Are you looking for something different?
Would you benefit from...

• a small learning community?
• individualized instruction?
• an integrated curriculum?
• relevant community experiences?
• being a part of a school family?

If so, consider...

Oakland Academy!

Our Vision

is to establish and sustain a school that is highly regarded for its academic excellence and its contribution in actively serving and improving the community in which it operates.

Our Mission

is to nurture a safe place for learning and provide comprehensive, relevant, rigorous secondary educational opportunities and community experiences that will prepare inspire students for work, active citizenship, and post-secondary endeavors. We will empower and challenge students by utilizing brain-aligned strategies in our policies, procedures, and teaching.

Welcome to Oakland Academy! We’re so glad you’re here.

I’m Kathryn Parthun, the principal of Oakland Academy and I’m honored that you’re exploring our page to find out more about this special program in our community. Oakland Academy is an extension of Jefferson High School. We are an opportunity for students who are looking for another alternative to earning their high school diploma. Students at Oakland Academy have a dual identity: they are a part of the Broncho Nation and are Jefferson High School students AND they get the privilege of getting to be a Mighty Oak as well. Oakland students have the ability to take elective classes at Jeff and take a majority of their core classes at Oakland Academy’s campus on Elizabeth street. Since they are JHS students, they get to be a part of all of the neat extracurricular opportunities at Jeff and earn a JHS diploma from LSC.

Oakland Academy, originally Oakland High School, was formed to meet the needs of students who might fall between the cracks and could use extra support and attention. We strive to be brain-aligned and trauma-informed because we know that when humans feel safe they are the best versions of themselves. A self-paced model is offered at Oakland Academy because we know how important it is to recover credits and many of our students have the goal of graduating early. And we have the best staff in the area- our teachers are all committed to working WITH students so they feel seen, validated, and encouraged.

The types of students who are successful at Oakland Academy are those who are seeking a fresh start and wish to continue earning their high school diploma. We have so many different types of students who take advantage of our model and we strive to make the culture of our school one where students feel comfortable and appreciated. Our discipline at Oakland is based off of connection and learning- I firmly believe that visits to my office are for understanding and repair with students. We also wish to make our families feel like they are a part of the school process and include parents in updates.

Personally, I am grateful to serve our community in this position. I am an LSC graduate and began working at Oakland High School as a paraprofessional when the program was on Kossuth Street. I was so inspired to see what education could look like and it changed my trajectory for life. I then became the science teacher at Oakland, spent time as the Direct of Social and Emotional Learning for the corporation, and have now moved to this position on the JHS administrative team as principal of Oakland Academy. I’ve been a part of the Oakland family since 2013 and have been proud to work with our staff, community partners, and students to change lives. There truly is no other place like this in Tippecanoe County!

If you have any questions about Oakland Academy or would like to make a connection, you are welcome to contact me at:
Email: kgparthun@lsc.k12.in.us

Phone: 765-807-8550

Second chances...

"I am committed to trying my hardest to succeed and to help others to succeed too.  I will be one of the most motivated, hard working students you will ever come across if you give me a chance."
                                                        ~ Senior, OA

I am excited...

"I am really excited about going to Oakland.  I know I am going to do really well.  The teachers seem really nice, fun, and caring.  They want me to succeed."
~ Sophomore, OA

"I am really excited that I have an opportunity to get the credits I need to graduate on time.  Also you guys will help me find something I am good at.  I really like that a lot."
~ Senior, OA

"I have always wanted a good education, but I don't seem to doing the right things to make it happen.  This opportunity at Oakland Academy will help me focus on the type of career I would like.  I have goals and wants in my life and I want to start working towards those goals."
~ Sophomore, OA

" I think Oakland Academy will benefit me because it's going to be a smaller school.  I will have more one on one help with my school work and I think I can learn a lot more.  When I know what I am doing and I give my best effort my school work gets done and it's really good."
~ Junior, OA

"I am excited to be going to Oakland Academy next year.  They will provide everything I need to graduate on time and help me get into a good college."
~ Junior, OA

I need a smaller school...

"I get distracted easily, so I need a lot of hands-on work with fewer students.  I'm not sure what I want to do and I think Oakland will allow me find out because it is more individualized."
~ Sophomore, OA

"Oakland is a smaller school and I need that kind of family environment where I know everyone cares about me."
~ Sophomore, OA

I can be myself....

"I look at Oakland as an opportunity to meet new people, make new friends, a place where I, and me alone, will get to create my own learning environment - be who I want to be - and by all means, be in a place that I feel like I belong."
~ Sophomore, OA

I can make up for bad choices...

I have been up and down with my grades and now I am behind in my credits.  I feel that Oakland will be helpful to me because I don't have to wait a whole semester to move on to the next class.
~ Junior, OA

This year I have lost all of my progress from last year and I have made some bad choices.  I think that Oakland will help me reach my goals again and to graduate from high school
~ Sophomore, OA


I want a future...

I would love to graduate from high school and go to college to make a better future for myself.
~ Junior, OA

I feel like my determination to graduate would help everyone realize that Oakland is not a school for bad kids or underachievers, but for kids who want to do better.
~ Junior, OA

Credits Earned by Year at Oakland High School (2011-2020) and Oakland Academy (2020-present)

Have a question or concern? Need to contact the office or a teacher about an assignment or upcoming event? Please feel free to send an email, call, or book an appointment to review any pressing issues or concerns you might have.

General Information:

• Address: 1100 Elizabeth Street
• School phone:   765-807-8550
• School fax:      765-476-2918

To report student absence:  Call 765-807-8550

To contact a teacher: Staff Directory

Enrollment Request Form Enrollment Request form Incoming Freshmen

Step 1: Submit completed Enrollment Request Form to Oakland Academy either in person or in email to: kgparthun@lsc.k12.in.us . Enrollment Request Forms are dated when received.

Step 2: An Oakland Academy representative will call home to set up a “Meet and Greet” where the student and guardians can meet the principal, ask questions, and tour the school.

Step 3: Admin will determine enrollment and contact home to either confirm placement or suggest alternatives. Oakland Academy will take care of communication and transfer paperwork between schools.

*Space at Oakland Academy is limited. If it is deemed that Oakland Academy may be a good fit for the student, but there is not space at the present moment, admin may offer a spot to the student on the Waiting List.

Oakland Academy is an extension of Jefferson High School.
Jefferson High School Improvement Plan Oakland Academy Plan on a Page