Sankofa United

Community Subscriber
Oakland
Public School
operated by Oakland Unified School District
Language(s):
English
Grades:
P-5
Website:
https://www.ousd.org/SankofaUnited
Phone:
(510) 654-7787
Address:
581 61st St., Oakland, CA 94609
Affiliation:
School district-run
Editors' Notes:
  • Prior to 2020, the school was known as Sankofa Academy

Sankofa United Elementary School is an Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) school that will be welcoming Kindergarten - 5th grade students in 2020-21. The school is the result of a merger of two OUSD schools, Henry J. Kaiser Elementary and Sankofa Academy, on the Sankofa site.

4 parent questions ▼
3 parent reviews ▼

Parent Q&A

Select any title to view the full question and replies.

  • TK at Kaiser ECE vs Sankofa for future Peralta student?

    –
    Jan 3, 2023

    Hi BPN,

    my son is eligible for OUSD TK next fall, and we are zoned for Peralta elementary for regular kindergarten... We are trying to decide if it would be best to send him to the Peralta feeder TK program, which is at Kaiser ECE and quite far from home, or go to Sankofa for TK (walking distance) but then need to reapply for Kinder at Peralta.  Is the trek worth it to get to know the kids and families who we will eventually see for elementary? Does it not matter, because the school is so big, he won't see the TK kids next year (Peralta)? Do any other kids attend Sankofa for TK, but then go to Peralta? We know quite a few neighbors of ours will go to Sankofa and we really like that community, but we hear Peralta is an amazing school with arts, gardening etc... My son  is very sweet and friendly but definitely more shy, slow to warm up, and not a rough house/ jump into the action kind of kid, if that helps?

    Jan 3, 2023

    Both Peralta and Sankofa are small schools, so certainly he will see TK classmates the following year if he continues at either. One wondering--and not one I know the answer to--is whether you are considered to be enrolled at Peralta by virtue of being in the Peralta TK, and therefore won't need to reapply for kinder. If that's the case, it's probably wise to do that if you definitely want to be in Peralta long term, since there's no guarantee that there will be enough kinder seats for all neighborhood families if the TK kids and siblings have priority. But we know families who love Sankofa too so if you do opt for their TK and then don't get into Peralta, you could consider just staying there. This will be the first year Peralta has offered TK (and only the second for Sankofa, I think), so hard to know what the enrollment patterns will be. Personally when we looked at schools, I wasn't willing to drive up to Kaiser (which was then an elementary school) and prioritized schools closer to home.

    Jan 3, 2023

    So a few things, if your child goes to the Peralta TK, they are considered to be enrolled at Peralta and guaranteed a spot at the school going forward. (Same for Sankofa). Peralta has moved from having 2 Kinder classes to 3 Kinder classes, so really “should” have spots for all interested neighborhood families (again tricky to forecast, but odds I would be willing to take). They are both small sweet schools, so no wrong choice. (There are definitely Peralta families looking at Sankofa TK because it’s walkable). Which school gives you the better commute for K-5? 

    Jan 4, 2023

  • Sankofa United Elementary Reviews

    –
    Sep 14, 2021

    Hello,

    We are planning on moving to the Rockridge neighborhood mid-school year (January 2022). We're hoping to enroll our children in public school and have been informed that once we have an address that the school district will place us in a neighborhood school based on open spaces available. We have heard good things about Chabot, Peralta, and Hillcrest, but have read not so great things about Sankofa. We were hoping to talk to some parents (instead of just on-line rating reviews) about their experience with Sankofa (both good and bad)

    Thanks so much! 

    Sep 14, 2021

    We have a child in K at Sankofa United. Our neighborhood schools are both Peralta and SU, SU was our first choice for multiple reasons. Closer to home, small classes (less than 20 students, they are undersubscribed), great facilities (huge outdoor space with at least 4 outdoor classrooms, basketball courts etc.), and diverse. SU offers a music program with a dedicated music teacher, and a gardening program. Their onsite after school program is free and runs until 6p. Admin team seems great so far, and able to compensate for some of the mess coming from the district. PTA focuses on community building, not fundraising. New this year: full time arts instructor/ artist in residence from MOCHA (Museum of Children's Art). Obviously it's only week 6, so our experience is pretty limited. My child seems happy, made lots of new friends and seems to be learning. Happy to talk/ answer any questions -- just send me a PM. 

    Sep 15, 2021

    https://oaklandnorth.net/2019/12/18/a-tale-of-two-schools-what-merging-…

    granted the article is 2 years old but you may find it helpful

    Sep 15, 2021

    Hi! I'm the president of the PTA at Sankofa United and would be delighted to talk with you. Sankofa United is an amazing school with a truly diverse student body and leadership, and across the board is very focused on community-building and inclusion of all students and families. The principal, other site leadership, and teachers are extraordinarily tenured and caring. I feel very lucky to have landed there. Really--please reach out if you'd like to chat.

    I think this article does a nice job of summarizing the spirit of Sankofa: https://oaklandside.org/2021/02/25/sankofa-kaiser-merger-coronavirus-pa…

    (Also...as a side note...There are a lot of great district-run elementary schools in Oakland, and a lot of them don't pop up on those lists of "top" schools. Emerson Elementary is another example of a North Oakland school that's doing some amazing work and has great leadership, but I hear from a lot of happy parents there. There are others--I name Emerson just because it's feasible the district would suggest that as a local school for your kids.)

    Sep 15, 2021

    Just a note that most of the online reviews (and all of the state test scores) are for Sankofa Academy, which is different from Sankofa United Elementary, the current school at this location. Sankofa Academy merged with Kaiser Elementary to create Sankofa United in 2020, and has a different principal (came from Kaiser) with a mix of students and teachers from the two schools that merged. Hopefully current families will weigh in, but I wouldn't pay too much attention to any online reviews from before Fall 2020, since they are reviewing a different school. (The reviews of Kaiser from that period are equally relevant since many teachers came from there.) One big thing that Sankofa United has going for it this year is that the class sizes are very small compared to the other three schools you listed.

    Sep 16, 2021

  • How does the Sankofa/Peralta shared zone work?

    –
    Mar 18, 2018

    I'm thinking of moving into a house in the Sankofa/Peralta shared zone. How does enrollment work for this zone?

    I understand that in OUSD, being in a school's neighborhood boundary gets one priority placement (behind siblings, but before the lotter). I'm curious how this works for the shared zone. Will I (a) get priority at both Peralta and Sankofa? Or instead (b) will I only get priority at one school (possibly the one that has lesser demand).

    If the answer is (a), that seems like the shared district gives more choice, which is nice. But if the answer is (b), there is less choice and getting assigned to Sankofa is a likely outcome.

    Does anyone know how this works?

    Mar 18, 2018

    You get priority at both schools. That said, Peralta does not have room for all of the zoned students right now, so you may well get bumped to a lower ranked choice independent of priority. (You do keep your priority on the waitlist, though.)

    Mar 20, 2018

  • Peralta Merging with Sankofa?

    –
    Dec 3, 2017

    A study commissioned by Oakland District 1 School Board Director Jody London offered the idea of a merger between Peralta (Great Schools rating: 8 out of 10) and Sankofa (Great Schools rating: 1 of out 10).  The idea would be that Peralta would after 137 years no longer exist as a standalone, fully independent school but rather: "Peralta is space challenged and, because it is all on the ground floor, is ideally suited for the lowest grades of elementary school. Sankofa is only three blocks from Peralta and is chronically under enrolled. It was suggested that overcrowding could be relieved at Peralta by using the space for TK-2 classes for Sankof and Peralta students while Sankofa could host grades 3-5. Because the two schools were in July 2017 both undergoing searches for new principals, this could be an ideal time to rethink the programs at both schools." Source: https://www.ousd.org/cms/lib/CA01001176/Centricity/Domain/63/1_North%20…

    This idea will be discussed at a meeting on December 6th, 2017, at 6:15pm, at Oakland Technical High School (Library), at 4351 Broadway, Oakland apparently.

    Has anyone heard about this or know anything further about this? And is anyone willing to attend?

    Dec 3, 2017

    I heard this was a possibility while touring Sankofa last week and I think it could make a lot of sense to combine the schools for variety of reasons.

    There are two Blueprint meeting tonight and there will be four others this week: https://www.ousd.org/domain/4820

    Dec 6, 2017

    I'm confused by your posting title referring to "closing" Peralta. Sounds like a merger that might make a lot of sense. I'm not sure what would change about being "fully independent." I live in the area and wish I could attend the meeting tonight. Thanks for bringing up the topic. I hope the issue will be addressed with open minds about how to serve all OUSD students whole will thrive.

    Dec 6, 2017

    At the meeting apparently, it was said that it was just an idea with no immediate plans for implementation, and that in any case Peralta would NOT be closed if it ever happened. This post was not too on-point. Sorry about that!!

    Dec 11, 2017

Parent Reviews

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RE:
advanced math tutor/activities for kindergartner? (Apr 23, 2023)

Once you're at Sankofa, you should connect with Mr. Wilson, who teaches 4th and 5th grade and leads the math curriculum for the school. Of course the school is limited in how far it can stretch outside the curriculum, as there's just one teacher per classroom, but I'll bet he'll have great feedback on how to nurture your son's love of math and stay appropriately engaged in his classroom. See you there next year!

Apr 26, 2023
RE:
Advice chosing Oakland TK? (Emerson, Sankofa or Manzanita SEED) (Mar 15, 2022)

Sankofa is great

Mar 16, 2022
RE:
Advice chosing Oakland TK? (Emerson, Sankofa or Manzanita SEED) (Mar 15, 2022)

Our son is a first grader at Sankofa and we are sending our daughter to Sankofa for TK this coming fall. It is the first year for TK at Sankofa so it will probably be hard to find reviews on the TK program specifically but we can comment on Sankofa as a school overall. We absolutely love the school and the teachers we’ve met so far. The principal is amazing and very communicative. Sankofa United is a blended community and that process has been done with a lot of attention to equity and inclusion. Diversity, social emotional learning and inclusion are highlighted in the schools mission and values. I believe there is a Saturday play date coming soon where you could tour the school and meet some families, which I highly recommend. 

best of luck in your search!

Mar 16, 2022