School Resumes on Monday, August 7, 2023!

Welcome to Ralph J. Bunche Academy!

At Ralph J. Bunche Academy the future is now! Scholars who attend Bunche can participate in various online classrooms perfect for distance learning. We are a pathway school teaching Hospitality, Tourism, and Recreation curriculum where scholars explore possible careers in Culinary and Hospitality. We can connect scholars to Work-Based Learning opportunities where scholars can earn credits toward graduation while they earn money learning new job skills. Oakland is at the epicenter of social justice and our partners at Fly Law support us in educating our youth about their legal and human rights. Lastly, our faculty has created a Senior Seminar in which scholars will reflect on how far they have come, showcase their resilience, and plan for the future they deserve. At Bunche we promote an environment modeling the commitment and service to a community we love and respect, Historic West Oakland. Bunche inspires every student to achieve and then come back to the community to show others that they can achieve too.

The vision and curriculum incorporate social-emotional learning, academic challenge, and planning for the future. Our focus is the “Every Scholar, Every Day!” and requires staff, scholars, and families to consider a Healing Informed Lens to build a better school community for everyone involved. Only through relationships, overcoming challenges, and consistency toward betterment can we help our students flourish, and only through our scholars, families, and community stakeholders are we able to evoke the change we want to be in the world. Ralph J. Bunche Academy is a small but has a mighty collection of amazing scholars with diverse experiences. We're happy to be considered for the finishing of your high school career.

An Oakland Unified School District School

The Oakland Unified School District is a Sanctuary District and Ralph J. Bunche Academy is a Sanctuary School. On January 18, 2017 the OUSD Board of Education unanimously passed a Sanctuary District Resolution. You can read the full resolution on the OUSD website.

Vision & Mission

Our Vision

The students of Ralph J. Bunche Academy are resilient, and it is our vision that they graduate with the skills necessary to access a quality of life focused on their futures. They will obtain the academic skills necessary to flourish in college or develop experiences in a career in the field of culinary, hospitality, tourism, and/or recreation. Our community will instill a sense of opportunity, balance, and support through restorative justice, case management, and therapeutic services in order to address students' health and sustain thier well being, in perpetuity.

Our Mission

Ralph J. Bunche students will:

… commit to building ongoing meaningful and personal relationships with students, staff, family members, and community partners to support a student’s sense of identity, goal setting, and a personal belief in themselves.

… engage in academic endeavors that support the “whole child,” build confidence through challenge in their academic abilities, and develop skills through PBL that spark a passion for learning

… leave feeling confident in their 2-year post-graduation plan with experiences of exploring careers, college, and other areas of interest.

What Makes RJB Stand Out?

Bunche is an Alternative Education Center that supports students toward high school graduation by educating the whole student to engage in social-emotional development, academic challenge, and goal setting to cultivate a better quality of life.

Smaller class sizes, averaging around 15 students a class
Hospitality, Tourism, Recreation Pathway
Post Graduation Planning
Arts and Community Engagement offerings
Students Assigned Advisors
After School Credit Recovery
Special Education Resources
Therapeutic Services
Supported Employment Program
Fly Law (Legal Education)
Shorter day schedule to accommodate students who have other responsibilities

Who is Ralph J. Bunche?

We’re honored that our school is named after Ralph Johnson Bunche.

Ralph Johnson Bunche was an American political scientist, diplomat, and leading actor in the mid-20th-century decolonization process and US civil rights movement. Among black Nobel laureates, he is the first African American and first person of African descent to be awarded a Nobel Prize. He was involved in the formation and early administration of the United Nations (UN). He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President John F. Kennedy.

Bunche was a brilliant student, a debater, athlete and the valedictorian of his graduating class at Jefferson High School. He attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) as a political science student, and graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1927 as the valedictorian of his class. Using the money his community raised for his studies and a graduate scholarship at Harvard University, he earned a doctorate in political science.

In early 1971, Bunche resigned from his position at the UN due to declining health, but hoped he would be able to return soon. His health did not improve, and Bunche died December 9, 1971, from complications of heart disease, kidney disease, and diabetes. He was 67.

We are honored that our school is named after Ralph Johnson Bunche and we do everything in our power to continue to pay homage to his legacy through our commitment to high-quality, standards-based Tier I instruction.

“You can surmount the obstacles in your path if you are determined, courageous and hard-working. Never be fainthearted. Be resolute, but never bitter.... Permit no one to dissuade you from pursuing the goals you set for yourselves. Do not fear to pioneer, to venture down new paths of endeavor.”

- Ralph J. Bunche

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