At our core, everyone here at Aurum Preparatory Academy (Aurum Prep) is dedicated to helping our students become their best selves. This means we assure our students learn the skills they need to get into the college of their choice, excel in the lives that they dream of, and become the next generation of moral leaders. We do this through teaching rigorous academics and making sure our students know how to meet the high expectations we set for them, but we also do this through living by example.
Aurum Prep is made up of a teaching and administrative staff that looks like and reflects the diversity of our East Oakland community. Our high caliber, top of the line teachers are predominately people of color -- vivid living examples of the possibilities for achievement we instill in our youth.
Dedication to Diversity = Indomitable Strength
“Our staff represents our student body, not only ethnically, but also in terms of background and life experience.” says Swati Samanth, Aurum’s Director of Operations. “Just by their very being, they inspire students.”
This is incredibly important for our students, many of whom have lived through experiences of racial injustice and may not know what is possible for their futures. At Aurum Prep, we provide a safe, small, free education which offers a different perspective and opens endless new doors of opportunity for our students. Not only do we present them with role models that our students can relate to, we create pathways that teach the character development, optimism, and design thinking that our students need to accomplish their dreams.
If you live in Oakland, California, you may know about the incredibly positive impact the Black Panther Party had on ensuring that our youth have access to excellent education, school lunches, and an unshakeable support network. Aurum Prep is continuing this great tradition by empowering our youth to achieve both academic and life success. Our students learn how to believe in themselves, pursue their dreams, and put in the work it takes to create a better world for all.
Commitment to a Representative Teaching Staff
The second year we opened our doors at Aurum Prep, 75% of our teachers were black males - not by design, but because they were excellent teachers, and they wanted to work with us to make a difference for our community. As we have grown, we have welcomed more and more teachers from a variety of cultural backgrounds, and we are dedicated to maintaining diversity in representation of our community. An incredible amount of intentionality and purpose came together to create our school, and the teachers who fill our halls are great examples of this amount of care.
“When teachers come in and they see a student body and other staff that reflect the community, and they see what our culture is, it really attracts them to want to come here and work as well,” says David Hardin, our Founder and Executive Director. “It becomes a virtuous cycle.” As a leader who has inspired countless individuals to reach for their dreams, Mr. Hardin received the Black Excellence Award for his contribution to, and impact on, education in Oakland.
Empower your youth with ethnically and culturally representative teachers who are leaders in their field.
Now enrolling students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades.
About Aurum Prep
Aurum Preparatory Academy teaches college preparation, character development, and design thinking to students in Oakland, Ca. Through rigorous instruction and positive character education, Aurum Prep educates all students in grades 6 through 8 to succeed in high school, college, and life, and serve as the next generation of moral leaders.Enroll your middle school student today.