Our Story
Established in 1989, St. HOPE began as an after-school program founded by former Mayor Kevin Johnson, who grew up in Oak Park and returned to his native Sacramento after retiring from the NBA. In 2003, Sacramento High School was facing state intervention as student performance was dropping year after year. That year, St. HOPE proposed reopening the school as a charter, along with the opening of PS7, a Kindergarten through 8th grade school that would feed into Sacramento Charter High School.
St. HOPE has operated St. HOPE Public Schools since 2003 with the mission of graduating self-motivated, industrious and critical thinking leaders who are committed to serving others, passionate about lifelong learning and prepared to earn a degree from a four-year college.
We are proud to say that this past school year, 99% percent of Sac High’s seniors were accepted to a four-year college and that both PS7 and Sacramento Charter High School boasted some of the most outstanding standardized test-scores in the City! One of our many highlights include our 3rd graders performing higher than any school in Sac City Unified School District with 89% of our 3rd grade scholars meeting or exceeding on their Math CAASPP. This is compared to the district average of 39%. At St. HOPE Public schools we believe in the power of the classroom teacher and know that having three years in a row of excellent teaching can overcome the average achievement deficit between low-income scholars and others. We consistently ground ourselves in this belief and prioritize collaboration so that we are building upon scholar success year after year. In addition, we offer every teacher a robust coaching and support plan in order to develop our teachers into the best possible educators. At PS7 Middle School, our results highlight the power of three years of good teaching. Our 6th graders enter our system with only 9% of our scholars on or above grade level in math compared to the district average of 25%. Then after spending three years at PS7 Middle that same group of scholars promotes from 8th grade with 48% of scholars on or above grade level in math compared to the district average of 32%. This same trend is evident in English Language Arts with our 6th graders entering our system with 25% on or above grade level and promoting from 8th grade with 57% on or above grade level compared to the district average of 43%. In addition to prioritizing academic achievement, we prioritize school culture hosting several engaging scholar and family events throughout the school year. In order to provide a well-rounded experience for our scholars, our elementary scholars attend three different elective courses – music, art and PE! This is far above what traditional elementary schools offer and provide our scholars with diverse learning experiences and our teachers with additional prep time!
In conjunction with education, St. HOPE also stands for economic growth in the Oak Park neighborhood to ensure that its schools are not just islands of excellence. In 30 years St. HOPE has created an estimated economic impact of $89 million in Oak Park and more than $401.7 million in the greater Sacramento area.
One of St. HOPE’s most prized development projects in Oak Park is the 40 Acres Art and Cultural Center on Broadway, unveiled in 2003. The project involved refurbishing the old Guild Theater and Woodruff Hotel buildings at 35th Street and Broadway, a complex that had long been vacant. 40 Acres currently includes the Guild Theater, Underground Books, Old Soul Co., twelve loft apartments, and its newest addition, Fixins Soul Kitchen.
Although St. HOPE has come a long way in the last 30 years, there is still so much more to accomplish. St. HOPE looks forward to continuing its vision of being one of the finest urban TK-12 public school systems in America and seeks outstanding individuals who are committed to this journey and willing to do whatever-it-takes to provide our scholars with the best education possible! Our future depends on it.