Oakland’s Aurora School for TK-8 Nurtures The Whole Child

Thanks to Aurora School for sponsoring {510} Families. Aurora School is an independent, progressive TK-8 school in Oakland where curiosity, play, and learning meet.

At Aurora School, learning grows through exploration, relationships, and the exchange of ideas. Teachers bring purposeful plans and clear learning goals, along with the flexibility to recognize when a student’s question or discovery opens a new path. Aurora’s historic campus includes outdoor spaces such as a schoolyard, playing field, and the Garden Forest, where students can learn, move, and play.

Learn more about the TK program, a collaboration with the Mills Children’s School community >>

An Aurora education is grounded in STEM and humanities, along with art, music, Spanish, library, and physical education. Academic depth and challenge come from small classes and a flexible, project-based curriculum that invites teachers to respond to individual needs and give students beyond-grade-level opportunities.

My daughter is now a senior in high school. So many times she’s said she feels that going to Aurora has given her an advantage in terms of her social-emotional intelligence, her confidence, her willingness to take risks as a learner, her love for learning. I think Aurora does an amazing job.

Learning at Aurora happens in multi-grade classrooms (except for the new transitional kindergarten program), where students in grades K/1, 2/3, 4/5, and middle school share learning spaces. Older students can mentor younger students, who become mentors themselves the next year. The curriculum features experiential, project-based learning.

In Aurora’s Garden Forest, building a fairy house at recess became an investigation into material properties and water. When a miniature pool wouldn’t hold water, children initiated a project, considered possible solutions, lined it with a leaf, and tested their idea. Through play, they practiced scientific inquiry and engineering: noticing a problem, making predictions, and testing a solution.

Experiences reflect an emergent approach to learning: teachers build on students’ ideas and thoughtfully guide them toward deeper understanding. Students help shape the experience, learn from one another, and have meaningful reasons to investigate, collaborate, and persist.

Fast Facts About Aurora School

🏫 TK to Grade 8
🧑‍🎓 95 Students
📍40 Dulwich Road, Oakland, CA
🚌 Transportation: No 
🕰️ 8:45-2:45 pm for TK/K-1; 8:30-3:15 for grades 2-5; 8:30-3:20 for middle school
⏱️ Before Care starts at 7:30 am; After Care ends at 6 pm
🩵 Flexible Tuition available
🫶 K-5 students spend two years with each teacher; Grade 6-8 students spend three years with the same guides and academic advisors

Coming soon: On Saturday, Nov. 7, Aurora will open its doors to the community for their annual Tinker Faire, a hands-on day of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. Click here to reserve free tickets >

Visit Aurora School

You’re invited: The best way to see what makes Aurora special is to visit the historic campus, located just off Highways 13 and 24 in Oakland. Tours are scheduled on Fridays for Lower School (TK-5) and Thursdays for Middle School (6-8). You can register on Ravenna for tours and Lower School and Middle School Open House events. You can also email to schedule a tour at your convenience or ask for more information.

Thanks to our advertiser and friend of {510} Families, Aurora School. 

All photos courtesy of Aurora School.