The Media Academy High Schol includes a State of California Partnership Academy, which is a team effort from the California State Department of Education. They are the providers for the basic program funding and guidelines. Our local school district also provides the students with instructors, sites, instructional materials, industry mentors, site tours, and our advisory board. Media Academy students have the opportunity to meet professionals in media businesses and participate in journalism events.
The Oakland Unified School District started with only three academies. The Fremont High School principal told the journalism instructor, Steve O'Donoghue, to build an academy around the journalism program. They called it "The Media Academy." O'Donoghue and current academy director Michael Jackson were the original instructors but more teachers later entered the Media Academy. In the fall of 2003, Fremont High School was broken down into several small schools, and the Media Academy High School was born.