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Oakland Unified School District

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| Oakland Unified School District

• About IHSAA

Wrestling: 2024 District Assignments

Feb 10, 2024 | Wrestling

Following approval on Friday morning by the IHSAA’s Board of Control, district tournament assignments for the 2024 wrestling postseason are now available. District tournaments for all three classes are currently scheduled for Saturday, February 10.

Ahead of the 2023 season, the board approved changes to the individual postseason by expanding the state tournament to 24 qualifiers per weight class in each classification, and eliminating sectional tournaments.

District tournaments in Class 2A and Class 1A feature12 sites, with the top two place-winners at each weight advancing to state. The top three place-winners will advance in Class 3A.

DISTRICT TOURNAMENT SITES

Click on the school host location to follow the tournament on TrackWrestling.

Class 3A Districts

• Dubuque, Hempstead
• Marshalltown
• Prairie, Cedar Rapids

Class 2A Districts

• Estherville Lincoln Central
• Independence
• Roland-Story
• Sioux Center
• Webster City
• West Delaware
• Williamsburg

Class 1A Districts

• Interstate 35, Truro
• Pleasantville
• South Hamilton

2024 DISTRICT ASSIGNMENTS

Select the class below to view district assignments and host sites. 

Published: November 17, 2023

Recent Posts

• Game Changers: The IHSAA Podcast March 25, 2024
• Basketball: 2024 Hall of Fame Honorees February 29, 2024
• Basketball: 2023-24 Rankings February 19, 2024
• Wrestling: 2024 Award Honorees February 12, 2024
• Basketball: 2024 Postseason Brackets February 12, 2024

OUSD Student Assignment Center

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Additional Details:

The Student Assignment Center can help you through the entire enrollment process, whether your child is brand new to OUSD; returning to OUSD from a charter school, private school, or school in another city; or transitioning from another OUSD school. This office is at 746 Grand Avenue. Placement counselors are available from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, or by appointment. Language testing for students whose primary language is not English is also provided.

This organization is listed in the Youth Services Directory .

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The Oaklandside

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A ‘restorative restart’: How Oakland students want to see school reimagined next year

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Over the past year, Oakland youth have lived through a pandemic , organized protests as part of a national uprising over racism and policing, and dealt with the ups and downs of distance learning . Some lost family members or friends, while others fell behind on their classwork, took on extra jobs to help support their families, or experienced mental health crises. 

On Aug. 9, Oakland Unified School District students will return to school in person for the first day of the 2021-2022 year, and many of them will be going back on campus for the first time in 17 months. But lots of high schoolers don’t want to go back to the same kinds of schools they attended before the pandemic. 

Students say that OUSD leaders have an opportunity—bolstered by millions in extra federal and state funding —to create a more supportive and empathetic environment, with a focus on mental and emotional wellness. Without that support, students’ academic achievement will be negatively impacted.

One plan that has been gaining traction is the idea of a “restorative restart,” in the fall. Students, teachers, and staff would take the first few weeks of school to purposefully rebuild the relationships that suffered over the past year, instead of immediately diving into academic curriculum.

“It’s a way to ease back into school, rather than jumping right into it, because with quarantine, we are going from one world to another when we go back next fall,” said Mia Tran, a freshman at Oakland High School. “A restorative restart is a way to do that where students aren’t overwhelmed by going into something that they’re not used to anymore.”

Tran, 15, said that it’s been difficult to make friends while learning remotely this year, and that school leaders should emphasize ways to form those bonds, like creating peer support groups among students. These peer connections could be made between students in the same grade, or with students in higher grades mentoring students in younger grades, Tran said. 

Diana Matias-Carillo, a freshman at Fremont High School, said that taking time at the beginning of the school year to reconnect with each other is a way to acknowledge the trauma that everyone has been through over the past year. Matias-Carillo, 15, has dealt with the deaths of her grandmother and an uncle in the past year. 

“We don’t want students to feel like their feelings aren’t valid, after going into total isolation with only their families for a little more than a year,” said Matias-Carillo. “Students’ families have been going through losing a close relative, or financial issues, or societal issues, like politics.”

Matias-Carillo and Tran are both involved with Californians for Justice , a statewide youth advocacy organization with an Oakland contingent. Californians for Justice, along with Faith in Action East Bay and Public Advocates , worked with OUSD board members to pass a resolution prioritizing social-emotional well-being, mental health, and academic credit recovery last month. Jessica Ramos, one of the student board members who sponsored the resolution, has been advocating for more mental health support for students, as she’s seen the toll that this year has taken on her peers. 

The resolution directs at least $9 million in OUSD’s budget be used to hire community school managers at every school, have teachers conduct home visits or check-ins for every student in the fall, hire more staff to support mental and emotional support, create student and staff retreats in the summer before going back to school, and provide interventions like Saturday school, summer school, and other programs to reach students who are not on track to graduate. 

Last week, OUSD’s chief academic officer Sondra Aguilera presented an extended learning plan that will use about $27 million of the state funding that the district will receive from Assembly Bill 86 —one of several sources of COVID-relief funding OUSD can use to improve school for students. 

The administration’s $27 million plan would direct $8.6 million to improving literacy by providing professional development to teachers and staff, hiring reading tutors for transitional kindergarten to second grade, and training paraeducators; $5.3 million on after-school tutoring, Saturday school, and summer school; $5 million on mental health and restorative justice; $3 million on training teachers and staff to conduct home visits with families; $3 million on case management and attendance incentives to address attendance expectations; $2 million on a credit recovery plan; and about $93,000 on educational technology platforms. The board is expected to vote on the plan next week.

Aguilera also presented the plan to OUSD’s All-City Council, the district’s elected student union, but it’s not clear if it includes all the things students are asking for. 

“This is one of the things that students don’t know about. We should be in conversation about it,” said student board director Samantha Pal, about the learning plan. She suggested having a town hall for all students who are interested, where they can ask questions. 

Natalie Gallegos, a sophomore at Oakland High School, has suggestions for how schools and the district could better support student well-being. This year, many of her teachers incorporated mindfulness exercises into their classes, taking a few minutes at the start of class to meditate or do breathing exercises. 

“When we go in person, we should always take time out of our class to do mindfulness, because I feel like it’s a way to get everybody grounded,” Gallegos said. 

Students and teachers also had a wellness day this year, which was a day off from school for teachers and students on May 10. The day was included in the memorandum of understanding between the teachers’ union and the district that was negotiated last August, intended to give educators and students extra time to tend to their own social and emotional needs. Gallegos, 16, thinks more wellness days could have a positive impact on students’ mental health. 

For the past two years, Gallegos has served as the LCAP student director for OUSD’s student union. In that role, she attends parent-student advisory council meetings and helps monitor the district budget. As a member of the council, she also helps develop the Local Control and Accountability Plan which determines funding for student groups like foster and homeless youth, English language learners, low-income students, and others. Her priorities include advocating for more restorative justice programs, and, especially for this school year, credit recovery options, which are programs that allow students to make up for their failed classes. 

For Gallegos, cultivating joyfulness on school campuses is another way to ease the transition back to in-person learning. Things like pep rallies or an outdoor movie night on a field could liven up students’ spirits, she said.

“More ways to engage students so the school can feel more at home for them, and gives them another way to engage with the community within their school site,” Gallegos said. 

Beyond mental health, students also want to see improvements in academic policies. This year, many teachers have had more relaxed deadlines for assignments, and some want to see that practice extended into future school years.

“When students don’t have as much pressure to finish assignments right at the end of class or have it done by the next day, work gets done better and with less stress,” Tran said. 

Matias-Carillo, the Fremont student, said that the Friday advisory periods incorporated into her school’s distance learning schedule, which allow students to check in with their teachers and get assistance with their assignments, have been helpful for her, especially in math, and she hopes that can continue into next school year. 

Students want their voices to be heard about these proposals. And while young people’s input has long been prioritized at OUSD, students say they hope the adults aren’t just listening, but that they’re actually incorporating students’ perspectives into the plans.

“Adults might listen to us, but we don’t always know if they are going to take in what we said,” said Gallegos. “Because after all, the district is for us. We’re the ones going to school. We’re the ones that have to be in these classes and be in the buildings.”

Correction: the first day of school for Oakland Unified is August 9, not 10.

Related stories

Ashley mcbride.

Ashley McBride writes about education equity for The Oaklandside. Her work covers Oakland’s public district and charter schools. Before joining The Oaklandside in 2020, Ashley was a reporter for the San Antonio Express-News and the San Francisco Chronicle as a Hearst Journalism Fellow, and has held positions at the Poynter Institute and the Palm Beach Post. Ashley earned her master’s degree in journalism from Syracuse University.

Oakland Public Schools: A Guide to OUSD Enrollment

• January 17, 2024
• by Guest Writer
• No Comments

Oakland Unified School District’s enrollment process is open for the 2024-2025 school year. Here’s a helpful guide for untangling the process, put together by OUSD parents Macy Parker and Bekah Otto, with input from Sarah Wheeler, who invite all Oakland parents to commit to their public schools.

Updates to this post are sponsored and verified by Oakland Unified School District .

Why choose OUSD?

Our public schools have weathered the stress of a global pandemic while continuing to serve children and families every day. Our schools are funded based on the number of children they serve, so “voting with your feet” for the public system is one way to build a stronger Oakland together.

In Oakland, there are so many public schools where students are learning and thriving and communities are vibrant. We urge you to consider our public schools, and not just “the ones you’ve heard about.” Our schools are the places where our children learn so much more than just academic content. Yes, they will learn to read, and they will also learn to be good people. They will learn to be part of their community and democracy.

Oakland Unified is committed to equitably serving our diverse city. The district has made a significant commitment to early literacy, continues to serve as a nationwide example of restorative justice practices, and offers a variety of special programs – from gardening and mindfulness to career pathways in high school. It’s a big district, and there are a lot of schools to choose from!

Now on to the guide.

Key Dates & Deadlines for 2024 Enrollment

Now. Research and consider options. Complete the application.

Dec. 1, 2023 – Feb. 10, 2024. Submit application information, documentation, and preferences.

Mar. 6, 2024. Receive an offer from a school. Be added to waitlists of any that were higher ranked preference.

March 6 – 27, 2024. Accept or decline matched placement at a school. Scroll down to read more about waitlists.

April – August 2024. Waitlist offers are extended and late applications are processed.

How to enroll in OUSD

Enrollment steps:

• Explore: Use Choose OUSD school finder to explore public school options in Oakland.
• Apply by February 10, 2024: Submit an application. (You will need to create an account and upload your IDs, proof of address, and your child’s birth certificate)
• Confirm: After you receive your offer on March 6, 2024, accept (or decline) your school offer by March 27. (See more about the waitlist below.)
• Register: Online registration and registration paper forms will be available in Spring 2024.

( See the enrollment overview from OUSD .)

How the OUSD priority matching process works

School assignments are made based on prioritized factors , roughly in this order:

• Current student (for instance a TK student moving into kindergarten at the same school where they are already enrolled)
• Foster youth
• Sibling of a current student
• Children of staff at the school
• In the neighborhood zone for the school
• Children of OUSD staff member
• Residents of Oakland
• General matching process

Choosing schools to rank

On your application, you will choose up to 6 schools, and your zoned school/s, for the enrollment priority process.

How do you choose? There’s no one “best” school! Some factors to consider:

• Proximity to your house
• Physical space and play set-up for TK/K
• Diverse student body
• Social/emotional learning resources and restorative justice
• A stable, experienced teaching workforce

Get Schooled Oakland is a new resource for advice about how to choose a school. Their website highlights some examples of great schools across the city that you may not know about.

For schools you are considering, check out the school’s website and social media, (but be aware that some schools may not have prioritized updating websites.) Many schools offer tours or recordings of virtual tours. You can also reach out to principals directly to learn about their schools. (You might ask: What are their instructional and cultural goals? What are they most proud of? Challenged by?)

What about test scores?

Test scores, while widely available, do not tell a complete story.

• Do not assume that because a school has high average test scores , instruction is necessarily better there (Sadly, many additional factors correlate with test scores, such as systemic inequities, maternal education, wealth, and race).
• A better measure to consider may be how much students’ scores grow during their time at a school.
• There’s also significant research that a warm, consistent school culture makes a big difference in how kids experience school, how happy they will be there, and how much they learn.

Language options in OUSD

Many Oakland public schools offer dual-language immersion education. Spanish dual-language elementary schools to know about:

• Bridges (TK-1)
• Esperanza Elementary (TK-5)
• Global Family (TK-5)
• Greenleaf (TK-8)
• International Community School (TK-5)
• Lockwood STEAM (TK-5)
• Manzanita SEED (TK-5)
• Melrose Leadership Academy (TK – 8)

Here’s a full explanation of dual-language immersion education at OUSD >

Before and after-school programs

Extended care programs tend to be specific to the schools in question. Parents at every school work hours that extend beyond the school day, so most schools partner with a program to support care before and after school. All California schools have access to public funding to provide expanded learning (before and after school) and summer learning opportunities, and this funding has grown in recent years.

The district is working to secure automatic enrollment in afterschool for entering TK, K, and 6th-grade families who would like it. Each school will have more information about its after-school programs.

Ask the schools you are considering what options they provide. How these programs are structured is specific to the school. Many schools have care between 7:30 am and 6 pm and vary in cost, activities, and exact timing.

Schools tend to manage expectations about these options, but we have heard that families do get places in the care they need.

Transportation to public school

For the most part, parents must get their children to and from school. If your child qualifies for an IEP (individual education plan), then you may qualify to have a school bus come to and from your house.

When making school decisions, be cautious of

• Greatschools.org ratings: More of a real estate tool than an accurate measure of educational quality
• Out-of-date anecdotes: Schools can change rapidly.
• Fear-mongering around “bad schools,” or the simple story that there are only one or two acceptable options (there are SO MANY options! Maybe too many!)
• Instructional “themes” or focus areas: websites can be out of date and/or over or understate the importance of school-based programs. Ask the school directly.

How the OUSD waitlist works

If you’ve read to this point, you’re probably interested in the steps required after application.

On March 6, you’ll be automatically offered a seat at one of the schools you ranked. Schools you ranked higher than the school where you’re offered a seat will automatically add you to their waitlists.

For example, if you’re offered a seat at your #4 school, you’ll be added to the waitlists for your #1, #2, and #3 school.

Waitlists usually move throughout the summer and up until the first two weeks of school, at which point you get what you get and you don’t get upset (hopefully).

Resources for choosing schools

• Grow With Us : An Oakland Unified Podcast
• Get Schooled Oakland
• Equity Allies for OUSD Recordings of past webinars
• Data tool from OUSD to learn about  student growth , suspension rates , culture survey results , and teacher retention at school sites

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• Filed Under: Advice , Classes , Grade Schoolers , Oakland , Sponsored

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Navigating the system: Oakland

by: Hank Pellissier | Updated: February 17, 2016

Print article

It would be a mistake to write off Oakland. It is a complex and paradoxical metropolis with a multitude of ethnicities, languages, and cultures, with contrasting areas of luxurious wealth and dire poverty. It’s sprawling, decentralized, and a land of diverse environments — lakes, hills, creeks, forests, waterfront, and flatland.

Oakland’s amenities are phenomenal. Its Mediterranean climate is rated best in the United States; its 100 parks provide one of the highest percentages of open spaces per capita in the nation; its three professional sports teams include the NBA champion Golden State Warriors; its recognized as a world-class food destination, especially in the Temescal, Rockridge, and Fruitvale neighborhoods. The city has pro-sports teams, a symphony, a zoo, museums, Art Deco architecture and high-quality colleges and universities nearby. All this, with median home costs only half that of foggy, windy San Francisco across the Bay.

But what about the schools? Parents confront a confusing mixture of options in seeking the right school for their child because of the dizzying assortment of more than 150 public, private, charter, independent, parochial, immersion, military, and vocational schools. And with it comes good news and bad news.

Good news, bad news

The good. Oakland is California’s most improved urban school district in the past eight years. Many schools here are award-winners, including 2015 National Blue Ribbon Montclair Elementary and 2010 winner Lincoln Elementary, in the Chinatown area. Montclair, Achieve Academy, and Think College Now Elementary also received 2014 California Distinguished School awards. Peralta Elementary is a serial award-winner, receiving blue ribbons and distinguished schools honors from 2009 through 2012.

Additionally, a recent report from Innovate Public School recognizes numerous Oakland schools for their success in helping traditionally underserved students. Lincoln, Cleveland, Chabot, and Peralta elementary schools, and American Indian Public Charter II (middle school) are praised for their expertise in teaching math and/or English to low-income African American students.

For low-income Latino students, the lauded schools are Oakland Charter High, Lighthouse Community Charter High, Oakland Unity High, Aspire Lionel Wilson College Preparatory Academy, Coliseum College Prep Academy, and LPS (Leadership Public School) Oakland R&D.

The bad news? The Oakland School District was until recently rated 4 because of poor test scores. Only 35 percent of Oakland’s high school seniors graduated with the coursework needed to attend college, and only 23 percent of students met or exceeded the math standard. The district’s GreatSchools rating has improved to a 6.

GreatSchools categorizes 18 Oakland public elementary schools as “above average” with ratings of 6-10, but there are 55 schools with below average 1–5 scores, including 15 “1’s” and 16 “2’s.” This prevalence of low-performing schools is repeated in middle and high school ratings.

Heed the warning, but don’t be pessimistic — Oakland schools are on the upswing, via vision, innovation, and volunteerism.

• The district’s “Pathway to Excellence” strategic plan by Superintendent Antwan Wilson aims to increase graduation rate to 85 percent by 2020, and elevate the percentage of African American, Latino, special education, English language learner, and foster youth students who qualify for admission to four-year universities or colleges to 60 percent.

• Although approximately a third of libraries in Oakland schools have been closed, many are reopening, staffed by volunteers.

• Oakland is also a national leader in the innovative “restorative justice” reform. Instead of punishing students via expulsion or suspension, restorative justice is attempting conflict resolution, group dialogue, and community building.

Going to school in Oakland

First step: Acquaint yourself with the Oakland Unified School District’s website. Specific pages to read, and print out if necessary, are the School Directory, the Academic Guidance Document, Fast Facts, the School Map, the Requirements for Graduation, and — most important — the lengthy, comprehensive Parent Guide.

Are you looking for enrollment Information because your family is new in town? Everything you need is on Page 13–15 of the Parent Guide document.

Second step: Visit for the Student Assignment Office, temporarily located 746 Grand Avenue, across from the historic Grand Lake Theater (pictured above). The Student Assignment Office will assist you in the enrollment process if your child is new to OUSD; returning to OUSD from a charter school, private school, or school in another city; or transitioning from another OUSD school. Specialists are available to help you from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information or to make an appointment, contact the office at 510-273-1600 or email [email protected].

The Student Assignment Office is preparing to relocate. To make sure it’s at the above address, contact the OUSD office at 510-434-7790, or visit it at 1100 Broadway, Suite 680, in the historic district just two blocks from 12th Street BART, the region’s subway system.

Lottery system

Oakland Unified has operated with an equitable lottery system that allows every child to apply to any school in the district. This guarantees all children a fair chance of enrolling in a high-performing school. Any student entering kindergarten, middle, or high school is required to hand in an application to attend that school in the fall, even if the school is across the street or down the block.

The open enrollment period is usually from December–late January (check www.ousd.org/enroll for exact dates). Requests to transfer to another OUSD school at the beginning of a new school year are also accepted during the open enrollment period.

Applications for kindergarten can be picked up from any OUSD school or from the Student Assignment Center and returned to either location with the required documents (see page 15 of the Parent Guide).

Find the schools with open houses and school tours and check the schedule. You can also contact the schools directly about dates and times for these events. On the application, you need to list the schools you want your child to attend. If the school you want the most has enough spaces, all applicants are enrolled. If applicants outnumber spaces — a scenario at the most popular schools — children in various categories receive priority. What are those priorities? Good question.

The OUSD Board of Education reviews its priority policy for admissions annually, taking into account state and federal laws. Admission priorities are changed regularly, and in fall 2015 began reassessing the OUSD enrollment process via surveys of parents.

So the best answer, as OUSD is transitioning into something new, is ask the Student Assignment Office about the admission priorities.

In previous years, applicants received priority if they qualified in the categories below:

1. Siblings. Any child who has an older brother or sister at the school goes to the front of the line. 2. Neighborhoods. If you live inside a school’s boundary, you get nudged ahead of those who live outside it. Check the map. 3. Students living in “Program Improvement school neighborhoods” — i.e. neighborhoods with schools that have not met adequate yearly progress on test scores for two consecutive years. 4. Open lottery.

In the zone

Don’t assume that you’re in the zone of your geographically closest school; check the map. Danine Manette, an Oakland mother of a prospective kindergartner, was surprised to discover that her daughter would not be placed in nearby Chabot (GreatSchools Rating 10), but was instead sent to Kaiser Elementary (GreatSchools Rating 7), which is .3 miles farther away. Manette says, “I called OUSD to beg, plead, or bribe someone into letting my child attend Chabot but was told, ‘nope.’ ”

Oakland has several top-ranked public elementary schools, but the majority are situated in just a few areas — higher elevation zones like Montclair, near the Berkeley border, and some near lovely Lake Merritt. Outside of these zones, the schools are rarely as exemplary. But there are exceptions. American Indian Public High is in a less prestigious neighborhood but has a GreatSchools rating of 10.

One popular strategy when designating your choices during the application process is to include one or two top-notch schools with slots available (even if they’re outside your area), while also listing acceptable local schools where your child has a higher chance of getting in.

Nitty-gritty details

Carefully complete your application, (otherwise, it won’t get processed) and don’t miss the deadline — usually in January for the following school year. When you turn in your form, bring your child’s birth certificate, guardianship documentation (if applicable), your child’s immunizations record and three documents verifying your Oakland address. To avoid common mistakes, remember that:

1. If used to verify your address, your utilities bill needs to be less than 45 days old. 2. If used to verify your address, your lease agreement needs to have your landlord’s signature. 3. Auto registration and auto insurance combined provide only one form of proof. 4. All documents must be original — no photocopies!

Summarizing the three-step enrollment process, as defined by OUSD: 1. Gather the documents 2. Visit the Student Assignment Center 3. Register and complete the enrollment process

Find the best fit

Oakland offers a wide variety of excellent charter, private, and parochial schools in the middle and high school grades. So many, in fact, that picking one can be stressful.

In her quest to find the best fit, Manette enrolled her three children in nearly every category of Oakland school. Her oldest son, Cedric, first attended a Christian school — Zion Lutheran. Zion Lutheran provided Cedric with small classrooms and a structured environment, “which he really needs,” she says. Later, he moved to Oakland Military Institute, a charter school that Manette recommends as “a public school with a private school ‘feel.’ The halls are clean, the students are disciplined, there are never budget shortages, there is a lot of school spirit, it’s free, and they don’t push the military on the students.”

When Cedric was a high school junior, he transferred to MetWest High School near Lake Merritt because he wanted to play baseball. (Oakland Military Institute doesn’t have a team). MetWest is a small autonomous school with an innovative program that offers internships with local agencies. It’s been successful at producing college-bound graduates, but Manette reports that transferring her son there, “turned out to be a horrible decision. … The amount of homework dumped upon the children was ridiculous. My son was buried in papers, tests, novel reading, and presentations every night.” After one semester there, she says, “We ran back to OMI.”

Manette’s second son, Ryan, also attended Zion Lutheran as a youngster. She realized, however, that he needed an academic challenge in middle school, and that, “he might not be a good fit socially for a public school environment.” He transferred, and thrived, at Head-Royce, a private school with demanding scholastics. He has also — just for fun! — taken physics classes at the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley.

Charter and private choices

More than 10,000 students are enrolled in Oakland’s charter schools, but they are occasionally flashes-in-the-pan; in the last two decades approximately 20 have been closed, abandoned, non-renewed, or revoked. Highly successful charters do exist, though, such as North Oakland Community Charter with its GreatSchools 9 Rating and 159 5-Star reviews. But the ratings can slide all the way down to a 2. In addition to checking the ratings and reviews, visiting charters while they are in session is highly advised. It’s good to determine if the philosophy is a good fit for your child. Remember that every school has its own requirements and specific application process, with their own deadlines. Forms are available on each school’s website. Information can be obtained via the Office of Charter Schools at 510-336-7572.

Private schools and religious schools also need to be approached on their own terms. GreatSchools is a source of a lot of information about the schools but does not rate them because their test scores are not publicly available. Many don’t have their students take the state tests. One thing to know about these schools: the application procedure can be arduous, with essays and interviews usually required for both the parents and the child — and occasionally tests for the child.

The effort can be worth it though. Oakland has many desirable private and parochial choices allowing parents to find a school that best fits who there child is and who they hope that child will become. For instance The College Preparatory School is highly rated nationally — No. 6 in the United States in 2013; Beacon Day School is, an innovative, year-round school; Holy Names is an all-girls Catholic high school with a 5.5-1 teacher-student ratio; Bishop O’Dowd is a Catholic high school with strong sports and community service programs; and Julia Morgan School for Girls is the only all-girls middle school in the East Bay.

A word to the wise: the separate application requirements for charters, privates, and parochials can be time-consuming and organizationally difficult. It’s easy to overextend yourself in process. Do as much research as possible in advance so you’re not wasting hours — and application fees — applying to schools that aren’t a good fit for your family. If you find the perfect fit, check for financial aid possibilities if finances are the concern.

Still confused? The Berkeley Parents Network has a fabulous forum on education in Oakland.

Updated February 2016

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Oakland Eliminated its School Police Force—So What Happens Now?

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Amidst last year’s nationwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism, all eyes turned to Oakland as the Black Organizing Project (BOP) won a battle almost a decade in the making.

Passing the George Floyd Resolution unanimously on June 24, the Oakland School Board committed to entirely eliminating the Oakland School Police Department (OSPD) and reinvesting its $6 million budget into a new safety plan focused on supporting students and fighting the school-to-prison pipeline.

Nine months later, Oakland is at the forefront of a nationwide movement as an ever-increasing number of jurisdictions are similarly deciding to decrease or eliminate school police, according to the Justice Policy Institute . Last month, Los Angeles student activists and community members emerged victorious as the Board of Education voted to cut a third of Los Angeles School Police Department’s officers, ban the use of pepper spray on students, and reinvest some of the department’s funding to improve the education of Black students. Seattle, Denver, Minneapolis and Portland have all taken steps to redirect school police funding as well.

Yet even as organizers in Oakland celebrate, they do so with the knowledge that this is not a conclusive triumph but rather the start of a new and long undertaking. BOP communications director Jasmine Williams says the group foresees the implementation of the George Floyd Resolution being a two- to three-year process. “But also noting that this has been hundreds of years of systemic oppression and very apparent anti-Blackness within school spaces,” she adds. “We know that beyond three years there’s going to be work that needs to be done.”

And therein lies the largest disconnect between sensational headlines about major structural changes and the real work that goes into implementing them. The Minneapolis City Council attracted viral attention last summer when they pledged to dismantle the police department that killed George Floyd—a commitment that fell flat just months later . But the BOP is in this for the long haul, and Oakland schools are serving as a case study for how defunding and abolition efforts can actually achieve their goals.

What Will Replace School Police?

The first and latest phase of the new safety plan to replace the OSPD was approved in December, with six of seven board members voting in favor and outgoing District 3 Director Jumoke Hinton Hodge abstaining. Key to the new plan is a policy for responding to mental health emergencies, in which social workers or psychologists will work with a student experiencing a mental health crisis rather than an OSPD officer.

The new plan also calls for the establishment of a Culture and Climate Department, which will transition school security officers who are currently employed by the department but are not sworn police officers. School security officers will be retrained to mediate conflicts using restorative justice practices and to build relationships with students. (As of 2020, the Oakland School Police Department employed a police chief, seven officers and two sergeants, as well as 47 unarmed school security officers.)

Under the new plan, Oakland Police Department officers would still be called in certain situations, including bomb threats, active shooters, physical and sexual assaults, and medical emergencies. Those officers are employed by the city and not the district—a caveat that raised many concerns from school officials, educators, and school board members, particularly Director Hinton Hodge.

Lingering Differences

Last March, a group of 28 school staff and board members wrote a letter in opposition to the BOP’s proposals. “Unlike OPD officers, who come with guns, OUSD police officers come trained with de-escalation and restorative practices. They know our schools, leaders and families and treat our students with the respect and empathy that they deserve,” they wrote .

The BOP is more than aware of these concerns. “In 2017, we had data that showed school police being called on students over 6,000 times by administrators. And so in response to that, we created the Black Sanctuary Pledge that we administered to teachers and school site staff that said, ‘I pledge not to call police, ICE, or Homeland Security on Black and brown students for nonviolent issues,’” says BOP Communications Director Jasmine Williams. “Through this strategy that we primarily spearheaded with the Oakland Education Association, we were able to struggle through authentic conversations.”

“We know that teachers are coming into this space ultimately wanting to support students and families… But unintentionally or intentionally, they can also be complicit in the school-to-prison pipeline, if they continue to call police on students,” she adds. “What we found from those conversations was that teachers were struggling with that too. They don’t really want to call the police, but they don’t have anyone else to call. They had no teacher’s aide for support, or there were barely any counselors on campus.”

On June 10, a different group of 45 school administrators released their own letter, in support of the efforts to eliminate the OSPD. “We seek to provide young people with access and opportunity; the OUSD Police Department offers neither, and its continued existence is funded at the expense of programs far better suited to attending to the academic, social, and health-related needs of our young people,” reads the second letter . “Some will say that the OUSD Police Department is necessary because it is used. When school leaders are given only a hammer, they will treat every problem like a nail.”

The group addressed concerns brought up by the first letter, which were similar to those of Director Hinton Hodge. “If, as has been asserted elsewhere, OPD is unable to provide adequate service to our schools, then this represents a further call for action and change. We should not subsidize these perceived shortcomings at the expense of our school communities,” they wrote. “Allyship requires commitment. Values, like dreams, must be upheld lest they be deferred.”

Director Gary Yee is one of three remaining members on an otherwise entirely newly elected school board who was part of the unanimous vote to eliminate the OSPD, and is one of the four board members who had voted against such proposals last March. He says his reservations came from a lack of a safety plan to replace the department at the time.

“There may have been some cases in which it may have been unnecessary to call the school police, but it was probably easier than to find the appropriate department or staff member to respond quickly to an emergency,” Yee said, echoing the sentiments of the second letter. To abolish the department would “require a retraining of the school site administration who didn’t know who to refer different kinds of incidents to. And we have that plan developed now.”

“In the arguments in favor of disbanding the school police department, I did not hear any kind of direct descriptions of incompetence or hostility or anything by our police force. I just want to underscore that I think our Oakland school police actually performed very professionally,” Yee adds. “This is not a criticism of them as people. But it’s more the system-wide resetting of the means by which we intervene in situations where in the past we’ve called the police.”

No Official Layoff Date Given for School Officers

Despite the deadline set forth by the George Floyd Resolution to eliminate the department by Jan. 1, 2021, district officers remained employed by OUSD. As of last December, $2.8 million of the former OSPD budget was to be invested in the new programs set out by the safety plan, including trainings and the new culture and climate positions. The remaining $3.4 million of the approximately $6.2 million OSPD budget was expected to be paid out in salaries and other compensation to officers, according to a report in Oaklandside.

OUSD officials declined to give KQED an official layoff date or confirm updated salary figures as of March, making for an unusual situation where school police are being paid for not working in schools without official explanation. However, police union disputes have disrupted district decisions before. A 2002 decision to eliminate the department and reassign its responsibilities to OPD, due to budget cuts, was reversed in a 2005 court ruling which determined that the union representing OSPD officers was not given sufficient opportunity to negotiate the terms of that transition.

Former OSPD chief Jeff Godown, who declined KQED’s request for comment, was supportive of the efforts to eliminate the department last summer. He has now been tasked with dismantling the department and getting rid of its cars, weapons, and equipment.

Even in Distance Learning, School Police Intervene

Despite OUSD and many other districts across the nation projecting the continuation of distanced learning for the remainder of this school year, the issues of policing in schools haven’t disappeared with online class. During the pandemic, students in states like Colorado , New Jersey and Maryland have seen police show up at their doors because of toy guns seen by their teachers in Zoom class, and a 15-year-old girl was sent back to juvenile detention for missing online assignments in Michigan last July.

“They’re not on campus, but the policing of students and of Black and brown students in particular still happens. We still see cases over 2020 of students being detained for not turning in assignments or getting policed for not attending their virtual class,” says Williams. “Our fight has always been against the policing and surveillance and criminalization culture that contributes to this toxicity in school environments.”

The George Floyd Resolution is the genesis of the latest chapter of that fight in Oakland, and now time will tell if the district can live up to its commitments. If they do, their success may serve as a nationwide example for what it truly means to reimagine safety and take real steps towards dismantling structures that criminalize students across the country.

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In Oakland Unified School District, the Special Education Department is charged with educating students who have learning disabilities or exceptional cognitive or physical needs and who are made eligible for services through an Individual Education Program (IEP). Special Education provides services and support in district, alternative and select charter schools to all identified students from infancy through age 22.

Services include Specialized Academic Instruction, Speech-Language Therapy, Occupational and Physical Therapy, Assistive Technology, Adaptive Physical Education, mental health services, behavior intervention and assessment, career-transition services, and low incidence services for students with visual, hearing and orthopedic impairments.

Oakland Unified has about 6,500 identified Special Education students, and the Special Education Office conducts over 8,000 Individual Education Program (IEP) meetings each year. We operate a full continuum of programs to meet the needs of our amazing, diverse students–from inclusion to specialized, self-contained settings–with at least one Special Education professional in every OUSD public school. In addition to our school-based programs, Special Education operates a preschool center, a diagnostic assessment center, home and hospital instruction, and a Young Adult Program that provides community-based instruction for eligible students aged 18-22.

We believe that every student deserves recognition, attention and respect, and all students must be offered rigorous academic programs and classrooms that support high achievement.

Our Mission

The Special Education Department ensures that all staff are prepared and motivated to meet the needs of all students by partnering with families, providing expertise and guidance to school staff and communities, and implementing high-quality services to supplement the general education program.

OUSD Core Values

Students first.

We support students by providing multiple learning opportunities to ensure students feel respected and heard.

We provide everyone access to what they need to be successful.

We hold ourselves to uncompromising standards to achieve extraordinary outcomes.

We are honest, trustworthy and accountable.

Cultural Responsiveness

We resist assumptions and biases and see the gift of every student and adult.

We seek and celebrate moments of laughter and wonder.

Our Department Goals

Our goals, which we refer to as our ‘big rocks,’ drive the work that we do and operate in alignment with district goals and priorities shared in our Local Control Accountability Plan and Superintendent’s Work Plan.

Differentiated Professional Learning The Special Education Department will develop and implement robust, multimodal, multi-tiered effective professional learning opportunities.

Academic Equity The Special Education Department staff will provide effective, targeted, evidence-based services in the least restrictive environment to support students to make meaningful progress toward grade level standards and/or individual goals.

Empowering Strong Graduates The Department will partner with other teams and site personnel to ensure that each student with an IEP has meaningful pathway experiences, access to paid and supported employment experiences, and transition services grounded in students’ own goals for their future as informed, engaged community members.

Compliant, Comprehensive IEPs The Department will provide resources, support and accountability systems to ensure every student has an IEP that is timely, data-driven, asset-based, and individualized based on the unique needs of that student.

Department Leadership Team

Our Special Education Leadership Team is passionate about our work and proud to serve our students with disabilities in Oakland. Most of our staff were Oakland teachers before moving into administration, and many of our team are Oakland residents. We’re deeply invested in our key goals of evidence-based, multisensory learning, targeted staff professional development, and a commitment to serving each student in the least restrictive environment. We are always happy to hear feedback from parents, caregivers and staff, so please feel free to reach out.

Executive Director, Special Education and Health Services

Jorge Wahner

SELPA Director

Theresa Lozach

Early Childhood Special Education

Allison Guilfoil

Director, Elementary School Programs

Cary Kaufman

Director, Middle School Programs and Legal Supports

Director, High School and Alternative Education Programs

David Cammarata

Director, Young Adult and Transition Programs

Anne Zarnowiecki

Director, Related Services

Stacey Lindsay

Director, Psychological and Mental Health Services

Bonnie Levin

Program Manager, Elementary Programs

Stephen Raser

Program Manager, Secondary Programs

Rain Johnson

Coordinator, Compliance

Peggy Forbes

Program Manager, Compliance

Angelica Lopez

Program Manager, Operations

Our Central Team

Our work relies on the dedication and amazing work of our broader central team, which consists of our Instructional Coaches, SELPA case managers, related services leads, and clerical and operational staff

510-879-5003

[email protected]

915 54th St., Oakland, CA 94608

Education | Oakland’s striking teachers and school district…

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Education | Oakland’s striking teachers and school district reach agreement on four ‘common good’ demands

With nine days left in the school year, the union and oakland unified have agreed on four proposals which, until this point, had created an impasse.

After seven days out of the classroom, teachers in Oakland said Sunday they were closer than ever to ending the strike impacting 34,000 students across the city — though their union was still in negotiations with the Oakland Unified School District that afternoon.

“We’re excited to potentially be reaching an agreement today, and to be back in the classroom with our students tomorrow,” Samia Khattab, a teacher librarian at Franklin Elementary School and a member of the Oakland Education Association’s bargaining team, said Sunday.

To that end, around 9:20 p.m. Sunday, the district sent out a brief statement: “We are making good progress and will keep our families and community updated throughout the night.”

But an association social-media account’s post around 9:40 p.m. called out the district’s lack of “an accurate document that reflects the agreement that we reached with the district earlier today.”

“We started this strike because of OUSD’s dysfunction and if we are on strike tomorrow, it is because of their indifference to our students, lack of respect for educators and inability to complete the simplest of tasks,” the post read in part. “Unless you hear otherwise, we will see you on the picket line at 7:30 am tomorrow.”

Late Saturday night, the two sides announced they had agreed on four “common good” demands , many of which had placed the two sides in a gridlock throughout last week. The district had argued the demands — which seek to address racial equity, homelessness, and environmental justice for students — fell outside the scope of a union bargaining agreement. But on Saturday night, the union and the district agreed on four of those proposals relating to housing and transportation, a community schools grant, a Black thriving community schools initiative, and school closures.

Union officials said teachers slept at their union office Saturday before getting back to negotiations Sunday morning. According to Khattab, Sunday marked 20 days of work on the bargaining process. She said she had spent so much time at the union office that she could count the number of hours she’d spent with her 9-year-old daughter on two hands.

“It’s been a really long night, and it continues to be a long morning,” Khattab said. “We have a lot of proposals still on the table, but we’re getting closer and closer to many of those agreements.”

On Friday night, the district sent an email stating that since the strike began, 1.4 million hours of instruction had been lost, and that AP exams, final examinations, senior capstone projects, and social events had been impacted.

“We implore OEA to end the strike, get our students back in school and our seniors ready for graduation, and then, we can work on the common good together” the statement read.

Less than 24 hours later, however, some of those common good demands had been met. And, Khattab said, the two sides had agreed on additional support for “newcomer students” — those arriving at Oakland Unified after moving from another country — along with more school staff. Next academic year, there are expected to be five more full-time counselors across elementary and secondary schools in the district, and four more full-time librarians at the high schools, according to Khattab. Teachers will also be granted an additional “prep period,” where they can plan for the day’s lessons and grade assignments.

“We’ve made these incremental gains that are going to have immediate impacts on our students as soon as our contract is implemented,” Khattab said.

Here’s how the common good agreement could change Oakland Unified:

Shared governance of community schools

One of the major sticking points between the union and the school district had been related to Oakland Unified’s community schools grant — a statewide initiative to transform schools into not just learning centers, but hubs of wraparound support for children and families.

Community schools are a decades-old model, but one California has latched onto in recent years, with the state recently committing $4.1 billion to make one in every three campuses a community school. Oakland Unified has been the biggest benefactor of that program, granted $66 million from the state to expand and bolster its existing community school network.

With this new agreement, there will be a citywide committee to steer those grants, one primarily made of parents, students, educators and school staff. Eight of those members will be appointed by the Oakland Education Association and other teachers’ unions, and five would be appointed by Oakland Unified.

Black Thriving Community Schools

Next academic year, a task force will be created to identify and expand resources for schools with a 40% or higher Black student population, transforming those campuses into Black Thriving Community Schools — a program the union says was voted on in 2021, but never meaningfully acted upon.

Another task force of educators, parents, students and staff will be formed to coordinate the actions of the program, and “provide the wrap-around services and supports needed for Black students to thrive,” according to the Oakland Education Association.

School closures

School closures have been a contentious issue for students, parents and community members across Oakland. Earlier this year, the Oakland Unified school board backtracked on its earlier decision to shutter a number of campuses — despite ever-declining enrollment numbers and the associated financial ripple effects.

In this new agreement, the district has committed to following a series of steps before closing another school, including conducting an “equity impact analysis,” discussing the closure at two school board meetings, and notifying school communities, regardless of the financial situation of the district.

Housing and transportation

The two have also agreed to work with public and non-profit organizations to “identify and focus on supports” for the district’s homeless youth, and push for vouchers to meet low-income students’ housing needs.

The district will collaborate with the union on “the identification of possible locations that could be developed into housing” for students who need it.

“Our members have been on the picket line because we’re fighting for the schools that our kids deserve,” Khattab said. “That’s what it’s all about.”

Staff writer George Kelly contributed to this report.

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Former Las Vegas teacher brutally beaten by student sues CCSD

The lawsuit says the Clark County School District knew its schools, including Eldorado High, were beset by a “lack of safety and security” but failed to act.

A former Eldorado High School teacher who was brutally beaten by a student in her classroom is alleging the Clark County School District knew that its schools were beset by a “lack of safety and security” but failed to take timely action.

In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, the former teacher who identifies herself in the lawsuit by the pseudonym Sade Doe alleges that the district never told her about what the lawsuit alleges were “concerns of violence at lack of security at the high school” before she became a teacher there.

Nor was there any “formal training relating to teacher safety against violent acts by students,” alleges the lawsuit, which was filed in the District Court.

“CCSD knew about the lack of safety and security at CCSD schools, including Eldorado High School, and failed to take proper action sooner,” the lawsuit alleges.

The student, then-16-year-old 11th grader Jonathan Martinez Garcia, attacked the teacher on April 7, 2022.

He pleaded guilty in April 2023 to attempted murder, attempted sexual assault and battery with use of a deadly weapon resulting in substantial bodily harm and in June 2023 was sentenced to between 16 and 40 years in prison.

Public defender Tyler Gaston had argued that Martinez Garcia’s behavior had been caused by severe side effects of the asthma medication Singulair, also known by the generic name Montelukast.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal does not typically identify victims of sex crimes. In this case, the victim agreed to be identified by her first name, Sade, and through photographs.

‘Imprisoned’ mentally and physically

In Martinez Garcia’s sentencing hearing, the teacher told District Judge Kathleen Delaney that she had been “imprisoned” mentally and physically since the attack.

The teacher’s mother said her daughter used to be a fun-loving and independent woman from a family of teachers who now could no longer teach and had difficulty leaving her home because of lasting physical and mental health complications.

At the sentencing, the teacher told the judge she remembers believing she was going to die.

According to the Metropolitan Police Department as well as the lawsuit, the teacher lost consciousness several times during the attack, which started with Martinez Garcia choking her with a “cord-like object.”

He had knocked on the teacher’s classroom door just before 1:25 p.m that day, so the teacher unlocked the door and let him in. He had asked if he could speak with her about missing assignments, the lawsuit said.

The attack also involved punching, kicking and her head being banged against the linoleum floor, as well as a metal filing bookshelf and a file cabinet being thrown on top of her.

When the teacher asked Martinez Garcia why he was assaulting her, he said that although he liked her and she was his favorite teacher, “a part of him also hated teachers, all teachers must die, and he needed to revenge on all teachers.” He also mentioned something about having multiple personalities, the lawsuit said.

Suit alleges CCSD failure to follow safety policies

The lawsuit also describes what it indicates were significant levels of violence in district schools and at Eldorado in the years leading up to the attack. It also outlined what it alleged was a complete failure on CCSD’s part to follow its own safety policies.

Examples of the violence at Eldorado included then-Principal David Wilson in 2018 describing fights and assaults on staff at the school and saying he needed more police officers on campus, the lawsuit said.

During her interview process with the district in 2020, the lawsuit alleges, the teacher was never told about any safety or security concerns at the school.

Also named in the lawsuit are Eldorado Principal Christina Brockett and former Clark County School District Superintendent Jesus Jara.

In an email Thursday, the district’s media relations department said it does not comment on pending litigation.

The teacher’s attorneys were listed on the lawsuit as J. Randall Jones, Eric M. Pepperman, and Mona Kaveh, all of the Las Vegas firm Kemp Jones.

The monetary amount sought by the former teacher wasn’t clear, but the lawsuit said the plaintiff had been “damaged in an amount far in excess of” $15,000.

Contact Brett Clarkson at [email protected].

The suspect — who evaded impact but fled the scene before speaking to police — was arrested Tuesday and booked into the Clark County Detention Center.

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Work continues on the city of Las Vegas’ $165 million Civic Plaza project with a significant milestone happening this week.

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​Why School Absences Have ‘Exploded’ Almost Everywhere

The pandemic changed families’ lives and the culture of education: “Our relationship with school became optional.”

By Sarah Mervosh and Francesca Paris

Sarah Mervosh reports on K-12 education, and Francesca Paris is a data reporter.

In Anchorage, affluent families set off on ski trips and other lengthy vacations, with the assumption that their children can keep up with schoolwork online.

In a working-class pocket of Michigan, school administrators have tried almost everything, including pajama day, to boost student attendance.

And across the country, students with heightened anxiety are opting to stay home rather than face the classroom.

In the four years since the pandemic closed schools, U.S. education has struggled to recover on a number of fronts, from learning loss , to enrollment , to student behavior .

But perhaps no issue has been as stubborn and pervasive as a sharp increase in student absenteeism, a problem that cuts across demographics and has continued long after schools reopened.

Nationally, an estimated 26 percent of public school students were considered chronically absent last school year, up from 15 percent before the pandemic, according to the most recent data, from 40 states and Washington, D.C., compiled by the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute . Chronic absence is typically defined as missing at least 10 percent of the school year, or about 18 days, for any reason.

Source: Upshot analysis of data from Nat Malkus, American Enterprise Institute. Districts are grouped into highest, middle and lowest third.

The increases have occurred in districts big and small, and across income and race. For districts in wealthier areas, chronic absenteeism rates have about doubled, to 19 percent in the 2022-23 school year from 10 percent before the pandemic, a New York Times analysis of the data found.

Poor communities, which started with elevated rates of student absenteeism, are facing an even bigger crisis: Around 32 percent of students in the poorest districts were chronically absent in the 2022-23 school year, up from 19 percent before the pandemic.

Even districts that reopened quickly during the pandemic, in fall 2020, have seen vast increases.

“The problem got worse for everybody in the same proportional way,” said Nat Malkus, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, who collected and studied the data.

Victoria, Texas reopened schools in August 2020, earlier than many other districts. Even so, student absenteeism in the district has doubled.

Kaylee Greenlee for The New York Times

The trends suggest that something fundamental has shifted in American childhood and the culture of school, in ways that may be long lasting. What was once a deeply ingrained habit — wake up, catch the bus, report to class — is now something far more tenuous.

“Our relationship with school became optional,” said Katie Rosanbalm, a psychologist and associate research professor with the Center for Child and Family Policy at Duke University.

The habit of daily attendance — and many families’ trust — was severed when schools shuttered in spring 2020. Even after schools reopened, things hardly snapped back to normal. Districts offered remote options, required Covid-19 quarantines and relaxed policies around attendance and grading .

Source: Nat Malkus, American Enterprise Institute . Includes districts with at least 1,500 students in 2019. Numbers are rounded. U.S. average is estimated.

Today, student absenteeism is a leading factor hindering the nation’s recovery from pandemic learning losses , educational experts say. Students can’t learn if they aren’t in school. And a rotating cast of absent classmates can negatively affect the achievement of even students who do show up, because teachers must slow down and adjust their approach to keep everyone on track.

“If we don’t address the absenteeism, then all is naught,” said Adam Clark, the superintendent of Mt. Diablo Unified, a socioeconomically and racially diverse district of 29,000 students in Northern California, where he said absenteeism has “exploded” to about 25 percent of students. That’s up from 12 percent before the pandemic.

U.S. students, overall, are not caught up from their pandemic losses. Absenteeism is one key reason.

Why Students Are Missing School

Schools everywhere are scrambling to improve attendance, but the new calculus among families is complex and multifaceted.

At South Anchorage High School in Anchorage, where students are largely white and middle-to-upper income, some families now go on ski trips during the school year, or take advantage of off-peak travel deals to vacation for two weeks in Hawaii, said Sara Miller, a counselor at the school.

For a smaller number of students at the school who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, the reasons are different, and more intractable. They often have to stay home to care for younger siblings, Ms. Miller said. On days they miss the bus, their parents are busy working or do not have a car to take them to school.

And because teachers are still expected to post class work online, often nothing more than a skeleton version of an assignment, families incorrectly think students are keeping up, Ms. Miller said.

Sara Miller, a counselor at South Anchorage High School for 20 years, now sees more absences from students across the socioeconomic spectrum.

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Across the country, students are staying home when sick , not only with Covid-19, but also with more routine colds and viruses.

And more students are struggling with their mental health, one reason for increased absenteeism in Mason, Ohio, an affluent suburb of Cincinnati, said Tracey Carson, a district spokeswoman. Because many parents can work remotely, their children can also stay home.

For Ashley Cooper, 31, of San Marcos, Texas, the pandemic fractured her trust in an education system that she said left her daughter to learn online, with little support, and then expected her to perform on grade level upon her return. Her daughter, who fell behind in math, has struggled with anxiety ever since, she said.

“There have been days where she’s been absolutely in tears — ‘Can’t do it. Mom, I don’t want to go,’” said Ms. Cooper, who has worked with the nonprofit Communities in Schools to improve her children’s school attendance. But she added, “as a mom, I feel like it’s OK to have a mental health day, to say, ‘I hear you and I listen. You are important.’”

Experts say missing school is both a symptom of pandemic-related challenges, and also a cause. Students who are behind academically may not want to attend, but being absent sets them further back. Anxious students may avoid school, but hiding out can fuel their anxiety.

And schools have also seen a rise in discipline problems since the pandemic, an issue intertwined with absenteeism.

Dr. Rosanbalm, the Duke psychologist, said both absenteeism and behavioral outbursts are examples of the human stress response, now playing out en masse in schools: fight (verbal or physical aggression) or flight (absenteeism).

“If kids are not here, they are not forming relationships,” said Quintin Shepherd, the superintendent in Victoria, Texas.

Quintin Shepherd, the superintendent in Victoria, Texas, first put his focus on student behavior, which he described as a “fire in the kitchen” after schools reopened in August 2020.

The district, which serves a mostly low-income and Hispanic student body of around 13,000, found success with a one-on-one coaching program that teaches coping strategies to the most disruptive students. In some cases, students went from having 20 classroom outbursts per year to fewer than five, Dr. Shepherd said.

But chronic absenteeism is yet to be conquered. About 30 percent of students are chronically absent this year, roughly double the rate before the pandemic.

Dr. Shepherd, who originally hoped student absenteeism would improve naturally with time, has begun to think that it is, in fact, at the root of many issues.

“If kids are not here, they are not forming relationships,” he said. “If they are not forming relationships, we should expect there will be behavior and discipline issues. If they are not here, they will not be academically learning and they will struggle. If they struggle with their coursework, you can expect violent behaviors.”

Teacher absences have also increased since the pandemic, and student absences mean less certainty about which friends and classmates will be there. That can lead to more absenteeism, said Michael A. Gottfried, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. His research has found that when 10 percent of a student’s classmates are absent on a given day, that student is more likely to be absent the following day.

Absent classmates can have a negative impact on the achievement and attendance of even the students who do show up.

Is This the New Normal?

In many ways, the challenge facing schools is one felt more broadly in American society: Have the cultural shifts from the pandemic become permanent?

In the work force, U.S. employees are still working from home at a rate that has remained largely unchanged since late 2022 . Companies have managed to “put the genie back in the bottle” to some extent by requiring a return to office a few days a week, said Nicholas Bloom, an economist at Stanford University who studies remote work. But hybrid office culture, he said, appears here to stay.

Some wonder whether it is time for schools to be more pragmatic.

Lakisha Young, the chief executive of the Oakland REACH, a parent advocacy group that works with low-income families in California, suggested a rigorous online option that students could use in emergencies, such as when a student misses the bus or has to care for a family member. “The goal should be, how do I ensure this kid is educated?” she said.

Relationships with adults at school and other classmates are crucial for attendance.

In the corporate world, companies have found some success appealing to a sense of social responsibility, where colleagues rely on each other to show up on the agreed-upon days.

A similar dynamic may be at play in schools, where experts say strong relationships are critical for attendance.

There is a sense of: “If I don’t show up, would people even miss the fact that I’m not there?” said Charlene M. Russell-Tucker, the commissioner of education in Connecticut.

In her state, a home visit program has yielded positive results , in part by working with families to address the specific reasons a student is missing school, but also by establishing a relationship with a caring adult. Other efforts — such as sending text messages or postcards to parents informing them of the number of accumulated absences — can also be effective.

Regina Murff has worked to re-establish the daily habit of school attendance for her sons, who are 6 and 12.

Sylvia Jarrus for The New York Times

In Ypsilanti, Mich., outside of Ann Arbor, a home visit helped Regina Murff, 44, feel less alone when she was struggling to get her children to school each morning.

After working at a nursing home during the pandemic, and later losing her sister to Covid-19, she said, there were days she found it difficult to get out of bed. Ms. Murff was also more willing to keep her children home when they were sick, for fear of accidentally spreading the virus.

But after a visit from her school district, and starting therapy herself, she has settled into a new routine. She helps her sons, 6 and 12, set out their outfits at night and she wakes up at 6 a.m. to ensure they get on the bus. If they are sick, she said, she knows to call the absence into school. “I’ve done a huge turnaround in my life,” she said.

But bringing about meaningful change for large numbers of students remains slow, difficult work .

Nationally, about 26 percent of students were considered chronically absent last school year, up from 15 percent before the pandemic.

The Ypsilanti school district has tried a bit of everything, said the superintendent, Alena Zachery-Ross. In addition to door knocks, officials are looking for ways to make school more appealing for the district’s 3,800 students, including more than 80 percent who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. They held themed dress-up days — ’70s day, pajama day — and gave away warm clothes after noticing a dip in attendance during winter months.

“We wondered, is it because you don’t have a coat, you don’t have boots?” said Dr. Zachery-Ross.

Still, absenteeism overall remains higher than it was before the pandemic. “We haven’t seen an answer,” she said.

Data provided by Nat Malkus, with the American Enterprise Institute. The data was originally published on the Return to Learn tracker and used for the report “ Long COVID for Public Schools: Chronic Absenteeism Before and After the Pandemic .”

The analysis for each year includes all districts with available data for that year, weighted by district size. Data are sourced from states, where available, and the U.S. Department of Education and NCES Common Core of Data.

For the 2018-19 school year, data was available for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. For 2022-23, it was available for 40 states and D.C., due to delays in state reporting.

Closure length status is based on the most in-person learning option available. Poverty is measured using the Census Bureau’s Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. School size and minority population estimates are from NCES CCD.

How absenteeism is measured can vary state by state, which means comparisons across state lines may not be reliable.

An earlier version of this article misnamed a research center at Duke University. It is the Center for Child and Family Policy, not the Center of Child and Family Policy.