Bret Harte Middle School

I began teaching at Bret Harte Middle in the middle of the year last year and did everything I could to get a spot teaching this year. I’m so happy I did. Teachers continuously push to improve. I am proud to be a part of such a hardworking and intelligent crew! Our students are amazing! They are so thoughtful, interesting and always growing. The diversity of backgrounds here at Bret Harte means we have a wide variety of thoughts, opinions and curiosities. I appreciate that Bret Harte is a micro-​model of the community of the Fruitvale area and Oakland!

I have been a Bret Harte parent for 3 years, and have been really impressed with the effective and engaging teachers as well as the strong leadership from the administration. My daughter is very enthusiastic about the classes and social environment at Bret Harte, she likes her classes, (and loves a couple of them), and is growing intellectually. There is an amazing music program, a school newspaper, clubs, school trips, interest clubs, and more. This is a diverse school, with students from all kinds of backgrounds, and the school works tremendously hard to make this a place that feels welcoming, supportive, and challenging for all kinds of students. I really appreciate this — it is very hard to do, and is part of the ongoing challenge facing urban public schools that serve ALL children. I am very satisfied with Bret Harte, and encourage parents and students to check it out. A hidden gem in Oakland.

Bret Harte Middle School in Oakland CA is a great school. I should know, I teach there! I may be biased but hear me out. Our school was featured in a video about the EducationSuperHighway, a not-​for-​profit dedicated to bringing better broadband services to schools. This video featured several of our dedicated teachers. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder, was inspired to donate $ 20 million to the non-​profit, and posted the video to FB. And the White House re-​posted the video after that! Please go to our website,
, and check out the video for yourself. Also, at President Obama’s last State of the Union address, he stated that he wants every student to learn computer science. Next fall, Bret Harte is adding a computer science class to its schedule. How cool is that? We have a diverse campus population, including students from the surrounding neighborhood, and students from all over Oakland. We have several special education classrooms and newcomer classrooms. We have veteran teachers and new teachers sharing best practices and giving support to each other. We have a nice campus that is enhanced by beautiful murals and mosaics completed by our own students with the help of dedicated volunteers. We are petitioning for a turf field to be installed. We have a fantastic music program. Come by and visit and see the great things happening at Bret Harte Middle School, in Oakland CA!

We moved here from Los Angeles and my 7^th grade started this school after a slew of bad luck with other schools (namely bullying and not fitting in.) He’s one of those kids that’s really smart academically, and is very nice (too nice) but sometimes a little socially awkward.
We tried public, private, even homeschooling in LA. When we moved here we thought we would give Bret Harte a try for a short time and see how it went. We were terrified.
We had no reason to be.
He has blossomed socially at this school. Sure, living in Hayward is a bit of a culture shock. But with the extreme diversity of this place, comes acceptance to all kinds of people.
Our son has made so many friends! He loves going to school now.
Thank you to Hayward parents for not raising your kids to be little A-​holes! Thank you Bret Harte for building an environment like this where my son can be safe and happy!
Also, they use Jupiter Grades online so we can keep constant track of how he is doing in school. We even get alerts sent to our phones if he doesn’t turn in an assignment. It’s pretty cool.
(On a side note – the student population can be incredibly loud. It doesn’t bother my 7^th grader but was a difficult adjustment to my 3^rd grader over at Fairveiw Elem.)

I have not had a bad experience at Bret Harte. The teachers are strict about missing assignments and students are expected to take responsibility to make up work that they have missed, but there’s really not too much homework unless there is a project or work that was not finished in class. My child has had two projects assigned with a lot of lead time to work on them. I have found the teachers and the principal to be excellent and responsive via email which is great because I work and can’t get there during the school day. Overall I would say this is a great public school.

AS a concerned parent of an 8^th grader, I am disgusted at how this school’s teachers and administrative team behave. On a number of occasions I have met with my daughter’s teachers to express concern about her slipping grades. I was told this was due to missing homework assignements. I asked the teachers if they could please notify me if there were any issues before a marking period, as there is no way to check online or follow with teachers (like most modern schools have the capacity of tracking assignments online,) THE SCHOOL HAS NOT MADE IT MANDATORY FOR TEACHERS TO POST HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS, WHICH IS A SHAME. Teachers are so OBVIOUSLY burnt out at this school, and the administration has their head in the sand about it.
At Bret Harte, you are given no tools as a parent to help your child, or know if assignments are missing or late. My daughter went from A’s and B’s when she started in 7^th grade to C’s and D’s in one marking period — without a single phone call from a staff member. It is very easy to see how children fall through the cracks in the OUSD… Bret Harte is a perfect example of why Oakland Public Schools are a DISASTER. My daughter is lucky because she is NOT going to a public high school here — if she gets lost in middle school, I can only imaging how lost she’ll be in high school. I feel sorry for all of these kids whose parents aren’t so proactive.
Find another alternative… you’ll be glad you did!