Berkeley Arts Magnet at Whittier

Berkeley Arts Magnet at Whittier is one of the moderately sized K-5 schools in Berkeley, California, overseen by Berkeley Unified, with 407 students on its rolls from grades K through 5.

Berkeley Unified runs 17 schools in total, collectively educating 9,116 students. Berkeley Arts Magnet at Whittier is one of those campuses.

In terms of who attends, Berkeley Arts Magnet at Whittier shows that 47% of students identify as White, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. Beyond that, the school records 20% multiracial, 14% Hispanic, 10% Asian, 9% Black. That is visibly more White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 30%.

Looking at school resources, On paper, Berkeley Arts Magnet at Whittier has 19 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 21.4:1. The state averages around 22.3:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. About 29% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is lower than Alameda County's rate of about 49%.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Berkeley Arts Magnet at Whittier sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 62.1%; this one delivers 75.7%.

Zooming out to the county, community-level numbers for Alameda County indicate the typical household earns roughly $129,367 per year, about 52% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 6%. In all, Alameda County runs 394 public schools (combined enrollment of about 210,511 students), of which Berkeley Arts Magnet at Whittier is one.

Martin Luther King Middle is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.5 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, Berkeley Arts Magnet at Whittier comes 2nd of 8 in the immediate cluster, higher than the nearby-schools average of 67.4%.

Geographically, the school is in a high-density area.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Berkeley Arts Magnet at Whittier has fell 8%, going from 442 students in 2018 to 407 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Members of the school community can share what they know.