Skip to main content

About Us

Embracing your child’s distinct talents and infinite potential

Nisa Frank

Head of School

I am pleased to welcome you to Prospect Sierra, a nationally and internationally recognized school for TK-8 students on two beautiful campuses in El Cerrito, in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Prospect Sierra embodies several key assumptions in philosophy and daily practice:

  • that learning is the pathway to personal growth;
  • that school should be both challenging and joyous;
  • that school is a community through which students, teachers, and parents develop trust, demonstrate cooperation, show respect, and acquire an understanding of the rights and needs of others;
  • and that diversity, in its many human forms, brings quality and strength to our school.

A rapidly changing global environment requires that students develop skills and acquire knowledge while learning to define and solve problems creatively.

A Prospect Sierra education provides students with daily opportunities to engage in meaningful academic curriculum that also allows them to gain greater self-knowledge and to develop compassion and care for others. In a diverse and inclusive community, we provide a joyful environment that develops students’ lifelong passion for learning.

I encourage you to learn more about Prospect Sierra by exploring our website and visiting our campus.

Sincerely,

Nisa Frank Head of School

Where Every Person is Recognized and Valued

The mission of Prospect Sierra is to inspire and equip students to create a more inclusive and just world through deep and meaningful intellectual engagement, self-knowledge, and care for others.

Core Values

Love

At Prospect Sierra we intentionally lead with love. We practice curiosity, compassion, and joy to build authentic connections with, and among, students so that everyone thrives as their full self and feels that they matter. Our teachers inspire students to seek deep, meaningful inquiry and understanding, leading to a love of learning for its own intrinsic rewards and personal growth.

Justice

Prospect Sierra is a community through which students, teachers, staff, parents, and community partners develop trust, demonstrate cooperation, show respect for one another, and develop perspectives that are founded on an understanding of the rights and needs of others.

As a learning community, we commit to diversity in our student body, teaching staff, and administration and take responsibility for centering the voices of those traditionally excluded because we know that diverse perspectives are necessary for academic depth and integrity.

Innovation

We approach innovation as a way of thinking, learning, and engaging that helps us clarify intention, take action, and practice responsive stewardship of our communities and the planet.

Our teachers, administrators, and staff prioritize the continual improvement of curriculum and learning experiences, in and out of the classroom, to be challenging, engaging, relevant to today’s dynamic world, and meaningful to our students’ lives now and in their futures.

Impact

As educators, learners, and community partners, we lead with the knowledge that we are all connected and that our care for one another is essential to achieve mutual benefit and serve the greater good.

Our students combine in-depth disciplinary knowledge with academic, cognitive, and relational skills in order to define and solve problems creatively, take action in a rapidly changing global environment, and contribute positive impact in the world.

Strategic Plan

Our visionary strategic plan focuses on shaping a 21st-century ecosystem where everyone thrives—our students and families, staff, and alumni. Learn how we’re charting new territory in community development, emotional intelligence, and the financial sustainability of our employees.

Strategic Priorities

We commit to cultivating mission and values-aligned ecosystem relationships within our school and across the broader community in ways that help us:

  1. Integrate across our efforts in change-making, equity and inclusion, social-emotional learning, and ecological literacy to deepen our rigorous program;
  2. Create more opportunities for students to gain agency and voice in their learning as true ecosystem partners;
  3. Design open pathways for educators to grow professionally and enhance their wellness;
  4. Strengthen financial sustainability by developing creative connections to Prospect Sierra learning.

Our Joyful Community of Learning and Doing

Equity and Inclusion

Our students learn to respect differences, engage in courageous discussions, and care deeply for one another

Learn More

Faculty & Staff

Meet our incredible faculty and staff, who are dedicated to sparking each student’s passion for lifelong learning

Meet Our Team

Our Board

Meet the committed members of our Board of Trustees, each of whom helps ensure the ongoing vitality of Prospect Sierra

Meet Our Board

News & Events

There is always something exciting on the horizon at Prospect Sierra. Discover what’s next!

What's Happening
Employment
Join the Prospect Sierra team
View Jobs

Campus Locations

Two vibrant, expansive campuses right in El Cerrito

Tapscott Elementary School

Our TK-4 campus offers stunning bay views as well as a robust library, art studio, music room, science lab, and “colab” artistic maker space. Students eat lunch outside, play and run on our grassy field, and find quiet spots for reading or imaginative play.

Avis Middle School

We designed our middle school campus with 21st-century skills in mind. Classrooms include high-tech tools and movable walls and desks. Students enjoy our field, gym, “colab” artistic maker space, and an arts building for drama, music, and much more.

Student Transportation to Prospect Sierra

We are pleased to offer student transportation service with Dany’s Cars.

To learn more about rates and registration for the current school year, please contact
For general billing and payment options, please contact