Thurgood Marshall Elementary, Oxnard CA

Original Research by School Decision on Thurgood Marshall Elementary

Thurgood Marshall Elementary is a public K–8 school in Oxnard serving a student body that is heavily Hispanic, with a substantial share of students from low-income households and the majority qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The school is located within the Oxnard School District, which has recently undergone voter-approved facility modernization funded by a property tax measure passed in 2022.

In academic performance, the school shows a profile split by grade level and subject. English language arts proficiency is weaker in the early elementary grades, rising through the middle grades before dropping again at eighth grade. In math, proficiency starts below half in third grade, climbs slightly through fifth grade, then declines sharply in the upper middle grades, bottoming out at eighth grade. Science results, available only for fifth and eighth grades, show moderate proficiency in fifth grade but extremely low performance in eighth grade. When looking at the school's overall proficiency rate across all tested grades and subjects, the performance falls below the midpoint relative to other schools in Ventura County. A parent should take note of the particularly steep drops in both math and science proficiency at the eighth-grade level; these suggest a significant shift in rigor or student engagement that would be worth discussing directly with school leadership to understand the context.

The school serves a small enrollment spread evenly across its grade levels, creating a cohesive K–8 pathway rather than separate elementary and middle school environments. A substantial majority of the student population lives in families with incomes low enough to qualify for free or reduced-price meals, which often correlates with schools needing stronger academic support systems and more intensive intervention resources.

Oxnard itself is the county's largest city and primary commercial center, with roots in agriculture and characterized by coastal access, cultural diversity, and mixed-use development. Downtown Oxnard features a historic walkable core with civic anchors including the public library, transit center, and parks, while newer neighborhoods and school campuses spread across former farmland at the city's edges. The housing market there reflects moderate affordability pressure relative to the state, with home values and rents positioned slightly above the state benchmark. The city is experiencing active growth, with residential and commercial development scattered across multiple areas, including a major new housing and mixed-use development planned in northeast Oxnard near the recently opened Del Sol High School. This growth and the district's facility improvements signal investment in the community, though families should be aware that the school facilities bond passed in 2022 added a new property tax that will persist for decades.

Data on special populations including English learner enrollment and special education identification was not available from the school's published figures, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about services for students still acquiring English and students receiving special education support.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 341%

School 41% · District 30% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 449%

School 49% · District 25% · ▲ 24 pts above district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 553%

School 53% · District 20% · ▲ 33 pts above district

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

Grade 630%

School 30% · District 18% · ▲ 12 pts above district

even with state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 730%

School 30% · District 21% · ▲ 10 pts above district

even with state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 811%

School 11% · District 17% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 328%

School 28% · District 29% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Grade 446%

School 46% · District 32% · ▲ 14 pts above district

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

Grade 561%

School 61% · District 35% · ▲ 27 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 635%

School 35% · District 31% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 752%

School 52% · District 40% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 818%

School 18% · District 35% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Science

Grade 549%

School 49% · District 20% · ▲ 29 pts above district

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

Grade 85%

School 5% · District 16% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 27 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income25%Higher-income42%17 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income36%Higher-income70%34 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income57%Higher-income79%21 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income33%Higher-income43%10 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income43%Higher-income81%38 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income15%Higher-income29%14 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income33%Higher-income75%42 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income36%Higher-income78%42 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income45%Higher-income86%41 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income27%Higher-income43%16 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income21%Higher-income62%41 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income12%Higher-income7%5 pp gap