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Please provide a comprehensive summary of the top ten private elementary schools in San Francisco.
INTRODUCTION
Hello! Thanks for your question about a comprehensive summary of the top ten private elementary schools in San Francisco. The short version is that out of the 91 private elementary schools in SanFrancisco the average tuition is $16,683 and around 54% of schools have a religious affiliation. However, I narrowed it down to the top 18 private elementary co-ed/all boys schools and came up with detailed information on each. Below you will find a deep dive into my findings.
LIST OF NICHE'S 2018 BEST SCHOOLS
I searched on the internet and found the list of schools from Niche's 2018 best schools in San Francisco. You can filter by type like elementary and private vs public. I have provided the school website and information. Each website, for the most part, lists their tuition and mission. The Niche website also offers a snapshot like teacher-to-student ratios. Most websites also provide a similar "at a glance" section about the school that highlights details like diversity.
Since Niche only has the top 18 ranked, I looked up tech-focused schools. A good example is The Alt School which was founded by a Google executive and is based in CA and NY. This school caters to start up/tech-savvy parents and their tuition is listed as $27,050. Contact info: AltSchool HQ info@altschool.com 866-664-2070. They have two lab schools in SF one in Fort Mason and Yerba Buena.
I have discussed each of the top 18 schools and provided vital information about their school fees and other data that I believe will be of great importance to you. Some websites did not provide the tuition cost because they want you to contact them directly. I also found a couple of interesting articles about some schools but since most are k-12 the articles were on sports achievements and not related to elementary school.
HARKER SCHOOL
It is crowned as the top leading private elementary school in San Francisco. Harker is known for its robust extracurricular activities, global learning programs, and fully equipped tech facilities.
Despite a scandal involving a tutor and a student whereby a Harker middle school math teacher was arrested for lewd activities with a minor, the charges were dropped. The school is said to have conducted its own investigation.
Address — 500 Saratoga Avenue San Jose, CA 95129.
Under "Tuition and Financial Aid" they list the following for tuition:
HEAD-ROYCE SCHOOL
It is ranked as the second best private elementary school in San Francisco. They have a diverse student body and no religious affiliation. In a recent article that detailed some school's accomplishments, as it is a k-12 school, in a recent competition, all seven teams that Head-Royce fielded qualified for state championships, which include five high school teams and two middle school teams.
Address — 4315 Lincoln Ave Oakland, CA 94602
Under the admissions tab, they list the following for tuition:
SACRED HEART SCHOOLS- ATHERTON
Sacred Heart is a Catholic school and it is ranked third in San Francisco. The school fosters social awareness and emphasizes the importance of building a community, personal growth, and intellectual values.
Address — 150 Valparaiso Ave ATHERTON, CA 94027
Under "fast facts:"
FRENCH AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL AND INTERNATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
This school is the fourth-ranked private elementary school in San Francisco. This school has a bilingual education program in order to give students a global perspective. Students are taught in both English and French.
Under "At a glance:"
Address — 150 Oak Street San Francisco, CA 94102
THE QUARRY LANE SCHOOL
Depending on which side you are viewing the list, the school is ranked at position 5 or 17th sometimes. This school is made up of a diverse population the features students from Japan, Angola, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and more.
Address — 6363 Tassajara Rd. Dublin, CA 94568
Under "admissions" they list the following for tuition:
CONVENT AND STUART HILL SCHOOLS
Ranked position six in the list of k-12 elementary schools. This is a Catholic school that has boys and girls but teaches them separately in either the Convent or Stuart Hall (education tab).
Under "Admissions" the tuition for K-8 is $30,600.
Address — 2222 Broadway San Francisco, CA 94115
THE NUEVA SCHOOL
It claims its position seven on the list of the top private elementary schools in SanFranscisco. Diverse student body with an emphasis on "learning by doing". Their tuition (admissions) ranges from $34,234 (K) to $44,824 (6th). They have two campuses and the address for K-8 is 6565 Skyline Blvd Hillsborough, CA 94010 and Phone number: (650) 350-4600.
In a recent article about reading banned books from the school's website revealed the following: "Students react very strongly to the idea that books may be challenged or removed from the curriculum or library in some parts of the country," Jan said. “This happens for various reasons but often because the content falls outside of what is considered mainstream — stories about people of color or questioning sexuality.”
SAN DOMENICO SCHOOL
This is a co-ed school that is ranked position eight. Over 85% of its students were accepted into their top choice for college and 89% were accepted into a top 50 ranked school.
Address — 1500 Butterfield Road San Anselmo, CA 94960
FREMONT CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
This is an evangelical school that has its rank as being nine in the list. Under "Tuition and Fees" they have a scale of tuition based on how many children you have. Although this school is an advocate for Christianity they do not disparage different religious views within their community.
For one child, the fees are:
Address — 4760 Thornton Avenue Fremont, CA 94536
CONTRA COSTA CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS
This is a Christian academy and it is ranked in position ten. Their tuition for elementary school is $7,450 or $621 per month (admissions). This school puts an emphasis on transparency and building trust with the parents of their students.
Address — 2721 Larkey Ln Walnut Creek, CA 94597
LYCEE FRANCAIS DE SAN FRANCISCO
Ranking in position eleven, this French/American school has the following features: Under at a glance you can see that the student-teacher ratio is 1:9. At this school 94% of the faculty have advanced degrees, 37 languages are spoken and 71 nationalities are represented.
Address — 1201 Ortega St San Francisco, CA 94122
SAN FRANSISCO WALDORF SCHOOL
Though known to shun technology in its curriculum and studies, according to a recent article, this school has managed to clinch the rank of being number 12. Elementary school is taught in both Mandarin and Chinese (paragraph 3). Waldorf School in San Francisco is one of 160 schools that shuns the use of technology.
Under admissions the tuition is:
Address — 2938 Washington St San Francisco, CA 94115
VALLEY CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS
This is a co-ed school that has managed to rank at position 13. The school has continued to score in the top 10% for reading and math comprehension. I could not find their tuition as it looks like they want you to request more information. Despite this, Niche listed the tuition at $15,900.
Address — 7500 Inspiration Dr. Dublin, CA 94568
CHINESE CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS
This is a Chinese Christian school that celebrates diversity and it is ranked at position 14. The school is also known for ranking in the 80th percentile for the Terra Nova 3 a standardized test. Their admissions page does not list tuition but under the admissions FAQ, they acknowledge that there is a tiered admissions process for siblings.
Address — 1801 N Loop Rd Alameda, CA 94502
ALMA HEIGHTS CHRISTIAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Found in Pacifica California, this Christian elementary school ranks position 15 in the list. It is a co-ed Christian school that works with families to help guide each child as they mature and obtain their goals. Under their admissions page tuition ranges from $8136.00 (K) to $11,400.00 (8th).
Contact information for the elementary school campus:
ELEMENTARY CAMPUS 1295 Seville Dr. Pacifica CA 94044
REDWOOD CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS
Normally shortened as RCS, this Christian interdenominational school is ranked position 16 on the list. Students at this school hail from 5 nations, 3 countries, and 15 different communities. Their website does not list the tuition but you can contact (510) 889-7526 or e-mail Brittany Spade, Director of Student Services, BrittanySpade@rcs.edu, for tuition information.
Address — 4200 James Avenue Castro Valley, CA 94546
PLEASANT HILL ADVENTIST ACADEMY
The school is located in Pleasant Hill California and it is ranked position 17 on the list. It is part of the Seventh-day Adventist school network. The student handbook (page 36) lists tuition for K-6 as $6,351.00.
Address — 796 Grayson Rd Pleasant Hill, CA 94573
WALDORF SCHOOL OF THE PENINSULA
This school clinches on the 18th position. They offer everything from a rigorous high school curriculum to an introductory parent-toddler classes. Under "tuition" they list their elementary school tuition at $24,200 plus activities fees.
Address — 11311 Mora Dr. Los Altos, CA 94024
TECH-ORIENTED SCHOOLS HONORABLE MENTIONS
I would be unjust if I do not mention these two schools which have had tremendous exploits in incorporating technology-oriented curriculum for the students who are interested and come from tech-savvy parents. One is Alt School and the other is Oakwood school. "Founded in 2013 by former Google head of personalization Max Ventilla, AltSchool has poached high-level executives from Google and Uber. It’s got users—in this case, parents—applying by the thousands. It’s actually making money. And as of today, Mark Zuckerberg just became one of its largest investors." Oakwood, on the other hand, is so far ranked the best in Silicon Valley. They do not list their tuition rates online and encourage you to contact them and request more information. Tuition rates for 2018-2019 school year are published January 2018.
Address — 105 John Wilson Way Morgan Hill, CA 95037
OTHER ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
There is a lot of information that I have not yet exhausted concerning the ranking of the top best schools on other factors as well. For instance, if you click here you will be directed to a list of the best elementary schools in the Bay Area which is basically a list of schools ranked by parents by area by GOLD, SILVER, and BRONZE. Another interesting article talks about some prep schools which are advocating of getting rid of the A-F Grading system. According to this article, grading A-F is too subjective and makes students feel self-conscious or less worthy based on their grade while not recognizing their other talents. You might want to read it too!
CONCLUSION
To wrap it up, I believe that I have not only provided information on the top best elementary private schools in San Francisco but also exceeded your limit of at least 10. There is a big variation is school fees and most of the schools are Christian faith-based and denominational. However, notwithstanding, I believe the information is worth your time and perusal in order to make sound informed decisions.
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