Student Life

Live Oak students are regularly leaving the classroom to learn from the world around them. Kindergartners experience an array of San Francisco's parks, sights, and neighborhoods on weekly Friday field trips. We make it a point to help expose our students to experiences that deepen their understanding of academic concepts while collecting valuable insights into how these skills make meaning in their everyday life. Field trips like the sixth grade "Our Changing City" exploration of San Francisco's evolving neighborhoods allow our students to experience the richness of the city they live in. In the spring of 2025, eight graders embarked on a new experiential learning opportunity with a week-long tour through the South that brought them closer to their learning about the Civil Rights Movement. 

Overnight outdoor trips present opportunities for our students to pursue learning goals beyond the walls of our school. The trips allow our students to deepen their learning and expand their connections with peers. The administrative and faculty teams work in partnership with outside organizations to provide our students in grades 4-8 with opportunities ranging from recreating a Russian settlement in Ft. Ross to a backpacking trip in Pinnacles National Forest. Some new overnight experiences in recent years have included a fourth grade visit to Westminster Woods, a sixth grade outing to Big Sur, and a seventh grade trip to Yosemite.

Every Live Oak student and staff member is a member of a mixed grade Grove. Groves encourage a sense of belonging, connectedness, and responsibility. Middle school students take on leadership roles in these groups, acting as models for social interaction and supporting younger students in Grove activities and community projects. One of Live Oak's long-standing traditions is the annual Sunflower Assembly where new kindergartners in each Grove are formally introduced by their eighth grade buddies to the broader school community at the beginning of the school year as an expression of welcoming and inclusion. 

Camp Live Oak is the most eagerly anticipated event of the year! With the support of faculty, camp staff, and parents, students take on new challenges, from sleeping in cabins with classmates, rock climbing, and a “polar bear swim” to quiet-time journaling, and performing in a talent show. Read more about Camp and its history in the Summer 2025 issue of Live Oak Magazine. 

Twice a year, Live Oak middle school students stage a full play geared for the enjoyment of San Francisco families. The productions give seventh and eighth graders the opportunity to sharpen their acting skills or participate in the stage crew to help bring the production to life. These performances are open to the public and sell out every year. Live Oak students put on two full scale productions each year. In recent years, productions have included, James and the Giant Peach (fall 2025), The Princess and the Pea (spring 2025), and At the Hop (fall 2024). Learn more about Live Oak theater teacher Stephanie Temple with her feature in the Winter 24/25 issue of Live Oak Magazine. 

After school sports for students in fifth through eighth grades include cross-country, volleyball, basketball, and futsal. Coaching focuses on skill development, good sportsmanship, and leadership, while providing a positive opportunity for social and group interaction. Lower school students have the opportunity to participate in soccer and Taekwondo as part of our Roots & Branches enrichment programs. Learn more about Live Oak's athletics program here.