Named a "California Distinguished School" in 2009, Oakland School for the Arts opened its doors in 2002 with one mission in mind: to prepare students in grades 6-12 for college, with a special focus on creating an immersive arts experience.
The school features nine separate "arts pathways" that students can choose when navigating their high school experience, including theater, visual arts, dance, and fashion design. While this is a public charter school, attendees must audition for their pathway of choice.
OSA is home to nearly 800 students across all its grade levels, and in addition to their arts training, students here must complete considerable coursework in subjects like Laboratory Science, Mathematics, and Social Science, and every enrollee must spend at least two years learning a second language.
The school day here is more demanding than at many other public schools, as it runs from 8:15 AM to 4:15 PM. This includes a three-hour immersive art block each afternoon, but doesn't include any of the many off-campus activities that the school tries to coordinate for students. After-hours commitments can be considerable, as the school expects students to spend roughly 20 hours a week honing their academic and artistic skills outside a classroom setting.
All of that hard work tends to pay off, however, as OSA boasts a 99% college acceptance rate. Alumni have moved on to prestigious universities such as Stanford, Howard, and Cornell, and students here pass AP tests at a 74% clip, which beats both the California and national averages.
Oakland School for the Arts
School Details
Head of School
Brian Köhn
Student Teacher Ratio
21:1
Average SAT Score
1240
Average ACT Score
25
Math Proficiency
37%
Reading Proficiency
60%
Average GPA
3.62
Graduation Rate
95%
Niche Grade
A-
A
A
B+
B-
B-
C
Source: Niche
Niche Grade Details
Academics
Average GPA
3.62
Reading Proficiency
60%
Math Proficiency
37%
Teachers
Student Teacher Ratio
21:1
Teachers
37
Full Time Teachers
37
Teachers in First or Second Year
15%
College Prep
Average SAT
1240
Math
610
Verbal
630
Average ACT
25
Math
22
English
26
Reading
26
Science
24
Clubs and Activities
Girls Athletic Participation
Very Low
Boys Athletic Participation
Very Low
GreatSchools Rating
Source: GreatSchools
GreatSchools Rating Details
Test Scores
Math
14.2%
State Average
17.9%
Science
11.2%
State Average
9.9%
Teachers and Staff
Students Per Counselor
401:1
Student Diversity
Female
67.5%
Male
30.8%
White
29%
Two or more races
24.1%
Hispanic
20.4%
Black
19.3%
Asian or Pacific Islander
4.6%
Native American
<1%
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
<1%
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School Rankings
#13
Best HS for the Arts in California
#37
Best Charter MS in California
#38
Best Magnet HS in California
Specialty School Programs
Free/Reduced Lunch Offered
Colleges Students are Considering
Students are most interested in or go on to attend these colleges.
University of California - Los Angeles
171 Students
University of California - Santa Cruz
113 Students
New York University
109 Students
University of California - Berkeley
107 Students
University of Southern California
99 Students
San Francisco State University
95 Students
University of California - Davis
75 Students
University of California - San Diego
74 Students
University of California - Santa Barbara
62 Students
Berklee College of Music
50 Students
What Students Want to Study
Niche users from this school are most interested in the following majors.
Psychology
78 Students
Music Performance
58 Students
Film and Video Studies
47 Students
Business
46 Students
Creative Writing
38 Students
Drama and Theatre Production
34 Students
Music
34 Students
Acting
32 Students
Political Science and Government
27 Students
Dance
25 Students
This School’s Reviews
Niche Reviews
2/24/2023
This school was great when I first came here in 6th grade, but it's been going downhill rapidly in the past few years. There's still good arts, teachers, and student body, but the way the school is run and organized is terrible.
4/23/2022
I love this school. I have not only been taught by excellent artists, but I have rubbed elbows with those in the acting and overall talent agency.
5/29/2021
I love the incredibly large amount of opportunities the school gives you to build a strong bond with teachers and classmates alike. The community within the school is very tight knit, and very supportive. I would love though, to see more POC representation throughout general staff and faculty.
GreatSchools Reviews
3/8/2024
Oakland School for the Arts has been a wonderful high school experience for my daughter. We feel so lucky to have this amazing resource nearby. Many of the students are incredible artists, dancers, and musicians, and because the teachers also incorporate arts into academic subjects, the classes are...
9/17/2022
My daughter loves this school they have nice teachers nice people and it is a very good school
9/13/2022
My Daughter is currently a 7th grader at OSA. I cannot emphasize enough how lucky we feel as family to have gotten in. My daughter had a rough time in elemtary school with academics and was provided with extra help. She had constant testing, others though she might need medications, but finally she...
10/16/2021
Our overall experience was "meh" with their middle school. We had high hopes for the school, and were very excited to attend. However the school did not live up to what we thought it would be. That said, I did like the leadership of the school and feel they were doing the best they could given the f...
Agents Specializing Near This School
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1 Near This School
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Cecilia Mu
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Century 21 Masters
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2 Near This School
$1.2M - $1.6M Price Range
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147 Total Sales
2 Near This School
$132,000 Price Range
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John Woodruff
John Woodruff
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1 Near This School
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Gohn Marie McFadden
Gohn Marie McFadden
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Map
About Uptown
Average Home Value
$700,881
Median Lot Size
2,613 Sq Ft
% Renters
92%
Household Income
$140,552
% of College Grads
61.7%
Median Age
38
Average House Size
1,819 Sq Ft
% Commercial Property
96.6%
Homes for Sale
Homes for Rent
-
-
-
$2,790 - $5,350 per month
- Bayview Apartments
- Studio-3 Beds
- 1-3 Baths
- 536+ Sq Ft
- 6701 Shellmound St
- Emeryville, CA
Additional Schools in the Area
Public Schools shown may be Choice Schools
Choice Schools
Choice schools may not serve this home. Please check the school district website to see all schools serving this home.
- 6th to 12th
- Charter
- 6th to 12th
- Charter
- 10th to 12th
- Charter
Parks in this Area
Lafayette Square
- Picnic Area
- Trails
- Playground
Durant Mini Park
Frank H. Ogawa Plaza
- Trails
- Events
- Amphitheater
Lincoln Square Park
- Basketball
- Tennis
- Playground
Henry J. Kaiser Memorial Park
- Trails
Snow Park
- Trails
- Playground
Additional Neighborhoods in this Area
Hoover-Foster
Small community north of Downtown Oakland and blocks from the San Francisco Bay
Broadway-Valdez
Urban activity surrounds historic homes in the heart of downtown Oakland
Pill Hill
Access to medical care, shopping and dining in the heart of Oakland
Old Oakland
A section of Oakland that's long had an energetic flair
Chinatown
Historic cultural enclave with authentic Asian restaurants and stores
Lakeside
Waterfront views and parks in vibrant downtown Oakland