History
In January 1930, Bret Harte Junior High School began as part of Oakland Unified School District in the Dimond/Laurel District of Oakland, California. As with all of Oakland's former junior high schools that served 7th, 8th and 9th grade students, in 1998 Bret Harte was reconfigured into Bret Harte Middle School, serving 6th, 7th and 8th grade students. Named after Bret Harte, who was a California writer, the school was built as Oakland's expanding development into East Oakland necessitated new schools. The school's auditorium gymnasium building was constructed in 1950, and an additional building was built on the campus in 1959, a major expansion taking place in 1979. Tom Hanks graduated from Bret Harte Junior High in 1971. Once a primarily white school, changing demographics now make Bret Harte