Independent · Oakland (East Bay) · AKA: HRS
Head-Royce
“Student-centered. Mission-driven.”
Independent · Oakland (East Bay) · AKA: Head-Royce, HRS
Head-Royce School
“Student-centered. Mission-driven.”
- Students
- ~440
- Ratio
- 7:1
- Tuition
- $63k
- Enrollment
- ~440
- Student:teacher
- 7:1
- Base tuition
- $62,900
- Real cost
- $64k–$70k
- Flexible tuition
- ~17%
What makes this school special
- A K-12 Oakland school whose ~440-student upper school is built on a four-year interdisciplinary Humanities Core, senior seminars, and a capstone
- 60-plus honors and advanced-topics courses in place of APs, on an 8-day rotating block schedule
- The senior Capstone sends students off campus for a three-week real-world project, capped by a senior Shakespeare production
- A strong civic streak through its Center for Community Engagement and Global Studies travel
Academics
Curriculum
60+ honors and advanced-topics courses, a 9-12 interdisciplinary Humanities Core, and a senior Capstone; no APs
Do APs matter?World languages
French, Mandarin, Spanish, Latin
Schedule
8-day rotating block (75-minute periods)
Signature programs
- Humanities Core (interdisciplinary, grades 9-12)
- Senior Capstone
- Center for Community Engagement
- Global Studies (study-travel)
- Four-year computer science & robotics
College matriculation
UC Berkeley, UCLA, University of Chicago, USC, University of Washington, NYU, Northeastern, Washington University in St. Louis, Tulane, Tufts, Northwestern, Stanford, University of Michigan, Brown, Cornell, Yale
See the full listUC admissions
In fall 2025, 87 students applied to the UC system from this school; 64 were admitted to at least one campus, and 10 enrolled.
What these numbers can and can’t tell youAthletics, arts & activities
Athletics · Bay Area Conference — BCL East
Arts
Clubs & activities
Life there
Learning support
Learning Support — a Learning Specialist team, with Student Support Plans and accommodations
Notable alumni
- Adam Duritz (Counting Crows)
- Libby Schaaf (former Mayor of Oakland)
- Daniel Wu (actor)
- Malika Andrews (ESPN journalist)
Often on the same list
Sources
- Head-Royce — At a Glance — upper-school enrollment, class size, 8:1 ratio, course counts, financial aid
- How to Apply — deadlines, ISEE requirement
- Tuition & Fees — flexible-tuition aid. The page no longer displays a dollar figure (verified in a full browser render, 2026-08-06) — the rate lives behind the school's TADS portal; the 2026–27 figure comes from the admissions office (source 10).
- Upper School academics — Humanities Core, languages, requirements
- Athletics — teams, league membership
- 2025-26 College Admissions Profile — enrollment, curriculum, outcomes
- Head-Royce School | Wikipedia — founding, notable alumni
- Head-Royce School homepage — motto ("Student-centered. Mission-driven.," the homepage hero tagline)
- Bay Area Conference — conference structure and division membership
- Confirmed by Head-Royce School Office of Admissions (correspondence, August 2026) — 2026–27 tuition ($62,900), no AP classes (honors and advanced topics only), 8-day rotating block schedule (sample-schedule PDF provided; not linkable)
Details checked August 2026