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Bishop O'Dowd High School
Private coeducational school in Oakland, California, United States
Private coeducational school in Oakland, California, United States
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Bishop O'Dowd High School |
| logo | O'Dowd Logo.jpg |
| logo_size | 150px |
| streetaddress | 9500 Stearns Avenue |
| city | Oakland |
| state | California |
| county | (Alameda County) |
| zipcode | 94605 |
| country | United States |
| coordinates | |
| religion | Roman Catholic |
| president | Kim Walsh, |
| principal | Doug Evans |
| faculty | 125 |
| enrollment | 1,250 (2023-2024) |
| avg_class_size | 26 |
| ratio | 14:1 |
| type | Private, Coeducational |
| fees | $1,100 registration deposit + $2,400 recommended parent pledge (tax-deductible) + textbooks (typically $50-$80 each), use of printers (5 cents/page), uniforms (items ranging from $30-$158), etc. |
| tuition | $26,710 (2025–2026) |
| grades | 9–12 |
| campus | Urban |
| campus size | 20 acres |
| athletics | 15 interscholastic sports, with 57 teams, including rugby, water polo, and lacrosse as well as the traditional sports such as soccer, volleyball, basketball, and football. All students are encouraged to participate in the athletics program. |
| conference | West Alameda County Conference, Foothill League |
| motto | "Finding God in all things" |
| accreditation | Western Association of Schools and Colleges |
| rival | Berkeley High School and Piedmont High School |
| mascot | Dragon |
| team_name | Dragons |
| colors | Black and Gold |
| yearbook | Mitre |
| newspaper | The Crozier |
| established | |
| status | Open |
| alumni | More than 13,000 |
| homepage |
Bishop O'Dowd High School is a Catholic, co-educational, college preparatory school in Oakland, California, administered by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland and named after the late auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, James T. O'Dowd (1907–1950). The school requires all students to attend school liturgies (Catholic Mass and prayer services), to enroll in religious studies courses each semester, and to complete its 4-year service learning program. O’Dowd is a Catholic high school community of 1,250 students. The school has 129 faculty and staff members and more than 82 part-time coaches, teachers and moderators.
History
Bishop O’Dowd High School is named in memory of the former Superintendent of Schools of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, Bishop James T. O’Dowd, who died at the age of 42 from injuries sustained in a train accident. Having just helped to establish Marin Catholic and Riordan high schools, O'Dowd was in the process of drawing up plans for a new Catholic high school in the East Bay at the time of his sudden death.
Bishop O'Dowd's first senior class graduated in 1955, and since then O'Dowd has had over 12,000 graduates.
In June 2010, O’Dowd successfully completed a three-year, $9 million comprehensive fundraising campaign and funds raised were split about evenly between capital development and program enhancement. Funds contributed to renovation of many elements of the classroom buildings — from floors to ceilings, interior and exterior, every classroom, lab and locker, from ventilation to technology infrastructure.
In 2022, the school opened a new $40 million gymnasium featuring a basketball court, a new music room, and a weight room.
Athletics
In 2015, the men's basketball team won the CIF Open Division Championship and the women's team won the Division III CIF State Championship. The men's team was led by Ivan Rabb, the no. 8 player in the country. In 2015, O'Dowd's basketball team was ranked 13th nationally.
The school's American football team has also been successful at the state level: the Dragons won the CIF State Division 5-AA championship in 2016 (defeating Valley View, 43–24) and again in 2025 (defeating Christian of El Cajon, 37–0).
The 2025 title was won under head coach Hardy Nickerson, who returned to the program and led O'Dowd to the state crown in the 2025 season.
Programs and extracurricular activities
- 21 AP courses
- 10 Honor Courses
- Athletics: 61 teams, 16 sports
- 4 musical groups
- Student clubs: 40+
- Students spend a minimum of 100 hours in community service by graduation
- Center for Environmental Studies (a building)
- The Living Lab – a 4.857 1/2 acre student-built vegetable and botanical garden
- 40% Acceptance Rate
Awards
Bishop O'Dowd High School was recognized as a Blue Ribbon School in 1990–1991.
In popular culture
Bishop O'Dowd High School is the setting of Gene Luen Yang's 2015 graphic novel, Dragon Hoops. The book chronicles the men's basketball team's 2015 season, which ended in them winning the CIF Open Division Championship. Dragon Hoops is a Michael Printz Award Honor book.
Alumni
- The Matches, pop-punk band
- Alijah Vera-Tucker, football player
- Tarik Glenn, football player
- Jevon Holland, football player
- Jasmine Guillory, novelist
- Maya Harris, lawyer & writer
- Meena Harris, lawyer, author and theater producer
- Ivan Rabb, basketball player
- Kevin King, football player
- Brian Shaw, basketball player
- Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, musician and filmmaker
- Michael A. Goorjian, actor & filmmaker
- Kirk Morrison, football linebacker & radio analyst
- Brandon Ashley, basketball player
- Tyson Ross, baseball player
- Langston Walker, football player
- Grady Livingston, college basketball player
- Jeff Kobernus, baseball player
- Dennis Montali, bankruptcy judge
- Meghan Kalkstein, broadcast journalist
- Sean Aaberg, comics artist
- Burl Toler III, football player
- Ryan Drese, baseball player
- Dennis Montali, Attorney & Judge
- Eric Bjornson, football player
- Venus James, soccer player
- Alexi Pappas, runner, filmmaker, actor, & author
- Luis Scott-Vargas, game designer and member of the Magic: The Gathering Hall of Fame
- Johnnie Bryant, basketball coach
- Austin Jones, football player
Footnotes
References
- WASC-ACS. "WASC-Accrediting Commission for Schools".
- "About {{!}} Bishop O'Dowd High School".
- "Educatius {{!}} Bishop ODowd High School".
- Stephens, Mitch. (November 16, 2022). "Bay Area high school basketball season debuts in O’Dowd’s $40 million gym".
- "aisia-robertson".
- (29 March 2015). "Bishop O'Dowd claims state title with OT victory".
- "2016 CIF State Football Championship Bowl Games - Final Scores".
- Times. (December 12, 2025). "2025 CIF State Football Championship — Division 5-AA: Oakland Bishop O'Dowd 37, Christian (El Cajon) 0".
- Stephens, Mitch. (September 13, 2024). "NFL great Hardy Nickerson and his son have turned around Bishop O'Dowd's program".
- https://nationalblueribbonschools.ed.gov/awardwinners/history Previous NBRS Awardees > Search
- "Michael L. Printz Winners and Honor Books". American Library Association.
- (27 July 2017). "Alum of the Month – August".
- (29 June 2018). "Stanford gets commitment from 4-star East Bay running back".
This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.
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