OAKLAND — Oakland is one of the best U.S. cities for embracing initiatives that better the lives of black men and boys, according to an index released Thursday.

The index was compiled by Campaign for Black Male Achievement, or CBMA, a national network representing 2,500 organizations and programs across the U.S. and funded by nonprofits like The California Endowment, Skillman Foundation and the Knight Foundation, to name a few.

Oakland scored a 95, tied with Washington, D.C. and Detroit for best on the list of 50 cities. San Francisco scored a 47.

The scoring system was based on several factors, including the demographics of black males compared to the overall population, the number of national programs benefiting black males, the amount of targeted funding from nonprofits and how many local organizations are members of the CBMA.

Oakland was credited particularly for the Oakland Unified School District’s African American Male Achievement Office, a program started in 2010 to help black male students graduate. Chris Chatmon, director of the School District’s achievement program, said the program emphasized restorative justice for students, instead of heavy-handed punishment and suspensions. Specialized classes were created to highlight historical black leaders and inspire students.

“We were able to evolve the curriculum away from a white narrative and lift up the black and brown narratives to accelerate learning conditions,” Chatmon said on a Wednesday conference call with reporters.

An October “Black Minds Matter” report from the local advocacy group Education Trust-West showed that the school district’s graduation rate for black males has hovered near 50 percent for several years, rising to 57 percent last year.

But “this ranks the district among the worst in the state when it comes to Black male graduation rates, reinforcing the need for OUSD to continue addressing this vulnerable population of students,” the report said.

The alternative to education is often violence. A 2014 report from the Violence Policy Center said Alameda County had one of the highest rates in California for youth homicides, with only Los Angeles County tallying more. Most of the killings in Alameda County happened in Oakland.

Last year, 66 of the city’s 86 homicides involved black victims, most killed by guns, according to Oakland police statistics.

Shawn Dove, CEO of CBMA, said the index isn’t intended to pit cities against each other, but rather serve as a collaborative tool for sharing ideas and strategies. Investing in local leaders and organizations is crucial, he said.

Dove noted the nationwide fervor surrounding movements like Black Lives Matter, a movement protesting the killings of black people by police. But despite the anger directed at many cities and their policies, Dove said “we have seen pockets of promise” worth highlighting.

Cities receiving high scores shouldn’t assume their work is done, either.

“Quite frankly, no city can raise a victory flag,” Dove said.

Mike Blasky covers Oakland City Hall. Contact him at 510-208-6429. Follow him at Twitter.com/blasky.