Bret Harte Middle, Oakland CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Bret Harte Middle

Bret Harte Middle serves students in grades six through eight in Oakland's Coolidge Avenue corridor. The school enrolls a small student body drawn from a neighborhood that is substantially low-income: a large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the enrollment is racially diverse, with substantial shares of Black, Hispanic, and Asian students.

The defining characteristic of Bret Harte's current profile is very low proficiency across tested subjects. In the most recent state assessment results, proficiency in English language arts ranged from roughly one-fifth at the sixth-grade level to just under three-tenths at eighth grade. Math proficiency was lower across all grades, sitting at around one-tenth in sixth grade and reaching just under one-sixth by eighth grade. In science, proficiency at eighth grade fell below one-tenth. These results position the school in the bottom quartile among districts across Alameda County when proficiency is measured as an overall index across tested subjects and grades.

This pattern of very low proficiency reflects profound academic challenge. A parent considering Bret Harte should understand plainly that most students are not meeting grade-level standards in core subjects. The trajectory of performance data shows no recent year-to-year movement to point to; only the current school year is available. A parent may want to look into further detail with the school about what instructional supports, tutoring, or intervention pathways are available to students who are struggling, and what the school's approach is to addressing these proficiency gaps.

The school serves a community under considerable economic strain. Housing in the school's zip code is expensive, with home values substantially above the state benchmark and rents continuing to rise. At the same time, the overwhelming majority of the student body comes from families qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, suggesting a disconnect between neighborhood real-estate values and the economic circumstances of families whose children attend this school. Oakland itself is in the midst of a visible shift in housing development, moving away from market-rate construction toward affordable housing projects, though the pace of affordable unit creation remains modest relative to demand.

Oakland is a varied city, with distinct neighborhoods ranging from dense, highly walkable downtown and commercial corridors to quieter residential grids and hillside areas. Lake Merritt anchors the center, and transit via BART and AC Transit connects the city. The school sits in a residential area of the city's mid-reach, accessible but not in the downtown core or the most visible neighborhood commercial zones.

No data was available on the school's English learner population, special education enrollment, attendance rates, or staff composition. The school's grade configuration stops at eighth grade; it does not serve ninth grade despite the directory showing grades six through nine, so no high school pathway information applies. These gaps may reflect the school's role as a middle school within a larger district system rather than the school's characteristics.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 610%

School 10% · District 21% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

Grade 713%

School 13% · District 25% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

Grade 816%

School 16% · District 21% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 624%

School 24% · District 30% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Grade 719%

School 19% · District 35% · ▼ 16 pts below district

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

Grade 828%

School 28% · District 34% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 810%

School 10% · District 21% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

Social studies

Grade 819%

School 19% · District 30% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

This schoolOakland 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 7Lower-income17%Higher-income36%19 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income22%Higher-income63%40 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 7Lower-income11%Higher-income36%26 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income13%Higher-income31%18 pp gap