Basic Overview:
Life Academy High School of Health and Bioscience is a small public school in Oakland, California. Established in 2001, we serve 250 students of diverse backgrounds in grades 9 through 12. Life Academy provides its students with a rigorous academic experience focused on health and bioscience. We aim to prepare students to become future health professionals, and are committed to providing authentic learning experiences through project-based learning, field trips, and extensive internship programs.
Life Academy is a proud partner of the Oakland Schools Foundation.
Our Mission:
Life Academy seeks to dramatically interrupt patterns of injustice and inequity for under-served communities in Oakland. Through transformative learning experiences focused on the health and science fields, students are engaged in learning and inspired to acquire the skills needed to succeed in college and their chosen careers.
Our Students:
Our Students:
Many students aim to be doctors, nurses, psychologists, social workers, biotechnicians, forensic scientists, veterinarians, and other health-related careers.
Most of our students come from the Fruitvale and San Antonio neighborhoods in East Oakland, though some students may travel from as far as San Jose and Vallejo in order to take advantages of the opportunities Life Academy provides. More than 91% of students qualify for free lunch.
In early 2009, our students were listed as being 74% Latino/Hispanic, 11% African-American, 11% Asian, 2% Filipino, 1% Native American and 1% White.
Most of our students come from the Fruitvale and San Antonio neighborhoods in East Oakland, though some students may travel from as far as San Jose and Vallejo in order to take advantages of the opportunities Life Academy provides. More than 91% of students qualify for free lunch.
In early 2009, our students were listed as being 74% Latino/Hispanic, 11% African-American, 11% Asian, 2% Filipino, 1% Native American and 1% White.
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.Our Program:
Life Academy exists specifically to support students who have an interest in the fields of medicine, biotechnology, mental health, and other health-related career paths.
- All students select one of our career pathways: medicine, mental health, or biotechnology.
- Life Academy has a major focus on biological sciences, and all students take extensive coursework related to biology.
- Life Academy provides pathways to post-secondary study: all students have the opportunity to take advanced coursework in each career pathway area.
- In preparation for higher education and success in their chosen fields, students are complete an internship with our Featured Partners, in locations like hospitals, bio-tech labs, schools, and community health programs.
Life Academy has the highest UC and CSU acceptance rate of any high school in Oakland. Our graduates have gone on to universities and colleges like UC Berkeley, Stanford, University of San Francisco, UCLA, UC Davis, Smith College and San Francisco State.
What else makes Life Academy different?
- Personalized college counseling and academic mentoring
- On-site College and Career Information Center (CCIC)
- Internships for all 11th- and 12th- grade students aimed at preparing students for a health/science career
- Personal advisors to mentor students throughout their time at Life
Students at Life Academy aren’t just given a test on a piece of paper to show that they have mastered the subjects they are learning. Instead, there are several different "Certifications": special assignments that make up the core of every class. Certifications can be traditional tests, but they are often presentations, projects and exhibits that allow students to show what they have learned in many different ways. Some certifications include digital stories, mock Supreme-court trials, panel presentations, poster exhibitions, creative work and performances. Each grade-level also has their own exhibitions throughout the year, as well as major projects, presentations, and community-based performances, panel interviews and school events.
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Extended Day Programs -- it's not just "after school" at Life!
At Life Academy, we realize that we need to connect with kids and get them excited about learning, every hour of the day. Our Extended Day Program (EDP) is designed to engage students in the learning process, with support for academic classes, as well as other programs which take place before, during and after school. These programs include mentorships, internships, counseling, sports, art programs, and community service initiatives. We want to educate the student as a whole person, to become not only a successful scholar but also a happy and respected member of the community.
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Post-Session: a fun, alternative method for earning elective credits
The last two weeks of the school year are reserved for Post-session: full-time classes that allow students to earn a full semester of credit in either Art or Physical Education. Students have a chance to elect their classes of choice, and attend that class all day, every day for the last two weeks of school. Classes are team-taught by teachers here at Life. Previous classes on offer have included: cooking, outdoor education, gardening and welding, service-learning, swimming and soccer, backpacking, dance, cultural studies, photography, media studies, film-making, martial arts, triathlon fitness, cycling, mural arts and portraiture.