Academically single sex but socially coed - the best of both worlds. Convent (girls school) and…read moreStuart Hall (boys school) have separate classrooms but share the campus and resources. Really amazing administration and leadership - very active in building connections and on going projects between the boys and girls. They all know each other. My children have so many resources - reading specialists, math specialists, etc - that allow for differentiated learning within the classroom. For example, it is common for children in the same class to be learning at different math levels. While we are not religious, my favorite thing about the school is their global approach. The children are very educated about current events, world religions, world languages (Spanish, French, Mandarin, Latin), art, and music (Music Conservatory program). While academics and teachers are top notch, the global approach and emphasis on school community is very impressive. We love the school and all our kids are thriving! Also, great sports program!

I volunteered at the Stuart Hall for boys, a Catholic School of the Sacred Heart, as part of Bay…read moreArea Scientists in Schools in 2017. Two of my fellow graduate students from the Earth and Planetary Science department at UC Berkeley and I prepared and gave an interactive lesson and experiment on earthquakes and geological faults to a class of boys. Students interacted with the handout we prepared electronically via tablet technology and we broke the students into three groups, one with each of us volunteers. The students in my group were well behaved, contributed to group discussion, and not afraid to partake in the hands-on experiment. On the whole I had a good experience. One of the other volunteers was male, the other female, and I am female. I had no issues getting the male students to pay attention, nor did the other male volunteer, though we were both geophysicists and earthquakes fell in our realm of graduate studies. The other female volunteer, a geochemist, said she had a little difficulty with the students in her group, but not bad. Our conclusion was maybe it was related to our knowledge background and area of study in graduate school and how that translated into our teaching style, though there were lingering concerns it might have been related to her being female.

One of the biggest problems with this school is that some teachers seem to think they can treat…read morestudents however they want and then hide behind the excuse of "being strict." There is a huge difference between being strict and making students feel embarrassed, singled out, or disrespected. What makes it even worse is that when students try to speak up about how they are being treated, their concerns are often brushed off. Instead of listening and trying to understand why a student feels uncomfortable, people immediately defend the teacher and say they're just doing their job. This sends the message that teachers can say or do whatever they want without being held accountable. A school should be a place where students feel safe, respected, and supported. Unfortunately, it often feels like student concerns are ignored while teachers are automatically believed, no matter what happened. Respect goes both ways, and if schools expect students to treat teachers with respect, then teachers should be held to the same standard. Overall, this school needs to do a better job of listening to students and taking their concerns seriously instead of dismissing them as complaints about "strict" teachers.

My experience with Marina Middle has been disappointing. Many students feel unsupported, and some…read moreteachers come across as harsh or unkind instead of encouraging. There's a sense that student concerns aren't always taken seriously, which affects the school environment and makes learning stressful. The administration could do much more to ensure that teachers treat students with respect and create a safer, more positive atmosphere.

As per San Francisco Unified School Distinct standard practice, graduating elementary and middle…read moreschool kids from within the district have the option of filling out forms that allow you to select your top preferences for the school you'd like to attend. Apparently, my parents selected Washington and Wallenberg as the preferred schools for me to continue my education. Since i didn't get my school of choice coming out of Elementary school (Marina being #1 choice) I expected to at least get my selection this time. Wrong. I was assigned to Galileo, at the time a school known for students and their shenanigans, suspected gangs roaming within the school, and not really recognized for any type of academic achievement. Day 1 of Galileo went without a hitch. As I suspected, I attended a school with a vastly dominated Asian population with groups of other minorities spread out among the student body. This is typically the basic make up of a SFUSD public school, with at least 2000 students attending this school. When I first attended in 2004, the school was somewhat showing signs of wear an tear but when I graduated in 2008, they made significant improvements and remodeled certain aspects of the building. A new artificial turf football field was installed, there is better accessibility around the school for physically impaired people, and they completely changed the courtyard. Course wise they offer classes that you'd expect to see at other schools from your basic science courses to honors courses to AP courses. They had good teachers while I was there an generally it wasn't too challenging for me as High School should be rather easy seeing as how you can easily graduate by doing the minimum and maintaining C's as getting an F really requires work and dedication to failing. Being called Galileo Academy, you are also able to choose to enroll in a 2 year program such AOIT, The Health Academy, a Hospitality program, and others such as the four year AVID program. I was in both the Health Academy and AVID as one helped learn some basic EMT techniques, which counted as 9.5 college units, and AVID meant to help prepare you for college and assisting in the application process. All the teachers i had class with were nice, helpful and of course there's always a couple who make it interesting. Galileo also has a tradition in Sports being the most winning full football program in SF and excelling in a couple of other sports. Sports are a must to gain a good high school experience and the school staff such as counselors were all very helpful. By the time I graduated, Galileo was on it's way up rivaling Lowell and Washington in Academics. This school is also located right by the Pier for an excellent experience during lunch (or if you decide to skip out on class). With so much around, it's tough going to school everyday. Yet It is a school worth attending and will leave you with a good High School Experience. Any other school in SF is a joke. G-House is the place to be.

I went to high school here for two years, freshman and sophomore year. I felt like a lot of the…read morekids here don't care and it causes other students to not work as hard. The school is actually really nice and I love LOVE how it is right by the water. Teachers here are nice.

If you want a school that is all memorization, this school is for you. If you want a Catholic…read moreeducation based on fear and shame, this school is for you. If you believe that we are all God's children with different strengths and weaknesses, that girls and boys should have the same opportunities, and that educators grow through different experiences, this school is NOT for you. Teachers stay too long and become entrenched in anger, frustration and failure. They take it out on the kids. Parents expect all their kids to go to SI, and any other school besides SI means their child will be a failure for the rest of their life. It places a burden on the school, the teachers and the students that fails the entire community, but instead of stepping up to that problem, the admin hides and wheels and deals when it comes to high school admissions - they play God. This school failed my family in all aspects: preparing them for high school, developing good character, inspiring them to be good Catholics. There are many good families who try very hard, but the school and parish are stuck under the oppressive Archdiocese. Let's hope the new head of schools for the Archdiocese can bring about change!

UHS has stellar teachers and offers a supportive environment for high school students. The school…read morepushes students hard on the college-prep route. Advanced Placement courses and tough courses all-around. They get you in to college and make sure you do well there. Top notch school. Very greatful for having gone there. They recently added a new building at 3220 Sacramento Street which houses Ceramic and Art Studios, a film lab, offices, and much more. They are in the process of renovating their lower campus on Washington Street and have already completed a new library on Jackson. A new theater was added in 2001.

I was spoiled by my four years here and received an education that is on par with (if not superior…read moreto) that of many universities. Make no mistake the coursework here pushes students hard, but the opportunities here are endless and display an incredible diversity of passions and talents. During my time at UHS, I played on the varsity tennis and badminton teams, played intramural sports, performed in the spring musical, wrote for the school newspaper, founded a club, sang in the chorus, took a photo class...oh and I took a few academic classes in between. The kinds of classes I took included AP US History, Mandarin Chinese, Literature of the Vietnam War, Western Civilization, Calculus, and the list goes on. My only regret? Not studying harder and pushing myself to try more new things. You can be an artist or a businessman. You can explore the sciences or delve into the literature of your favorite foreign language. It really is as much as you want to make of it. The faculty is top notch, with credentials from outstanding academic institutions and more importantly, a great ability to encourage the students to WANT to learn. And let me save the best for last. The students. The people. Ambitious, talented, and bound to do amazing things. Yes, I sound like a propaganda tool. But I cannot say enough about this school. Alumni events connect me to a wide array of grads in locations and industries far and wide. If you are considering sending your child here, you are doing them a great service. Don't let the finances deter you - the education is first rate and financial aid is available to those who qualify.

My son attended Town School for Boys from K to 8th grade. Town prepared him for high school and…read morehas a great alumni history. It is one of the best private K-8 school in San Francisco. Their vlass size is about 45 kids per grade. If you are thinking of send you son to Town School, start the process early as it's difficult to be admitted.

I attended my Town School for Boys 30th class reunion a couple of years ago, a bunch of contented,…read morefat, balding adults standing around in Dockers, sipping pinot grigio. Didn't come close to descending into the Lord of the Flies-type scenario I had so desperately hoped for. What, after all, do Kenwood Estates and canapes have to do with nine years of regimentation and David Copperfield-like toil under the lash of a system that hoped to mold us into "leaders"? Okay, 95% of everything I know came from Town School. But so did 98% of my psychoses. What would have been far more appropriate to the occasion was a one-hour game of Blood Lust. Blood Lust: 80 kids, one ball, no rules. We developed it as a way to, well...you get the picture. 30 years on, I figured this was our final opportunity to return to the feral underbelly or our childhood, the last chance to go down under a frenzied, unsupervised scrum of screeching males, crushed to the asphalt but not ever letting go of the dodge ball. Or maybe Kill The Goalie. Which differed from Blood Lust only in that it involves four goalies, 80 center forwards, unlimited soccer balls, and a cement wall. Since the evening did not end with a draped body being rolled into a paramedic van, I viewed it as a failure. For God's sake, there has got to be something out there that will let me at least *start* to come to terms with my issues.

My daughter graduated from this school and sending her here was the best choice we ever made. She…read moregot a great education and made life long friends.

If you are looking for a school with brilliant and caring teachers and administrators, look no…read morefurther. The magic sauce of this school is the relationships students build with the adults on campus. These connections serve as the foundation for students to thrive in a joyfully rigorous academic program. My son, a junior at Drew, is authentically engaged in each of his classes. He loves his teachers. He has become a leader of groups and topics he cares about most. Drew walks their talk of helping all students become leaders and teaching them to develop their individual voices. And it all comes down to Drew teachers, who pave the way for all Drew students to be joyful learners.

We have two kids at Sherman, and have been part of the school community for 4 years now. The…read moreteachers are excellent. coming from Montessori preschool, our oldest could not read at all, and by the end of first grade, she was reading grade levels ahead. The parent community is also wonderful and very involved, from fundraisers to soccer teams, it's a great place to find your tribe.

We toured seven elementary schools in San Francisco, and Sherman Elementary was our first choice…read moreand we couldn't be happier with our decision. Sherman has such a wonderful community of parents, teachers, and staff who are genuinely invested in creating a welcoming and supportive environment for every child. There is a great balance between academics and activities, giving students opportunities to learn, explore, create, and have fun. What really stands out to us is the inclusivity of the school. Sherman really embraces the idea that every child and family belongs, and that sense of community is unmatched. We've been so happy with our experience and feel very fortunate to be part of the Sherman community! FYI - they have a great Lost & Found as well as a Stop, Drop & Go program at the school... it's also the little things that make Sherman so great!

Great school with a wonderful choralmusic program. Caring…read morestaff; small teacher student ratio.

St Brigid is a wonderful school with friendly students and great teachers .We are very satisfied…read morewith their academic level. My son is a happy student and we appreciate the St Brigid community.

I have a daughter just ending her Sophomore year at SHCP. She came from a smaller, more elite "all…read moregirls" school in SF. The transition to a much larger and co-ed environment has been seamless. SHC has all the benefits of a much larger school, but with the sense of community of a smaller school. The dePaul program has provided a smaller cohort within the school to be a member of, that allows you to feel like you belong from day one. Each kid seems to find their own, or a few groups to be part of from guitar club, to cross country, and from debate to the major sports teams. She has loved helping the tennis team have the most success the team has ever had in the school's history - yes, even beating SI! The friendly rivalry between SI & SHC is great, but I believe SHC now has the edge in most respects! The benefits of SHC include the size and scale to have a big high school experience, supporting school teams, finding the right level of challenge in just about every class; the only truly racially diverse school in the city, surprisingly open-minded attitude to embracing all religions and atheists; a great campus with lots of space outdoors for the kids to hang out at lunchtime and the walk between two campus's to catch up with friends between classes; the most fantastic school library in the city - in every respect; a fantastic theater and great arts/music program, and so much more. I had never even considered the school until I dropped in on the Open House on a whim and I was sooooo happy when my daughter chose SHC over the 5 independent school places she was also offered. Two years in we have no regrets! It's a school that encourages every individual kid to thrive and be the best version of themselves that they can be - allowing huge levels of independence whilst offering support and an invisible safety net should they start to need it. I'd strongly recommend including it on your list of potential high schools to consider.

This school is a waste of your money, and I agreed with a prior comment, they do not care about…read moretheir students they only care about your money. How is it that their mission is to serve and help the world, but when their own students begin showing signs in disorders like autism or ADHD there is nothing they can do? They do not have teachers in special education? With all the money that you spend, the response is ultimately sorry we can't help you, even if your kid is a 4.0 student.