The San Francisco School

The San Francisco School is a terrific school. The school is K-​8. Our child attended SFS for grades 6 – 8 after doing K-​5 in public school, so the comments below relate to the SFS middle school. SFS basically doubles in size by taking new students in at middle school, so 6^th grade has twice as many students as 5^th grade.
What we like about SFS:
* Small class sizes, about 15 students per class, which is typical for private schools in San Francisco (the public schools have about 30 students per class by middle school).
* The teachers at SFS range from good to marvelous. The academics are strong at SFS in middle school. The classroom environment is good.
* SFS is a progressive private school, with 1960s roots. That means, among other things, that SFS takes student diversity seriously. There are more minority families and more alternative families (adopted kids, same-​sex couple parents) than you will find at other private schools.
* The Spanish program at SFS is terrific, which is why a lot of the best students from San Francisco’s Spanish immersion public elementary schools end up at SFS for middle school.
* The middle school dean and staff at SFS are absolutely first rate: smart, great communicators, and always willing to listen. The SFS staff works hard to create an environment where the kids can learn and have fun, but also an environment where mistakes of judgment have consequences. I learned a lot from the professional staff at SFS, not only about SFS itself, but also about parenthood and adolescence.
* Private education is expensive but I always felt that my money was well spent at SFS.

I have been a parent at The San Francisco School for 12 years. I have had a child graduate from here and one still one there. I can not say enough positive things about this school. The teachers are exceptional (committed, talented, innovative), administrators are highly engaged with parents and kids. My kids have had an amazing educational experience at SFS but what I really value is that even all the way up to 8^th grade my daughter maintained her passion for learning. She went on to high school with a love of the arts, science, math and writing. I couldn’t ask for anything more than that.

I have two children at The San Francisco School who have been there since they were 3; they are now in first and fourth grade. As an educator I was looking for a comprehensive education program for my children in a small and nurturing environment. The San Francisco School provides this and more. The teacher-​student ratio is low plus there is extra support for students who need it. They do an excellent job of educating the whole child with regards to different learning styles. They have a great music and arts program that compliment the academic courses.
The San Francisco School has an amazing and dedicated parent community as well. We feel like we have made lifelong friends and our children have made close connections with other students and their families as well. And diversity is a big part of why we like the school. The parent body and staff are ethnically and socioeconomically diverse and many different family structures are represented as well. And it’s not just that diversity is represented. There is an active parent-​run diversity committee and diversity is always at the forefront of decisions that are being made.
I highly recommend The San Francisco School to anyone who is looking for an excellent and well rounded education for their child. Independent school tuition is high these days, but the school’s tuition is below the mean in the city. The school does have a very good indexed tuition program-​one of the highest in the city.

We love the San Francisco School! Our two kids are there, and happy and thriving. It is a school that lives and breathes its mission statement
«The San Francisco School cultivates and celebrates the intellectual, imaginative and humanitarian promise of each student in a community that practices mutual respect, embraces diversity, and inspires a passion for learning.»
We first found out about the School through friends whose kids were there, and met their friends who were also at the School. They were such down to earth, interesting, smart people — we were just drawn to the community.
Our kids have been there for many years, and we couldn’t be more satisfied. The school has been described as a private school with a public purpose. The teachers are excellent and devoted to the kids and the school. They instill a passion and joy for learning. The curriculum in integrated, so concepts they are teaching are interwoven throughout — including art and music.
The community is great — one of the most diverse in the city (if not the most) — racially, socio economically. We love the families, and feel totally embraced by the place — It is a great place for our children, but we treasure the friendships we have made there.
We have heard from teachers at high schools that a San Francisco School student stands out — a collaborative learner, kind, thoughtful.
The San Francisco School is a very special place that our children our very fortunate to be a part of.

This is our third year at SFS. We have a kindergartener and first year preschooler. We chose this school largely based on our friend’s two kids who are just wonderful, kind and caring children. We’ve also met some very nice adults who had gone there. It’s been around since 1966– one of the oldest private schools in SF. The creative environment instills this incredible love of learning. Our oldest started reading and writing at 4 and a half. The school’s size allows the faculty to really know how each child learns. We are so impressed by that. There is specific material on our oldest’s desk every morning when she arrives based on her learning style. Watching the growth and confidence that comes from that has been an amazing experience for us. Our youngest is already on the same path.
We have learned so much from the teachers. They are open and always helpful. We’ve also sat in on the 8^th grade math class and honestly, it was way over our heads. (even for my husband, mr. smarty pants) We loved how that teacher allowed the kids to all arrive at the same answer in their own way. Like life, there is never just one way to approach things.
Here are her words: I like to bake and i also like to play outside but my favorite thing of all is to play with my friends. I like to do my best guess writing and read. i like the stories we read at circle. Every morning when i get to school, i give my teachers a big hug.
For us, all the boxes are checked — great academics, a loving environment, great support network, diversity, good outdoor space and the goats and bunnies. But most importantly, our kids love going to school.

We have a 6^th grader at the San Francisco School. She started there in the preschool when she was 3. Our plan was to the apply to public schools starting in K, but we all fell in love with the school and couldn’t leave. The school community is a standout for kids and less importantly, but icing on the cake– also for parents. One of the things I love about the school is that all kids develop a feeling that music, art, sports, academics, critical thinking are skills that they all have. This is not just a platitude. The faculty and kids really think «oh art? Everyone makes art.» «Oh music– of course, everyone makes music, «and so on. At the same time, it is academically challenging and really promotes a sense of curiosity, wonder and critical thinking in their students.
Walking into the school, the first thing we noticed is that satisfying hum of work and excitement. Kids look happy to be at school and to be with each other. The faculty is also supported in being autonomous and creative and this shows up in the classroom every day. And it really is something to have a middle schooler who is as pleased to go to school now as when she was in preschool.
We were also very pleased that diversity is a very important value at the school. People are serious and earnest about the importance of a diverse community.
As you can see, we love the San Francisco School!

Our daughter attends (kindergarten) here, so take that as a caveat. Of course we love it, otherwise we wouldn’t be there.
A few facts about SFS:
It’s pre-​K through 8^th grade.
There are about 250 students total.
Reasons we love the school:
Diversity:
We are an ‘alternative’ family. Gay parents, transracial adoption. The school really ‘walks the walk’ on diversity. Unlike many of the independent (private) schools in the area that seemed mostly ‘white’ with only a smattering of LGBT families, SFS has a sizable population of non-​white children and LBGT families. Those proportions are growing. When we applied, there were about 1 – 2 children of LBGT families per class grade. Our entering class had 8 (of 24 children) children of LGBT families and the following classes (3 subsequent years) have had 4 – 6. With racial diversity it is the same. I am not sure about the previous entering classes, but our class of 24 has 12 children of color (3 AA, 5 Latino, 4 Asian) and then entering class this year is over 67% children of color (not sure what the exact percentage is). The school is beginning to look very much like the city itself. It’s diverse in many other ways too.
Academic, Teachers and Admin:
All I can say is WOW. The first three years (3 yr old to kindergarten) are Montesorri-​based and meet in the same room. The teachers for these grades are GREAT. Our daughter is thriving academically and otherwise there. They have an amazing music and arts program and it’s intertwined with all the other subjects, great math, science and more too. Our friends who have had kids go through the first two grades only have exuberant praise for the teachers there (upper grades too, but we don’t have as many friends in those grades). There are also Spanish and Mandarin classes (though not intensive or immersion, they start in pre-​k).
The head of school is the person who sold us on the school, an amazing man. He has been there over 30 years. He retires next year, but the new head of school (who has been the assistant head for a few years) is also excellent and we are so glad we have him.
Community:
Close knit and progressive. We really love it.
Cost:
Damn expensive. Luckily, they have one the highest rates of ‘tuition adjustment’ in the city, over 35% of students are on indexed tuition.
We had planned to move our daughter to public schools last year. We did the search and application process and got into two schools (a charter school and a public) that we were very happy with and were our first choices. We actually were very pleased with the schools we toured and considered. But our daughter has been thriving at this school, more than thriving and we have such a rare thing in SFS (diversity, excellence, friends, etc), that with the help of indexed tuition and some scraping and saving, we decided to leave her there as long as we are able.