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About

ENRICH YOUR SPIRIT | CREATE YOUR PATH | DISCOVER YOUR IMPACT

You Belong Here

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At O’Dowd, we nurture the whole student. Our faculty and staff partner with families to support students in discovering their best selves and unlocking their potential and aspirations. Our holistic academic program, celebrated co-curricular opportunities, and enriching values-based education challenges students to explore and take risks, find and hone their strengths, and discover the power they have to make an impact in the world.

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Academics
Create Your Path 

We offer a broad array of unique courses in Humanities, STEM, Religious Studies, Language and Culture Studies, and Visual and Performing Arts.

Our Student Community

 

O’Dowd students come from over 100 regional schools and over 20 zipcodes - in Oakland, Berkeley, San Leandro and beyond. We are a multi-racial, multi-ethnic community, with many students who grew up in the Catholic faith, and just as many students from different religious and cultural backgrounds. As a community, we celebrate our unique identities and find deep purpose in our shared values.

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AT A GLANCE
1,250

Student Body

20+

Acre Campus

14:1

Student / Teacher Ratio

26

Average Class Size

4

Acre Living Lab

33

AP and Honors Courses

Science & Environment class
Our Faculty

O’Dowd’s talented educators are defined by their subject expertise and dedication to effective, culturally relevant pedagogy. Recent faculty awards include the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching from The National Science Foundation and The Office of the President.

  • 94 Faculty Members

  • 70% Faculty with Advanced Degrees

  • 40% Faculty of Color

Co-Curriculars: Discover Your Impact

Our celebrated co-curricular opportunities - spanning athletics, visual and performing arts, environmental programs, student-led clubs, advanced leadership teams, and service learning - create dynamic, life-changing experiences for students.

Sports Rally
Athletics: Dragon Pride

O’Dowd’s athletic program engages over 700 student-athletes, across 16 sports, in the joy of competitive play.

  • 48 Teams

  • 100+ Coaches

  • 16+ State Championships

Tuition and Financial Aid

30% of O’Dowd students receive financial aid. We are committed to access and affordability, and it is our goal to ensure that all qualified students with financial need have the opportunity to attend O’Dowd.

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Accreditation

O'Dowd is fully accredited by the Western Catholic Education Association and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. O'Dowd is also a member of the National Catholic Education Association and the National Association of Independent Schools.

Non-Discrimination Policy for Admission

Bishop O’Dowd High School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.

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