The College Preparatory School - Campus

Campus

The construction of the Broadway campus accompanied a concerted effort to bring to prominence the school's location in the "shadow-of Berkeley" by capturing the cultural heritage of the city. This approach included the creation of a large central courtyard that serves as the center of daily activity to create intimacy and a sense of community between students and faculty. In December 1982, the new campus was finished and the school made its official move. As enrollment grew following the expansion, a six-classroom building and music, art, and gymnasium facilities have been added. A concentrated science department was built with robust laboratory facilities.

The Broadway campus is situated in a eucalyptus-lined ravine near the Oakland Hills. It sits almost exactly on the western edge of the area burned by the 1991 Oakland firestorm, and narrowly escaped destruction in that disaster. After igniting the upper Rockridge neighborhood, flames advanced partway down a hill at the southern end of the campus before it was fought back by firefighters and local volunteers; two members of the Oakland Fire Department were later honored for their role in saving the school.

In 2008, the Board planned a new series of significant expansions to the school. The facilities plan includes a new World Languages building and English building, as well as a Performing Arts center. Ground was broken in June 2010, and the first phase of the construction wasbe completed in Fall 2011. The primary goal of the expansion is to modernize the school, and prepare students for "21st-century opportunities." Toward that end, new academic facilities will be equipped with SMART Boards and LED projectors to integrate technology into the learning experience.