International Community Elementary, Oakland CA

Original Research by School Decision on International Community Elementary

International Community Elementary is a small public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland, on International Boulevard. The school enrolls a small group of students, nearly all of whom qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student population is predominantly Hispanic, with a very small share of Asian, Black, and White students.

State testing data from the 2024-25 school year shows proficiency rates well below the state baseline across all tested subjects and grade levels. In English language arts, proficiency ranges from very low in third grade to modest gains by fifth grade. Math proficiency is similarly constrained, with fifth grade showing the lowest rate among upper elementary grades. Fifth-grade science proficiency is low. Across the school's tested subjects and grades, the overall proficiency index places International Community Elementary in the bottom quartile relative to districts in Alameda County. No prior-year data was available to assess whether proficiency is trending or stable.

The school's position in a diverse, immigrant-heavy neighborhood along International Boulevard, where locally owned restaurants, markets, and small shops anchor everyday life, reflects Oakland's varied character. The broader Fruitvale area combines residential blocks with commercial nodes, and the neighborhood is known for its cultural richness and immigrant-owned enterprises. Oakland itself is a patchwork of distinct districts, from downtown's civic and cultural core to classic residential grids of Craftsman homes and hillside neighborhoods. Overall, the city is very walkable in its core neighborhoods, served by BART, AC Transit, and local bus lines. Lake Merritt and downtown's waterfront and plaza spaces provide public gathering points. Housing costs are substantial: median home values in the 94601 zip code are significantly above the national benchmark, with rent-to-income ratios also elevated, making affordability a consideration for families in the area.

A parent may want to look into further detail with the school about how it is supporting literacy and numeracy development across grade levels, given the breadth of proficiency challenges evident in the state data. The school is part of Oakland Unified, a large urban district; no recent district-wide policy changes with broad parent impact were identified in available sources.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 316%

School 16% · District 36% · ▼ 20 pts below district

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

Grade 417%

School 17% · District 33% · ▼ 16 pts below district

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

Grade 512%

School 12% · District 28% · ▼ 16 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 32%

School 2% · District 31% · ▼ 29 pts below district

▼ 38 pts below state median · ▼ 47 pts below county median

Grade 424%

School 24% · District 34% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Grade 526%

School 26% · District 36% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 518%

School 18% · District 25% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 21 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.