North Oakland Community Charter School

Reviews

• Submitted by parent on May 07, 2024
  This school is a hidden gem. Perfect for the over-performing child underperforming and everybody in between. NOCCS text children where they are and grows them! They take the child that is outperforming their peers and Waters them like little flowers and let them continue to grow. The underperforming students is also engaged and nurtured. They are taught and without a doubt NOCCS will provide everything they need to succeed. For the child that is in the middle or right at grade level Knox is going to foster a growth like no other and encourage them to keep reaching for the Stars!!! I'm so proud to say that my family has experienced the greatness of this school!!
• Submitted by parent on March 07, 2024
  I love this school and my kids do too. Very lovely community of people.
• Submitted by parent on March 07, 2024
  My students absolutely adore this school and so does our family! It has an amazing array of enrichment activities like arts and dance, and afterschool care is available to everyone! The community is the warmest, most inviting group of people I’ve ever experienced.
• Submitted by parent on January 19, 2024
  NOCCS is a small school where teachers, children, admin, and parents are trying to the best of their abilities to make it a vibrant space for all our kids. It’s truly a community where you can initiate and take on projects for learning and developing into the best citizens of today and tomorrow. As an immigrant family, this place is an oasis, that can grow with people wanting and being able to. Our child is ahead grade level in math and at grade level in English; we are very impressed the Art class- the teacher has created a fantastic space for creating and for emotional processing through color and texture.Small school comes with benefits like feeling you have agency and there is a lot of space in courtyard for gardening (volunteer based) and next door park (for recess).
• Submitted by parent on January 18, 2024
  Our kids have been at NOCCS for about 2 years. It seems we came in the middle of restructuring by the new principal. We weren't aware of the rough times the school went through prior to the new principal's arrival. Our kids love the school and their teachers. The principal has been available and supportive, as other teachers and staff. PTA is active and trying hard to support the school, teachers, and kids.It it true that some of the families we've gotten to know have left due to their concern regarding NOCCS' test scores being low, and academics offerings. I was torn as a parent, but kept mine at NOCCS, because our kids are thriving, happy, and academically doing well. NOCCS is not a college prep type school. If you are looking for a school with the goal of keeping their students ahead of their grade level, NOCCS is not for you. For now, I am happy with our kids attending NOCCS. If they start to fall behind in their academics, we'd need to think about moving them to another school. I see NOCCS is always trying to be the best it can be, and caring for their students the best it can. There is no question that this community is a loving and caring community for the students and the families. I hope it continues to make progress in test scores and academic offerings, so that we can retain our students and families.
• Submitted by other on January 03, 2024
  The special education teacher Julie isn’t very good. The students she works with make no progress. The principal has every one else doing his work. He plagiarized everything from his last job down to the school pledge, and when those ideas ran out, he had someone else come up with ideas. He hires a specialist to do the work he is incapable of, and disrespects his teachers. For that reason, they are always hiring.
• Submitted by parent on June 17, 2023
  Our family has seen the school through a lot and we like the direction it is headed. New principal has brought a lot of structure and centered conversation on children empowerment. At times, we want to see more community engagement, though one knows that community is rebuilt over time- Covid certainly impacted us. Parents at the school have what it takes to do the rebuilding this coming year. For our child, now in 3rd grade, the school has been a gem for building confidence, listening to different perspectives, team building and curiosity for learning . If you are looking for a caring village to raise your child within whatever academic level you are at, this is the place for you. If you are seeking to advance beyond your grade level fast forward on your own, perhaps other schools can be a better fit. At Noccs, we are trying to live by our motto "Our Power is our Pack".
• Submitted by parent on March 23, 2023
  If your child is AHEAD or thrives in an academically rigorous program, you should triple check before sending them to NOCCS. In our experience it does not differentiate learning for students.My son went to NOCCS for one year and it was the worst school he has ever attended. In our experience:1. The school does not support students who are ahead and need additional academic challenges. In my meetings with teachers and principal they explained that their primary focus was to try to help students who were behind, but they did not have the program or the resources to help students who were doing well. The result was that the academic plan for my son was for him to sit on the side of the class and do self-paced work by himself. In all his years before and after NOCCS, there was instruction for people of different abilities whether they were ahead or behind. 2. Every school has some good and some bad teachers, but NOCCS seemed to have a higher amount of bad. To their credit, the administration was working to get bad teachers out but that took a year and during that time our kids had a teacher who was incompetent and/or had substance abuse problems. And they had significant turnover, it was not filled with happy teachers who had been there for many years.3. On the bright side, the school was quite community focused. When someone had a problem the community rallied around them and held things like food drives. There was good support for families that were suffering through a hard period. Be careful. If your kid is struggling with learning or having a supportive community for your family is your primary concern, maybe this is a viable option. If your kid is doing well academically and you primarily need a place with good teachers and peers who excel and challenge your child, then I would not recommend this school for you.
• Submitted by parent on February 03, 2023
  Our family has been so grateful to be a part of the NOCCS community the past two and a half years. We started during remote learning in the pandemic and I was floored how connected my child was — to their teacher, to the other students, and to the school community, writ large. That has grown tremendously since starting in person last school year. The leadership in place this year has elevated the entire school community and brings much dedication and heart to set the tone for the entire community. The intentionally diverse community is a warm and inclusive space. The staff is incredible and so dedicated to the students, their well being, and their education. The integrals of art, music, dance, and PE are fabulous. Social and emotional learning are prioritized. And they take a restorative justice approach to any behavioral challenges. Aftercare is prioritized and made available to ANY family that needs it, instead of being a forever-waitlist situation, like many schools experience. There is true school spirit, pride in the community, and opportunities for all students — and family members — to participate. This school is a public charter, but has the feel of a small private school in many regards. Learn about it FIRST before judging it for its scores alone. You will be pleasantly surprised.
• Submitted by parent on January 31, 2023
  North Oakland Community Charter School is a school on a human scale, benefiting from a green setting (vegetable garden and henhouse, as well as adjacent Linden Park). The administrative staff is smiling and caring. We feel that we have a close-knit team. The new principal is very committed and communicative, bringing and supporting innovative projects within the school (e.g. the shop run by the senior students, one of the pillars of the PowerSchool system).Our child loves the art class - 2h/week. She has been very well received by her Kindergarten teacher and is now enjoying excellent teaching in 1st grade. What we particularly appreciate this year (2022-2023) is the renewed spirit in the Board of Directors and the Family Teacher Organization. Joining NOCCS is also an opportunity to be involved in the present for your child's future.
• Submitted by parent on January 31, 2023
  North Oakland Community Charter School has been a great learning environment for our son. The teachers and staff are very supportive of our students and communication with families is highly valued.
• Submitted by parent on August 25, 2022
  This school used to be amazing. My oldest attended from K through 8. He attended when the middle school was only a few years old and honestly, we should have moved him to a different school for middle school. Our youngest attended for K and 1 a few years ago and the quality of education had completely disintegrated. There's so much talk about equity and community but this school lacks all of those. I don't have to discuss academics. The 3 rating on Great Schools says it all, though that score may be a bit high for this school. When my oldest was here this school was an 8. There are so many issues in this school I'm not sure why it's still allowed to run. We have a family member who sent their kids here this year for convenience. We are holding out hope that with a new principal, NOCCS turns to its former greatness. The last principal was all lip service and no real action, which is why we left. Teachers were not supported and many left. Peace talks were a joke and we often had to intervene on behalf of our child. Again, holding our hope, but I wouldn't risk my child's emotional and academic gains for this school just because it has potential.
• Submitted by parent on May 26, 2022
  Cons: Buyers beware School is in chaosThe Board is in denialLots of safety issuesStudents will not be prepared for middle school Pros: new leadership might mean rebirthNew teachers might mean academics could become more challenging Small school -- people like that
• Submitted by parent on February 03, 2022
  We feel so grateful to have this sweet, amazing, little school right in our neighborhood. Our daughter is truly a part of a wonderful and diverse school community. We have felt safe and supported thoughtout the pandemic.
• Submitted by parent on September 17, 2021
  NOCCS is a very warm, very intimate learning environment that focuses less on pure academia (though of course the kids learn all the skills they need) and more on developing the kids into holistically conscious, community-minded individuals. The arts programming is especially diverse and insightful—1000x better than when I was growing up!
• Submitted by parent on September 13, 2021
  NOCCS has gone through some big shifts in the past few years, both in leadership and student demographics. But the soul of the school is alive and well, and in fact better for the change. For a 21 year old school to undergo its own transformation in terms of diversity and equity is a sign of how robust this school community is and how great the vision. The mission statement and the core principles are a strong foundation that can weather changes (and have!). As an alumni parent still involved with the school, I have complete confidence in the NOCCS leadership team and community to make the school better than ever. NOCCS is, and always has been, the little school that could!
• Submitted by parent on September 10, 2021
  I have no idea how outdated the numbers are that this site uses to generate their rankings but I can assure you they are ancient. The only citations I can find on this site are from the 2018-2019 CAASPP! There is absolutely no way that the equity score should be a 1/10 and the race/ethnicity shows fairly equal scores across all races/ethnicities. Additionally, NOCCS only goes up to 5th grade...this might help explain why the number of students in algebra 1 is so low. The average number of students per class is well below 28 at the moment...this is another wildly outdated stat. All of our grade level teachers are certified (vs 88% stated on this site). Basically every metric I see here is incorrect. I suggest you swing by for a visit and decide for yourself.NOCCS is a terrific school...really a diamond in the rough. As a newer parent here I am aware that there were some challenging times a few years ago. There was a rift that resulted in a change of leadership and a new board. I challenge you to find a more experienced and qualified set of grade-level teachers and assistant teachers anywhere in Oakland. We have an amazing curriculum presented by engaged and caring teachers. I am so happy we found this school!
• Submitted by parent on January 20, 2021
  All the drama is in the past and the kids are thriving. I'm so super impressed with our child's kindergarten teacher. He knows his kids well and my son is so excited to be a part of his Zoom class every day. Can't wait for him to finally meet all his new friends in person! The principal is also great, very approachable, conscientious, and great at communicating with the parents. It feels so inclusive and intimate at this little school.
• Submitted by parent on April 16, 2020
  Exceeded all of our expectations by a long shot. We love it!
• Submitted by parent on March 12, 2020
  The previous administration at NOCCS decided to admit more children with serious emotional and behavioral issues than the staff was equipped to handle. These kids came with entitled families that did not contribute to the school community in any way while demanding the world and refusing to hold their children accountable for their behavioral issues. This resulted in a large number of families pulling their kids out and a new principle was hired. The school is transitioning to k-5th grade in the fall of 2020 and now would be a terrific time to enroll. We are looking forward to a smaller, more tightly knit, incredibly diverse community next year!

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