Who We Are

MISSION STATEMENT Oakland School for the Arts is a diverse and inclusive public 6-12 charter school that blends immersive, robust arts with comprehensive academics, providing integrated opportunities for collaboration, expression and personal growth.

Started in 2002 with only 97 students and nine faculty members, the school is 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.

MultiEthnic 22% Hispanic/ Latinx 11%

Asian 6% Black 23%

Declined to State 3% White 34% Pacific Islander 1% OSA’s 115 teachers and staff and 250 volunteers now serve nearly 800 students . OSA serves youth from across the Bay Area with a preference for Oakland-based 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 . Additionally, 40% of students identify as LGBTQIA+ .