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Private school BASIS Independent Dublin launched Aug. 19 into its inaugural year. (Photo by Jude Strzemp) 
The athletic field and gym can be seen from a ground-level classroom. (Photo by Jude Strzemp) 
BASIS Independent Dublin has a full-sized gym, a newly constructed element of the campus. (Photo by Jude Strzemp) 
The campus features a theater. (Photo by Jude Strzemp) 
A classroom at BASIS Independent Dublin on opening day. (Photo by Jude Strzemp)
As public schools in the Tri-Valley kicked off another academic year, BASIS Independent Schools welcomed for the first time about 130 students to its newly constructed private campus in Dublin.
Located at 7950 Dublin Blvd., BASIS Independent Dublin spans 150,000-square-feet with classrooms, laboratories, a theater, a full-sized gymnasium, a 34,257-square-foot outdoor athletic field, dedicated visual and performing arts spaces and collaborative learning areas.
The BASIS campus in Dublin, serving fifth through 10th grades, marks a first for the Tri-Valley and the third BASIS school site in the Bay Area.
Its opening follows over a year of construction that transformed a vacant office building to a student-ready campus.
On the first day of school Aug. 19, school leaders expressed their enthusiasm for its launch.
“Opening a new school is a challenge and opening a school this size is obviously a big task,” said Aprajita Singh, BASIS Independent Dublin director of operations. “Today made all this hard work worth it.”
Before students could file in, the site required renovation to a building with more than a couple boarded up windows as well as construction of a gym, field and associated site improvements.
In addition to physical changes to the site, BASIS undertook tasks such as hiring, onboarding, training and student enrollment.
“Now it actually feels like a school because everyone’s here and students are here,” Head of School Helen Min told the Pleasanton Weekly.
“It’ll feel like a school when kids mess it up a little bit. It’s a little too perfect,” Singh quipped.
Min previously worked as the director of student affairs and associate head of school at BASIS Independent Fremont.
Regarding curriculum at BASIS, students are enrolled in liberal arts and science programming measuring up to the best education systems worldwide, according to a statement from the company announcing the campus opening.
Tuition costs over $40,000 annually.
At BASIS, students are enrolled in courses with content-experts who are given freedom in their teaching methods, Min told the Weekly.
“We give teachers a lot of autonomy to teach a subject in a way that they would choose, according to their philosophy, in a way that excites them,” she explained.
Part of building a new school is also building its culture, Min added.
“We guide students so that they eventually are becoming more and more independent, both socially and academically, and learning whatever it is — skills, strategies, executive functioning,” she explained.
Guidance can also be about students developing self-esteem and more confidence, Min added.
“We’re excited to bring the BASIS Independent educational experience to Dublin and welcome a new community of families who value academic excellence, intellectual curiosity, and meaningful personal growth,” BASIS Independent Schools vice president Toby Walker said in a statement announcing the campus’ opening. “Our goal is to create an environment where students are encouraged to explore boldly, think independently, and realize they are capable of more than they may have imagined.”
As for the future of BASIS Independent Dublin, Min said the plan is to gradually grow the number of attendees to a total of 800 students by way of expanding the size of grade levels as well as the grades being offered. There is no set timeline for the expansion, she added.
“We are coming from a well-established program and we have a strong foundation under us, but we know that this is a great chance to build something new together,” Min said.
BASIS Independent Schools also has private campuses in New York, Northern Virginia and Washington. It is part of BASIS Curriculum Schools, which has campuses in China and Thailand, according to the statement.
BASIS Independent Schools is also part of Spring Education Group, a multi-brand company with private schools ranging from kindergarten through 12th grade including Stratford School, Merryhill School and Chesterbrook Academy.
