Private School in Oakland, San Francisco Bay Area

Head-Royce School, San Francisco:
Founded in 1887, Head-Royce is an independent, non-denominational, coeducational college-preparatory, K-12 school in Oakland, east of San Francisco, which offers a challenging educational program to educate the whole child. We serve families throughout the East Bay area including Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond, Concord, Hayward, Fremont, Livermore and Antioch. The School nurtures the development of each individual student at lower school, middle school and upper school levels. The School is committed to a program of excellence, one which provides opportunities for the intellectual and personal development of each student. The School strives to nurture the student's imagination, creativity, and love of learning. As one of the few independent, K-12 schools in the East Bay, Head-Royce seeks to instill in its students a strong sense of community and social responsibility. We are accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

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The mission of the Head-Royce School is to inspire in our students a life-long love of learning and pursuit of academic excellence, to promote understanding of and respect for the diversity that makes our society strong, and to encourage active and responsible citizenship.

The School nurtures the development of the whole child through a program that seeks:

* to develop intellectual abilities such as scholarship and disciplined, critical thinking;
* to foster in each student integrity, ethical behavior, compassion, and a sense of humor;
* to promote responsibility and leadership, an appreciation of individual and cultural differences, and a respect for the opinions of others;
* to nurture aesthetic abilities such as creativity, imagination, musical, and visual talent; and
* to encourage joyful, healthy living, a love of nature, and physical fitness.

All members of the Head-Royce community strive to create an educational environment that reflects the School's core values of academic excellence, diversity, and citizenship, one in which each student can thrive. We believe that a program based on these core values will prepare our students to be effective global citizens as they face and embrace the challenges and opportunities of the future.

Twenty years ago, the Board of Trustees strengthened the School's mission to include a commitment to foster an understanding of and respect for the diversity that has made our society strong. More recently the Board has shaped policies to make that vision a reality. In 2005 the Board issued the following declaration:

Serving the East Bay community in one of the most diverse areas of the country, we affirm:

• Our belief that a school community rich in diversity provides the greatest opportunity for students to learn life's lessons, and we affirm our commitment to attracting students, faculty, administration, and staff who reflect that diversity
• Our vision of a school as a truly welcoming and supportive community that values the dignity and worth of each individual member
• Our practice of inclusion, beginning with our policy not to discriminate on the basis of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, marital status, race, religion, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status
• Our commitment to an inclusive educational program and pedagogy that promotes respect for others, appreciation of individual, cultural and socioeconomic differences, and social responsibility, equity, and justice
• Our hope that our students will gain a greater understanding of themselves and of others' different perspectives and an ability to think deeply about our diverse society
• Our effort to foster a global perspective so that our students can appreciate world cultures, analyze global issues, understand interconnectedness, evaluate conflicts and their resolution, and take action for positive change, and
• Our desire to prepare our students to be democratic leaders, inspired by our ideal of civic purpose, in an interdependent, pluralistic, multicultural community.

Head-Royce is a school committed to respecting, nurturing, and promoting diversity and its importance in the education and development of our students and the well-being of our community. In recent years, the School has made significant progress toward becoming a more diverse learning environment. The student body is 46% students of color and a third of the employees are people of color. Committed to providing access to the School's educational program, Head-Royce awarded over $2 million to 24% of the student body in financial assistance. We seek to ensure that the School is welcoming to all of its members and that we develop understanding, respect, and relationships across the full spectrum of diversity.

Kindergarten Program; Lower School Program; Middle School Program; Upper School Program; Athletics Program. Core academic subjects include English, history, science, math and world language (French, Latin, Spanish and Chinese). Students also have the opportunity to explore new areas in visual and performing arts, computer science, and other electives such as debate.

The School seeks to develop multicultural leadership among the faculty, administration, staff and students. Head-Royce faculty helped to found People of Color in Independent Schools in the Bay Area (POCIS), and we participate actively in their regular conferences. Annually, we send a large delegation to the National Association of Independent Schools People of Color Conference, where our faculty frequently present workshops based on their experience at Head-Royce, and students participate in leadership training.

To support our students, the School sponsors a variety of Affinity Clubs in the Upper School, such as the Black Student Union, Asia Club, Club India, Revelations, the J-Club, and the Gay-Straight Alliance, and students participate in multicultural clubs in the Middle and Lower Schools. A School's staff focused on diversity efforts includes our Diversity Director, our Diversity Counselor, and Multicultural Coordinators in the divisions. In addition, Multicultural Committees of the Board of Trustees; faculty, administration and staff; and parents provide an opportunity for dialogue about diversity at Head-Royce.

Through several civic purpose programs, Head-Royce engages its students and faculty in outreach to the wider community. Founded in 1986 he Heads Up Program was to provide educational enrichment opportunities to able, motivated yet financially disadvantaged middle school students in Oakland. This partnership with the Oakland schools has provided a six-week, foundation-funded summer enrichment program at Head-Royce, and year-round support for the students in their home schools.

Over 500 students have been served, with many successfully completing high school and college in the Bay Area and across the country. In addition, the School's service learning program supports organizations such as Rebuilding Together, Habitat for Humanity, and Clausen House.