Kamala Elementary, Oxnard CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Kamala Elementary

Kamala Elementary is a school serving a full kindergarten-through-eighth-grade span in Oxnard, California, in a residential neighborhood on the west side of the city. Its enrollment skews toward students experiencing economic hardship and toward Latinx students, with the vast majority qualifying for free or reduced lunch and nearly all students identifying as Hispanic or Latino. The school sits in a context of substantial new construction and housing development citywide, anchored by a major school-facilities bond voters approved in 2022, so families relocating to the area are likely to encounter both new housing stock and ongoing campus renovation work.

On state testing, Kamala's results show a school working with students who arrive with significant academic gaps. In English language arts across grades three through eight, proficiency ranges from mid-teens in grade three to mid-forties in the higher grades, with an overall school rate in the lower thirties. Math proficiency is considerably lower, with most grades in the single digits to mid-teens, and an overall rate around mid-teens. Science performance in the tested grades (five and eight) falls between the two, in the low teens to low twenties. When positioned against the other schools in Ventura County, Kamala's overall proficiency index lands in the bottom quartile, reflecting the school's situation as a high-need campus. Parents may want to explore directly with the school how it is addressing these gaps and what interventions are in place, particularly in math.

The pattern in the data suggests mild strength in the upper grades in English language arts, where seventh and eighth graders post proficiency rates approaching or exceeding mid-forties. This slight grade-level progression in ELA contrasts sharply with the flat weakness across all grades in math, where even the highest-performing grades stay well below typical benchmarks. The school does offer science instruction, at least to the grades tested, though proficiency remains low. A parent considering Kamala should ask the school directly what support structures exist for students entering with low foundational skills, what math interventions are underway, and whether there are enrichment or advancement pathways for students who do succeed academically.

Oxnard itself is Ventura County's largest city and primary economic and population hub, with an economy rooted in agriculture, manufacturing, healthcare, and maritime trade. The city contains a walkable historic downtown, where civic anchors like the public library, the transit center, and Plaza Park cluster together, as well as newer suburban neighborhoods and campus-style schools at the developing edges. Kamala sits in Oxnard proper on West Kamala Street, in a residential area mixed with commercial and industrial uses. The school's zip code places it in housing that has appreciated recently and continues to see new construction, though rent remains a significant cost burden for many families in the area.

The Oxnard School District, which runs Kamala, has just completed a major bond-backed modernization cycle funded by Measure I, approved in 2022. That initiative has brought middle school reconstruction, classroom upgrades, and technology investment districtwide. Families should expect to see facilities that are newer or undergoing refresh, and they should also understand that the bond carries a lasting property tax implication, one of several factors to weigh if considering a move into the area.

A parent weighing enrollment at Kamala should view it as a school serving a predominantly working-poor, Latinx community, with academic proficiency well below state norms but with evidence of some progress in reading by the upper middle grades. The school's small to moderate size for its grade band, the district's recent facility investment, and Oxnard's broad economic base and growth trajectory are concrete assets; however, the low overall proficiency and particularly weak math outcomes signal that families seeking a school with strong academic performance will likely need to look further afield, or they will need to pursue intensive supplemental support at home or privately.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 314%

School 14% · District 30% · ▼ 16 pts below district

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

Grade 433%

School 33% · District 25% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 518%

School 18% · District 20% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 610%

School 10% · District 18% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Grade 710%

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

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

Grade 817%

School 17% · District 17%

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

English language arts

Grade 318%

School 18% · District 29% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 439%

School 39% · District 32% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 533%

School 33% · District 35% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Grade 627%

School 27% · District 31% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 745%

School 45% · District 40% · ▲ 5 pts above district

even with state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 845%

School 45% · District 35% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Science

Grade 510%

School 10% · District 20% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Grade 819%

School 19% · District 16% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

This schoolOxnard, 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.