Our Story
Who We Are
The mission of our Lighthouse Community Public Schools is to prepare a diverse, K-12th grade student population for college and the career of their choice by equipping each child and youth with the skills, knowledge, and tools to become a self-motivated, competent, lifelong learner.
To achieve our mission, our Lighthouse Community Public Schools have committed to five priorities in its school design:
High Expectations for All Students
A Rigorous Curriculum
Serving the Whole Child
Family Involvement
Professional Learning Community
Dedicated to serving a student population that the traditional school system has historically underserved, Lighthouse Community Public Schools exist to counter these educational trends, working to ensure that ALL students – regardless of race, ethnicity, or income, are prepared to pursue a higher education and live out their fullest potentials.
Lighthouse's Story
In 2005, Lighthouse Community Charter High School (LCCHS) opened our doors in downtown Oakland, seeking to serve students and communities who have been historically underserved and denied access to college preparatory programs, including students of color, English Language Learners, and students of low socio-economic status from Oakland’s flatland neighborhoods.
At the time, Education Trust West reported that “only 17% of all students in OUSD graduate on time having successfully completed the A-G college preparatory curriculum. And the achievement gaps are even more devastating—only about 12% of African-American and 13% of Latino 9th graders in Oakland will graduate with A-G. That means the vast majority of Oakland’s black and brown students that do graduate cannot even apply for admission to the UC and CSU systems.”
Disheartened by these statistics, we designed the school and trained our staff to help all students become eligible and ready for college success by focusing on three pillars: academic knowledge, college readiness skills, and moral and social responsibility. The goal for all students was clear: to get accepted to and graduate from a four-year college.
We graduated our first senior class in 2009. Around that time, nationally, only 17% of low-income students entering college graduated within six years. More than half of those who did graduated in debt, owing an average of nearly $30,000. Unfortunately, these national statistics have not changed much over the past decade, but we have learned a lot from our students during that time.
Our original school, Lighthouse, is two contiguous schools, one serving grades K – 8 and the other serving grades 9 – 12. Lighthouse’s sister school, Lodestar, opened in Fall 2016 and serves K-12 students in the Sobrante Park neighborhood of East Oakland.
LCPS is a beacon for public education and our graduates fulfill the promise of a better, brighter tomorrow. Here are some outcomes we are proud of:
More than 85% of our students meet the A-G requirements needed to apply to a UC or CSU
More than 86% of our graduates are accepted to 4-year colleges year after year, including 90% of our African American Seniors
40% of alumni are graduating from college, 4x the national average for our student demographic
Over 90% of students return to LCPS schools year over year
Each year 30+ students are awarded scholarships from Oakland Promise ranging in value from $2,000 – $16,000