ASCEND

3709 E. 12th St.
Oakland, CA 94601 (Map & Directions)
510-879-3140
Larissa Adam, Principal
larissa.adam@ousd.k12.ca.us

A School Cultivating Excellence, Nurturing Diversity

ASCEND is a small and autonomous Oakland public school that opened in 2001. We are a school that prioritizes family and community partnerships and integrates the arts into every curricular area. We currently serve 270 students in grades K, 2, 4, 6, 7 and 8 in the Fruitvale neighborhood. In two years, we will become a K-8 school serving 380 K-8 students with 40-44 students at each grade level. Our school is 62% Latino, 20% Asian, and 18% African American. We hold extremely high standards for our students and expect that they will also follow our Ways to ASCEND: Take charge of your own learning, be kind and considerate, help each other, persevere, be responsible, and be reflective.

School Program
ASCEND is an Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound school that collaborates closely with the Museum of Children’s Art (MOCHA), the Oakland Youth Chorus, and Alameda County Office of Education. Family involvement and community partnerships play a critical role at ASCEND. We work closely with Oakland Community Organizations and the Bay Area Coalition for Equitable Schools.

ASCEND provides teachers with:
• Professional development in inquiry-based classroom research
• One on one coaching
• Opportunities to play many roles in developing our school

Our students enjoy:
• Art and music every day
• Integrated and deep exploration of content
• Looping with one teacher for two years
• Small classes
• Authentic assessments
• An outstanding after-school program
• Reading intervention, counseling, individualized academic help

Results:
• 70% of our 8th graders are at the levels of basic, proficient or advanced in Language Arts
• 65% of our 3rd graders are at the levels of proficient or advanced in Math
• Our API score is 677

ASCEND is featured on the George Lucas Educational Foundation’s website.