The school was one of several in the Alameda district that was said to face closure depending on the success or failure of Measure E, a $150-per-parcel property tax increase voted on by mail-in ballot.

In the 2005-2006 school year, the student body was 23% African-American, 20% White non-Hispanic, 39% Asian, 15% Hispanic or Latino, 1% American Indian or Alaskan Native, 1% Pacific Islander, and 1% multiple ethnicity or no response.

Teachers and students planned a series of classes that were divided into two sessions with a break in between that included free food (from the Barbeque Club) and live music from certain Encinal staff members.

A small point that the coordinators of this event wanted to get across was the date that was chosen for it: April 1, 2010 was the Thursday before Encinal's spring break began.

After about a half-hour of chanting protests outside the District offices, AUSD superintendent Ardella Dailey invited the walking out students into the Kofman Auditorium to try to explain why the cuts were required.

[6] Text messaging technology, as well as social networking sites, such as MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube, helped the students coordinate and announce the walkout.

[7] Jetsetters has partnered up with Encinal to provide ROP classes for students such as Drivers' Education, Dancing, and Arts & Crafts.

[citation needed] Throughout the year, the musicians compete in band reviews all over Northern California and hold the Island Winterguard show every March.

In December 2009 President Obama posed for a photo with Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage from the show while holding an Encinal Jets hooded sweatshirt.

[9][10][11][12] The school mascot is a Marine Corps A-4 Skyhawk attack jet, a tribute to the military heritage of the town and to the now-closed Naval Air Station on the west end of the island.