Our Students

Latino is a label used to describe ethnic descendants of Central America, Mexico, South America, and the Caribbean Islands. We are indigenous and mixed race people, who share common histories, languages, cultures, and traditions. The majority of OUSD Latino students and families are both 1st and 2nd generation U.S.-born Americans, as well as immigrant and newcomers from Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador.

Latinos are largest ethnicity group in OUSD. Over the last 5 years, Latino enrollment has increased by 1,158 students in OUSD district-run schools. Latino students live in all regions of Oakland and make up the majority of the East Region.

In 2016-17, 80% of OUSD's Latino students were U.S.-born, with the remaining 20% born in more than 15 Latin American and Caribbean birth countries and other parts of the world. In 2016-17 Guatemala-born students became the second-largest Latino population in OUSD, surpassing Mexico-born students. Spanish is the home language for 80% (12,176 Latino students), followed by Mam (indigenous Guatemalan language) at 4.3% (663 students). Of the 12,176 Latino students:

• 55.4% (8,392 students) are English learners
• 83.5% qualify for free or reduced-price meals
• 59.4% are English language learners
• 13.9% are students with disabilities

One out of three Latino students attends a school that is located in immediate proximity to the parts of the city with very high incidence of violent crime, along with other environmental stress factors that tend to come bundled with high rates of poverty, unemployment, abandoned housing, lack of access to fresh food, and poor air quality. These schools and neighborhoods are most concentrated in West Oakland and deep East Oakland.

Newcomer students make up part of our Latino/a student population needing additional support. A newcomer is a non-U.S. born student with a home language other than English, and who has been in the U.S. for less than three years.

• Oakland’s newcomer population is growing, and to-date includes more than 300 unaccompanied minors from Central America.
• Newcomers who enter at the secondary level need special instruction and support to access course content while learning a new language.
• 1,741 newcomer secondary students attend OUSD district-run schools and were enrolled in Newcomer programs in 2016-17.
• The largest number (936) live in the East region, and include two out of three unaccompanied minors.
• Central region has the highest percentage (7.7%) of newcomer students who live in the region and attend district-run middle schools and high schools.