Now in my 23rd year at Lick and my 41st year in education, I can say with assurance that there is not another high school like Lick-Wilmerding. While many aspects set it apart, there are three that make us especially distinguished and distinctive in the school world:

Head, Heart, Hands Philosophy and Programs
L-W's expansive menu of rigorous academics, technical arts, visual arts, performing arts and athletics means that we produce whole, well-rounded graduates. Our students leave Ocean Avenue with competence and confidence in many, varied areas. They have fresh ways of seeing, thinking about and addressing challenges. Lick graduates are admired for their creativity and "can-do confidence," as well as their eye for design and innovative approaches to problem solving. While at Lick, they learn a sense of proportion and come to understand that a happy, meaningful and fulfilling life consists of more than professional achievement. Family, friends and one's own inner journey must also be thoughtfully and intentionally nourished.

Access and Inclusive Community
Our 115-year commitment to being accessible to students and families from all walks of life has produced one of the most diverse independent schools in the nation. Our students, from a wide range of economic, racial/ethnic, geographic and educational backgrounds, all bring their special gifts to our community. The sum of these gifts produces as yeasty and compelling a learning environment as I can imagine. The cultural mosaic of Lick’s community reflects the real world of today and the emergent world of tomorrow.

Public Purpose
Lick-Wilmerding is acknowledged as the national "gold standard" in the realm of private schools with public purpose. In addition to robust student immersion in community service and service learning initiatives, the school itself models strong and strategic institutional leadership in developing public/private partnerships. Programs such as Aim High, the Bay Area Teachers' Center, the Oakland Academic Stars Scholarship Program, the City Fields Foundation and Friends of the Geneva Car Barn and Powerhouse have all been nurtured here. Such commitments reflect the essential purpose we embrace as an educational institution, and they model “other-centeredness” and generosity of spirit for our students.. LW’s ultimate aim, through its students and its graduates, and through its role as an institutional leader, is to make the world a better place.