The top reported proficiency rate is 14% in English language arts. The lowest is 8% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Elm Street Elementary
Elm Street Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Oxnard, a mixed-use city that functions as Ventura County's largest population and commercial center. The school sits in a coastal community shaped by agricultural heritage and cultural diversity, where downtown features a walkable historic core with civic anchors and libraries, while newer schools like this one occupy separate campuses on former farmland at the city's developing edges.
The student body at Elm Street is entirely Hispanic, with nearly all students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the neighborhood's economic profile. Enrollment is small for the grade span, distributed fairly evenly across kindergarten through fifth grade. The school operates within the Oxnard School District, which in November 2022 won voter approval for a major bond measure funding middle school reconstruction, classroom modernization, and technology upgrades, backed by a new property tax that families relocating to the area should factor into housing decisions.
State testing results show academic performance that is substantially below proficiency in both English language arts and mathematics. In third grade, the percentage of students meeting standards in math and ELA hovers in the low to mid-20s; by fourth and fifth grade, proficiency drops sharply to single digits in both subjects. Science testing in fifth grade shows similarly low results. The school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among the county's other districts. These numbers reflect genuine challenges in student learning and suggest that families choosing this school should have direct conversations with school leadership about the factors driving these outcomes, what supports exist for struggling learners, and what trajectories the school is pursuing for improvement. State assessment data captured only this school year, so multi-year trend information is not available to show whether performance is stable, declining, or improving.
The school operates as a regular public school without charter or magnet designation. Specific data on the rate of students learning English as a second language and the proportion with individualized education plans were not reported, though both populations may be present given the school's demographics and the broader Oxnard community context. Information on discipline, attendance rates, and staffing levels was not available.
Oxnard itself is in a period of substantial residential and commercial growth. New housing is scattered across coastal, south, central, and north areas, with thousands of units under construction or completed. The economy is anchored in agriculture, manufacturing, healthcare, and maritime trade. Housing values in the 93033 zip code are moderate for coastal California but have risen modestly year-over-year; rents have declined slightly. The city maintains a historic walkable downtown centered on libraries, transit hubs, and parks, while newer development spreads across outlying neighborhoods and farmland conversion zones.
For families considering Elm Street Elementary, the essential starting point is understanding that current test results indicate students are not meeting grade-level standards in core subjects, and that this pattern has held across the grades tested. A parent visiting the school should ask directly about the school's reading and math curriculum, how it addresses students performing below grade level, what data the school uses to monitor progress, and what outcomes the leadership team has set for the next few years. The school's location within a growing, economically diverse community with strong civic anchors is a real asset, but academic trajectory and instructional quality are the immediate questions worth exploring in depth.
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