Company Profile

At AMPS (Amethod Public Schools), we are committed to our students' academic success and developing a strong community of learners.

AMPS a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public benefit corporation, was originally founded as Jingletown Charter, the first charter school granted in Oakland, CA in 1993. The intent of the original founders was to create a school that offered a safe alternative to the local school district middle school options available to families in the Fruitvale District of East Oakland, CA. In 2004, after a decade of dismal results, the OCA school board recruited a new administration and underwent a reorganization that refocused on producing strong academic results and reducing the achievement gap among its primarily urban Latino, and Black low-income students. By 2008, OCA was named as a Federal Department of Education National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. Since then, AMPS has grown to six public schools across the East Bay including two high schools, three middle schools, and one elementary school serving the areas of Oakland and Richmond.

Founded in 1994 - Oakland Charter Academy

Founded in 2007 - Oakland Charter High School

Founded in 2012 - Richmond Charter Academy

Founded in 2014 - Downtown Charter Academy

Founded in 2014 - Benito Juarez Elementary

Founded in 2015 - John Henry High School

We are proud to serve approximately 2,000 students in Richmond and Oakland with a team of over 250 staff who work hard everyday to produce better academic outcomes for kids. It is the objective of every AMPS site to create a positive school environment and scholar culture where being inquisitive, and diligent while taking personal responsibility of self growth is the norm. It is the organizational belief that any child has the opportunity to be successful if given a structured educational program.

Established in 1994, Oakland Charter Academy is the flagship of the AMPS organization and was the fourteenth charter school authorized in California. OCA has received recognition for achieving API scores in the 900's, and in 2008, OCA became a nationally recognized No Child Left Behind and Blue Ribbon School.

Established in 2007, Oakland Charter High School is currently one of the highest performing high schools in California outranking many high schools in the more affluent areas of California. On average, over 90% of our graduating seniors have been admitted to four-year universities through the past 11 years. OCHS was selected as a California Distinguished School in 2012 by the California Department of Education and has made the “US News and World Report Top 100 High Schools in the Nation” the last three years in a row.

Established in 2012, Richmond Charter Academy is located within the boundaries of West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) and represents the organization’s first school to operate outside of the OUSD umbrella. In its first year of operation, RCA became WCCUSD's highest-performing middle school with an 812 API score, thereby making it the highest performing middle school in the history of WCCUSD, since the inception of the API and Public Schools Accountability Act of 1998.

 

Established in 2014, Downtown Charter Academy is located in the Downtown Oakland region where it quickly became a neighborhood middle school. Following the traits of the AMPS middle school model, but with the flare of Downtown Oakland's community aspects, DCA serves students in 6th-8th grade, and has quickly became one of the highest performing schools in the city achieving the California Department of Education Gold Ribbon Award in 2017 and 2018. With a very active student body, the school offers a multitude of additional programs that support the rigorous academics offered to every student.

Established in 2014, Benito Juarez Elementary is located in the beautiful Marina Bay area of Richmond, CA. By taking the name of the hero and first president of Mexico Benito Juarez, AMPS focused on building upon the community pride that defines the City of Richmond. BJE currently serves a K-5th grade student body. BJE has quickly become a high-performing community school, and was highlighted by the State of California as a school that performed better than most Bay Area elementary schools in the new common core state aligned exams (CAASP) in 2015.

Established in 2015, John Henry High School is located in Richmond, CA on the same campus as Benito Juarez Elementary and Richmond Charter Academy. The school is named after the "everyman" folk hero John Henry, known for his strong determination and work hard attitude, a message that we seek to instill in every child. JHHS opened in the fall of 2015 with a 9th-and 10th-grade student body. Along with rigorous college (A-G aligned) courses, John Henry High School also offers clubs, community service opportunities, and a sports program. 93% of the inaugural graduating class of 2018 were accepted to four year universities.