SERVING THE OAKLAND COMMUNITY SINCE 2007
OUR SCHOOL HISTORY
How It All Began
Over the Thanksgiving holiday in 2003, on a train ride in New York City, ARISE co-founder Laura Flaxman caught up with David, a former student of hers who was then in college on the East Coast and a graduate of the Mills College Upward Bound program.
They talked about David's former classmates and why some were thriving in college while others were not. David credited Life Academy, Upward Bound, and his role model, ARISE co-founder and founding co-principal Romeo Garcia. He also talked about how experiences away from home during high school shaped his future.
Out of that conversation, ARISE was born, including the idea of a "cultural immersion" experience for every student.
One student's story became a promise: every young person in Fruitvale deserves caring adults, high expectations, and a path to college and beyond.
The idea that started ARISELaura Flaxman
Co-Founder and Founding Co-Principal
Dreamed up a school built with Romeo and in partnership with the Mills College TRIO programs.
Romeo Garcia
Co-Founder and Founding Co-Principal
A role model to students like David, he joined Laura a few months after that train ride.
Emma Paulino
Founding Team, OCO Leader
Brought the parent perspective and her experience co-founding and working with ASCEND.
The Idea
A Thanksgiving train ride and a conversation about what helps first-generation students thrive in college.
ARISE Opens
Co-founders Laura Flaxman and Romeo Garcia open ARISE High School in Oakland, built to challenge the traditional schooling model.
Our First Graduates
ARISE celebrates its very first graduating class.
Charter Renewal #1
Our charter is renewed for the first time, and a new generation of school leaders steps up.
A Pathway School
ARISE becomes a pathway school and earns a Light Grant Award.
Charter Renewal #2
Our charter is renewed again, and ARISE earns a literacy award.
Our Graduate Profile
The ARISE Graduate Profile is completed, and Soo Jin Kim becomes Head of School.
Growing the Wolfpack
Our first year of expansion and our first year as Warrior Intellectuals.
New Head of School
Karla Gandiaga becomes Head of School.
Learning Through a Pandemic
Students, families, and staff carry ARISE through COVID and a full year of distance learning.
The Academic Mentor Program Begins
ARISE launches the Academic Mentor program, bringing more caring adults, many of them ARISE alumni, into classrooms to support every student.
Back Together
A return to full in-person learning, a CAPP Pivotal Practice Award, a Community Schools grant, and an expanded Academic Mentor program.
Linked Learning Gold
ARISE becomes the first charter school in the nation, and the first school in Oakland, to earn Linked Learning Gold Certification.
Our Next Chapter
Co-founders Romeo Garcia and Laura Flaxman, then serving on our board, celebrate the renewal of our charter with fellow board members and Karla Gandiaga, then Head of School.
Our Co-Heads of School
After a board vote, Trevor Gardner and Arianna Caplan-Bass are named Co-Heads of School. In June 2026, the board thanks Karla Gandiaga for her years as Head of School as she passes the baton to Trevor and Ari and steps into a new role at ARISE.
20 Years Strong
A yearlong celebration of 20 years of Warrior Intellectuals, with our alumni, families, staff, and partners.
Our Class of 2026 crossed the stage surrounded by the families, staff, and community who helped carry them there. Twenty years in, this is still the moment we build toward.
Our Founding Belief
Our founders, just as our staff today, believe that all children deserve a quality education that does not replicate inequitable and oppressive institutions. Instead, we have built a rigorous, high-engagement, and authentic learning experience for our students.
Agents of Change
ARISE students are agents of change, in control of their own lives and able to make change in our community. Through our two Linked Learning pathways and deep community partnerships, students explore a broad range of college and career options and see themselves as leaders.
