At Piedmont Middle School, the way station between the elementary schools and the high school, sixth to eighth…More graders solidfiy their skills in the core subjects of language arts, reading, social studies and math.</p> <p>Parents can expect their sixth graders to be asked to complete about one and half hours worth of homework a night, seventh graders two hours, and eighth graders two and a half hours as they prepare for the rigors of high school.</p> <p>At the same time, middle schoolers enjoy opportunities to explore their individual talents in elective courses from woodshop to public speaking. And students shine on the stage too, in the spring talent show, and in the annual geography and spelling bees that feed into regional and national competitions.</p>

The Piedmont Unified School District is consistently one of the highest ranking districts in the state, with over 95…More percent of graduates going on to colleges and universities.</p> <p>PUSD operates three elementary schools, a middle school, a traditional high school, an alternative high school and an adult school.</p> <p>Support of the schools is truly a community affair, with the Piedmont Educational Foundation and parent associations raising hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to supplement local parcel taxes and bonds and state and federal allocations to maintain top notch educational programs.</p>

Piedmont Community Church Associate Minister Don Ashburn says the parish takes the "community" in "Community Church"…More really seriously. Centered in the heart of Piedmont, city residents make up much of the parish, with 35 percent coming from Oakland, Alameda, Berkeley, San Leandro, and Lamorinda; with weddings and funerals many more point to the church as the site of milestones in their lives.</p> <p>The church was founded in 1910, making it one of the oldest non-denominational churches west of the Mississippi. PCC continues to be theologically and culturally diverse, with over 17 different denominational backgrounds represented in membership, liberal and conservative, Protestant and Catholic. </p> <p>The congregation is known for its music program, featuring organ and choir on Sunday mornings and a contemporary worship service one Sunday evening a month.  It offers a dynamic Sunday School program for children, with active youth groups for Middle and High School students.  Adult fellowship and education are also a strong emphasis.</p> <p>Beyond religious services, the church complex is a hub of community activity. The Linda Beach, route: {:action=>"show", :controller=>"listings", :id=>"linda-beach-cooperative-preschool"} --> and <!-- name: Highlands preschools are housed in the education building. The Boy Scouts, Piedmont Choirs, Piedmont Language School and Piedmont Recreation Department also use the facilities for meetings, rehearsals, classes and games. </p> <p>And the church provides opportunities for Piedmont residents to foster community off the hill too. PCC gathers regularly with its sister congregation, the Imani Community Church, in East Oakland and a group is sent each year to visit the parish's other sister church, Kafita Presbyterian Church, in Lilongwe, Malawi. There are annual short-term overseas mission trips as well as numerous ways for parishioners to be active in local service; including a mentoring program for children with fathers in prison, tutoring kids in under-performing Oakland schools and serving meals in homeless shelters in Berkeley and Oakland. Each year, the church takes about a quarter of the students at Piedmont High School to Mexico to build houses in disadvantaged communities during spring break.</p>