In 1989, Oak Park native and NBA All-Star Johnson opened a portable classroom in Sacramento High School as an afterschool program called St. HOPE has dramatically improved Oak Park through its holistic community development approach, creating 20 businesses and over 300 jobs. It also opened 40 Acres Art and Cultural Center, a 25,000-square-foot mixed-use facility located in the heart of Oak Park. H
ousing a cafe, bookstore, barbershop, art gallery and 200-seat theater, the complex won distinction from the California Redevelopment Agency with the “Award of Excellence in Mixed-Use Development” in 2004. HOPE Public Schools was launched. We opened our doors with a clear vision: to create one of the finest urban pre-kindergarten through 12th grade public school systems in America. Today our schools include Triumph Center for Early Childhood Education, PS7 and Sacramento Charter High School. HOPE Leadership Academy, a middle school in Harlem, New York. Our 1400 students attend longer school days, face demanding academic standards and perform 40 hours of community service per year when they reach Sacramento High School.
