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The Diocese of Oakland Schools
Our Catholic schools bring an amazing opportunity to families searching for an education based in a sense of faith and tradition. Today the Catholic schools in the Diocese of Oakland strive to be communities of faith in which the Christian message, the experience of community, worship, and social concern are integrated into a total experience for students, their parents and the members of the school staff.
The Diocese of Oakland proudly serves two counties in the East Bay Region: Alameda County and Contra Costa County. With 48 schools in the Diocese, there is a Catholic school in your area ready to educate and facilitate a child’s ability to learn at the highest levels. The Catholic tradition of education in the United States can be traced back into the 1600’s. The Diocese of Oakland is proud to have begun its Catholic schools program by 1868. Our dedication to education is over 145 years old as we confidently continue the institution of educating and supporting our communities throughout the regions we represent.
This heritage of Catholic education extends to every child, as it is our commitment to provide affordable education to all children regardless of their background. Since our beginnings in Catholic education we have been providing academic instruction that meets and exceeds national standards in education. Furthermore, a Catholic education incorporates a unique and empowering factor, faith. This facet of our Catholic schools challenges the students to build character as well as intelligence and opens their eyes to a unique understanding of the world.
Come join a community that builds tomorrow’s leaders with rigorous traditional standards and a strong moral compass to direct the future towards a positive light!
The Catholic education community of the Diocese of Oakland is the 32nd largest Diocese in the United States and the 4th largest in California. We have 39 elementary schools and 9 high schools, and more than 17,000 students in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties.
We are a culturally diverse community of Catholics living in the Northern California counties of Alameda and Contra Costa, under the spiritual leadership of the Most Reverend Michael C. Barber, SJ.
The focus of the Department of Catholic Schools is to provide leadership and service to all of those involved in the ministry of Catholic education.
48 Catholic schools in 2 counties consisting of:- 39 Elementary/Middle schools
- 9 High Schools
- 18 Transitional Kindergarten Programs
- 19 Preschool Programs
- 39 After School Programs
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Leadership
- Department of Catholic Schools
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Andrew Currier, PhDSuperintendent of Schools -
Jocelyn Pierre-AntoineAssociate Superintendent -
Karen GoodshawAssociate Superintendent -
Michael Dreyfus-PaiAssistant Superintendent for Technology & Professional Learning -
Margo TammenFiscal Controller -
Brad MohlerDirector of Information Technology -
Jaci MouraAdministrative Assistant -
Laurie ShahabAdministrative Assistant
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History
A Catholic presence in what is now the Diocese of Oakland can be traced to March 27, 1772, when Franciscan Father Juan Crespi, traveling with a party of Spanish explorers, celebrated Mass near a swamp that would one day become Lake Merritt in Oakland.
A quarter-century later, Franciscan Father Fermin Francisco de Lasuen founded Mission San Jose as the 14th of California’s eventual 21 missions. The friars of the mission sought to catechize and educate the Chochenyo, a division of the indigenous Ohlone people who lived throughout the region prior to the arrival of the Spaniards.
Mission San Jose would remain the only Catholic parish on the contra costa, the “opposite coast” from San Francisco, for the next 64 years.
California achieved statehood in 1850, and the Holy See established the new Diocese of Monterey, which encompassed the entire state, with Bishop Joseph Sadoc Alemany as founding bishop. In 1853, the 13 northern counties were split off to form the Archdiocese of San Francisco, with Bishop Joseph Alemany serving as its first archbishop.
In 1861, St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Church in Oakland became the second parish in what would later become the Oakland Diocese. Eight years later, St. Paul Church in San Pablo was named the first parish in the present Contra Costa County.
The area remained part of the San Francisco Archdiocese until the population growth throughout northern California began to complicate archdiocesan pastoral ministry. So on January 13, 1962, the Holy See carved three new dioceses — Oakland, Santa Rosa, and Stockton — from the Archdiocese of San Francisco. A Cleveland auxiliary, Bishop Floyd L. Begin, was appointed the first bishop of Oakland on February 21 and was installed on April 28 of that year. St. Francis de Sales Church was designated the cathedral.
The new Diocese of Oakland comprised Alameda and Contra Costa counties, an area of 1,467 square miles. At the time of its creation, there were an estimated 329,040 Catholics among the total two-county population of more than 1.3 million people. Serving the needs of the faithful were 74 parishes, 51 elementary schools, eight high schools, two Catholic colleges and several schools of religious formation, along with a range of service ministries assisting the elderly, the young, the poor, and the oppressed.Accreditation
The Catholic Schools Diocese of Oakland is the 4th largest Diocese in California, serving 39 elementary schools and nine high schools. All of our schools are accredited through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and Western Catholic Educators Association (WCEA).
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) is a regional association, which provides institutional accreditation of public and private elementary, secondary, and post-secondary schools. WASC is one of six regional non-governmental groups that the United States Office of Education recognizes as an accrediting agency for schools.
The Western Catholic Educational Association (WCEA) is a private educational agency established under the auspices of the Bishops of the California dioceses for the purpose of school improvement and certification. Operation of the agency is delegated by the Bishops to the Conference of California Catholic School Superintendents, which functions as the WCEA Board of Directors.
Safe EnvironmentAs Christian adults, we have a moral and legal responsibility and are entrusted by God with the spiritual, emotional and physical well being of children as they participate in activities within or sponsored by a Catholic school in the Diocese of Oakland. It is our responsibility and commitment to provide an environment that is safe and nurturing.
Every pre-school, elementary, middle and high school employee – along with all volunteers – must take part in the Diocese’s Safe Environment Program that implements training, screening, background checks and other procedures that are designed to safeguard children.
Click to read more about Safe Environment and Victims Assistance.
School BoardMost schools have their own advisory board, which is consultative to the Principal and Pastor. Boards assist the Principal, recommend policy and articulate the educational needs and aspirations of the individual school and school community.
The Diocesan School Board is a consultative board commissioned to advise the Bishop, through the Superintendent of Schools, in all matters of Catholic education. Its role is to provide advice, guidance and leadership in executing the Mission of the Department of Catholic Schools.
