential units near the city center. The area is served by regional transit and draws strength from institutional anchors including parks, a water polo national center, and the training base. The character is small-town and civically engaged, though commercial life still centers on car-oriented corridors. For families considering the area, the cost of living and commute to employment outside Los Alamitos are practical factors worth evaluating alongside school choice.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 669%

School 69% · District 65% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 39 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Grade 763%

School 63% · District 60% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 33 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 863%

School 63% · District 59% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 680%

School 80% · District 76% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 36 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Grade 779%

School 79% · District 76% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 884%

School 84% · District 75% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 39 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Science

Grade 868%

School 68% · District 61% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 42 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 884%

School 84% · District 80% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

This schoolLos Alamitos Unified, 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income65%Higher-income83%17 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income66%Higher-income82%16 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income75%Higher-income85%10 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income49%Higher-income73%24 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income42%Higher-income68%26 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income52%Higher-income65%13 pp gap