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About NLS

Northern Light School is a leading independent Oakland, CA non-profit, preschool through grade 8 organization that provides excellent education to children from across the Bay Area.  At Northern Light School, we are committed to being a Bay Area school that builds a school family and is dedicated to offering children an excellent education that will enhance not only their academic growth but also their emotional, physical, and spiritual development.  Our faculty is here to teach and nurture the children in an environment of challenges, exploration, structure and LOVE.   Northern Light School is designed to benefit all of us: children, faculty, families and the community.

NLS at a Glance

  • Founded September 1989 as an independent school in Oakland
  • Need-based tuition assistance
  • Serving students in preschool through grade 8
  • Small class sizes 
  • AM/PM Extended Day Programs
  • After School Enrichment Programs
  • Athletics Program - Including basketball, volleyball and soccer
  • Over 300 alumni
  • High rate of private high school acceptance on full or partial scholarship
Taylor Book

Educating the Whole Child

A child who enters school healthy and feels safe is ready to learn. A student who feels connected to school is more likely to stay in school. All students who are supported and have access to challenging and engaging academic programs are better prepared for further education, work, and civic life. These components must work together, not in isolation.  This is the goal of "Educating the Whole Child" at Northern Light School.
  • High Quality Teachers with Subject Matter Expertise
  • Extended Day Program
  • Afterschool Arts Program
  • Outdoor Education Opportunities
  • Impossible Is Nothing Speaker Series
  • SPARK Physical Education Program
  • Athletics Program
  • Classroom Tower Gardens
  • Standards Based Learning
  • Spanish Language Program
  • Technology
  • Morning Circle
  • Sense of Family
  • Parent Teacher Community
  • High School Guidance Counseling
  • Donors
  • Volunteers
  • Focus on Social-Emotional Growth
  • Advisory Program
  • Restorative Justice Approach to Discipline
  • Emergency Preparedness Plan