Frequently Asked Questions

We are located in the middle of a family-friendly and wonderfully diverse neighborhood called The Portola. We are just south of Bernal Heights, east of Glen Park and blocks from the historic Alemany Farmer’s Market.

Preschool hours are 9:00 am - 3:00 pm with extended care available from 8:00 am - 6:00 pm.
Lower School hours are 8:30am - 3:15pm with extended care available from 7:30am - 6pm.
Middle School hours are 8:30am - 3:30pm with extended care available from 7:30am - 6pm

Please find all of our tuition details, including how to apply for Indexed Tuition, here.

Our Preschool program blends traditional Montessori materials and approaches with the best of other early childhood approaches such as Reggio-Emilia, play and inquiry-based. The rest of our curriculum is not Montessori.

Yes. We provide a homemade lunch for all students as well as a healthy snack for our Preschool and Lower School students. 

In partnership with Zum and nearby Alta Vista School, we offer a fee-based school bus for riders of all ages, preschool through middle school. Routes and schedules are determined the summer before school starts based on family interest level and location. Find out more on our transportation page.

Spanish language is part of our curriculum from Preschool 3 all the way through 8th grade. Sometimes other languages, like Mandarin or Hindi, are offered as options for after school enrichment.

Our music program is based on the Orff Schulwerk philosophy, an approach to education that involves all children in communal music making with an emphasis on creation and play. In the Orff approach, music class includes movement, dance, poetry, and regular connections to visual arts and other academic disciplines. At the core of Orff Schulwerk is the belief that musical imagination and creativity is present and can be developed in every child.

The curricula used are Contexts for Learning Mathematics (Lower School) and Illustrative Mathematics by Open Up Resources (Middle School). The SFS program aligns with the Common Core standards for mathematics, and incorporates algebraic thinking even in the youngest grades.

Health & Wellness is part of our regular curriculum from Preschool - 8th grade. Organized team sports - cross country, volleyball, basketball, and futsal - begin in Middle School (cross country begins in 5th grade).

Yes. Our students take occasional field trips during the school day in order to enhance their curricular learning. Beginning in 3rd grade, students have 1-2 annual overnight field trips, culminating with our 8th grade civil rights tour in Alabama.

We admit a new class of approximately 20 students for Preschool 3 and add 2-4 spots in Preschool 4 and Kindergarten. We add 12-16 spots in 6th grade when we expand for Middle School. Other openings depend on attrition and space availability.

Yes. You are welcome to apply after the application deadline, however, all applicants who apply before the deadline receive priority consideration. If you are not able to tour the school during the months of October through January, and we feel as though your family is a good fit for one of our openings, we will give you an official tour of the school when we bring your family in for an interview and assessment.

All new Preschool 3 students are “phased in” to our program throughout the first weeks of school so the teachers can give them extra attention as they settle in. All new students, Preschool through 8th grade, are paired with a current SFS “buddy family” the spring before they enter the school. New families are also invited to welcome events and other community-related events beginning the spring prior to entry.

SFS does give priority to children with siblings currently enrolled in the school, as well as the children of current staff members. Sibling and staff families must apply by their designated deadline, November 21st, for priority consideration. Sibling and staff applicants are still assessed to ensure that the SFS program is a match.

SFS values partnership and an understanding of the school’s mission and values. The relationship that exists with alumni and legacy families is valued and taken into consideration as part of an application, but these applications are considered in the main applicant pool, with no special application deadline or process.

We require all incoming Preschool 3’s to be three on or before September 1st of the year they wish to enroll. The same applies for Preschool 4 (i.e., four years old on or before September 1st) and Kindergarten (five years old on or before September 1st). We feel it is important to be consistent on this rule and do not make exceptions.

Unlike some other preschool programs, we do not keep a running waitlist. We simply ask that you apply the year before you wish to enroll your child. We do require all Preschool parenting adults to attend an information session (and ideally a tour) the fall prior to their desired enrollment. We assess all applications every year to find families who will be the best fit for the spaces that we have available. All applications remain active for two years. Therefore, if you are not offered admission the first time around, you are more than welcome to reactivate your application the following year. All we ask is that you update your existing application with any new information that will be helpful to our process (i.e., a new teacher evaluation, if applicable).

Yes. We require that all children are potty trained before their first day of school.

SFS only offers a full-time program for preschoolers. The day begins by 9:00 am and ends at 3:00 pm. We find that the consistency of a full day program is most conducive to the educational success and personal growth of the child.

Yes, we offer optional half-day shadow visits for prospective Middle School students from November through February. Students are paired with an SFS “buddy” in the grade to which they are applying.

The majority of our new Middle School students come from local public schools, and a few come from local independent schools.

Middle School Assessment Day is just another opportunity for us to get to know your child. We invite all of our Middle School applicants to the school on a Saturday morning for an interview, math assessment, reading and writing assessment, and group activity.

Absolutely. Please contact the Admissions office beforehand.

Most of our families live toward the southern end of the city: Noe Valley, Bernal Heights, Glen Park, Excelsior, Portola, Ingleside, etc. However, we do have families who live farther north in the Richmond and SOMA as well as south in Pacifica, Burlingame, and Millbrae. Many of our families live in San Francisco and commute to the Peninsula or South Bay for work and find the location of our school very convenient for drop-off and/or pick-up.

We are a community-minded school that relies heavily on parenting adult participation and volunteerism. Since tuition does not cover the full cost of a child’s education at The San Francisco School, all families are expected to participate in the Annual Fund and in periodic capital campaigns at a level that is meaningful to them. We also hope that all school parenting adults will be personally involved as volunteers in a capacity appropriate for their interests, skills, and availability.