2 0 Y E A R S O F I M PAC T · OA K L A N D S C H O O L F O R T H E A R T S · 2 0 0 2 - 2 0 2 2
M I S S I O N S TAT E M E N T
WHO WE ARE Started in 2002 with only 97 students and nine faculty members, the school is
O a k la nd School for t h e A r t s i s a di ver se a nd incl usi ve public 6 -1 2 char ter sc h o o l that blen ds i mmer si ve, ro b ust ar ts wi th c o m pre hensi ve a c a d emi cs, prov iding i ntegrated o ppo r t uni ti es for c o lla b orati on, exp ress i on and perso n al grow th.
guided by the ambitious vision of founder Jerry Brown, former Oakland Mayor and three-term California Governor: to provide an exceptional, tuition-free arts education program in the heart of Oakland. Now in its 20th year, with nearly 800 students and 74 faculty members, the school remains rooted in diversity and inclusion, with the goal of ensuring that a stellar arts education is open to all in Oakland’s artistic and cultural core. OSA offers students the opportunity to study in one of nine arts sub-pathways: Dance, Digital Media, Fashion Design, Instrumental Music, Literary Arts, Production Design, Theater, Visual Art, and Vocal Music. Arts programming consists of an average of two hours of industry-relevant specialized training daily for middle and high school students. OSA’s commitment to career and college readiness is an investment in our students’ future beyond high school. These efforts continue to yield impressive results, demonstrated by the list of acceptances to prestigious institutions earned by the Senior Class of 2021. These colleges and universities include San Francisco Conservatory, Peabody School of Music at Johns Hopkins University, Columbia University, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, NYU, Stanford University, Yale University, Oberlin Conservatory, and Berklee College of Music. • There is an average of one arts faculty member for every 14 students at OSA. • Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, OSA achieved a 95% graduation rate. In a typical year, OSA celebrates a 99% graduation rate (Class of 2020). • 2020-21 awards include the California Exemplary Arts Education Award and California Distinguished Blue Ribbon School Award.
Hispanic/ Latinx 11% Asian 6%
OSA’s 115 teachers and staff and
Black 23%
250 volunteers now serve nearly 800 students. OSA serves youth from across the Bay Area with a preference for Oakland-based Pacific Islander 1%
MultiEthnic 22%
students. Of OSA’s students in the 2021-22 school year, 34% identify as White, 23% as Black, 22% as Multi-Ethnic, 11% as Hispanic/ Latinx, 6% as Asian, 1% as Pacific Islander and 3% declined to state.
Declined to State 3% 4
White 34%
Additionally, 40% of students identify as LGBTQIA+.
