Mission & History

Balance Between Arts & Academics

Our Mission

To create a learning community that encourages humanity, empathy, moral depth, cultural understanding, and intellectual freedom.

Educational Goal

To create vibrant, independent thinkers who will never lose their passion for learning, their delight in research, and their involvement in cultural pursuits.

Teaching Philosophy

This student-centered method of learning, best described as Socratic, is based on inquiry, questioning, exploration, and discovery: it minimizes competitiveness and makes the curriculum personally relevant, motivating students to acquire knowledge and skills for their own sake.

The focus on mastery not tasks is reinforced by an interdisciplinary approach, which integrates rigorous academics with music, drama, and the visual arts.

Social Goal

To instill mutual respect, compassion, and an appreciation of differences among our students. Our faculty and staff are dedicated to fostering a warm and supportive environment in which children can safely address challenges and grow in their understanding of themselves and others.

Milestones in Our History

1970: Black Pine Circle School granted tax exempt status

2025: Jase Turner becomes Head of School

Effective July 1, 2025

2024: DeAndre Calhoun becomes Interim Head of School

2023: BPC Acquires New Buildings

2010 7th Street & 844 University

2023: BPC Celebrates 50 years

2018: Black Pine Circle School celebrates 45 years

as a day school.

2017: “Oasis” play area added

for K & 1st graders on the lower school campus.

2015: The Q Lab: A Space for Science & Inquiry breaks ground 

(completed the following year)

2014: Green field developed on 7th street

2012: Administrative building at 843 Addison Street acquired 

This allowed for expansion of the upper school student body.

2011: Climbing wall added on the upper school campus

2005: John Carlstroem becomes head of Black Pine Circle School

2005: Founders’ Building with classrooms and library completed

2001: Facility for Arts and Drama renovation completed

1999: Lawrence James becomes director of Black Pine Circle School

1995: Frances Kandl, one of BPC’s founders, takes over as director

1993: Acquisition of the Berkeley Landmarked Workingman’s Hall 

Now known as the Facility for Arts and Drama (The FAD)

1984: Acquisition of upper school building from Tehiyah Day School

1975: Acquisition of the former Nervo stained glass factory

(now part of the lower school campus)

1973: Doors open for first kindergarten class at Seventh Day Adventist Church

From specialized workshops, Black Pine Circle Day School expanded into a full-scale elementary school, and then added a middle school as well.

1971: Arts & Sciences workshops first offered to elementary & middle school students only

These workshops offered enrichment in math, music, art, and language for children who were not being sufficiently challenged by the regular school curriculum.

1968: First Black Pine Circle College workshops offered with Oscar Pemantle as director

Set in the High Sierra, whose trees provided the inspiration for our name, these workshops for college undergraduates attracted renowned guest lecturers, including Allen Ginsberg, John Searle, and Lawrence Ferlinghetti.

1967: The idea for Black Pine Circle “College” conceived

Founders Oscar Pemantle, Frances Kandl, and Carmen Gonzalez were committed to creating a learning environment that married arts and academics in a way seldom seen in American schools.

View Message from our Head of School