San Francisco Day School

If you desire to have your children attend a polished school where they receive quality teaching in a pleasant atmosphere free from trouble makers then this is the school for your child. The price tag is astronomic; yet, the teachers are the brightest and the kids are well behaved so you do not have to fear that a temperamental student is constantly annoying the heck out of your child. They have plenty of supervision by learning assistants and para’s so that your child is able to learn, unlike what goes on in the SFUSD. Some of the teachers can act like rocket scientists (think 5^th grade teacher who teaches basic Math skills acting like Einstein) but they do mean well and do a great job. If you have enough money to send your child to a school that practically costs as much as a lot of colleges then send your child here.

I’m puzzled by the rants of some of these other reviewers. This is as great a school as you will find. I have 2 children there. We started off in the public school system in SF, which is horrible. The teachers at SFDS are incredibly dedicated, hard working and truly know each kid. They emphasize differentiated learning, so get to know each child’s learning style. The current headmaster, Dr Jackson, has really changed the direction of this school to a focused, cutting edge institution, and his hiring reflects that.
Of course, you should expect all of that for what you pay, as it is definitely NOT cheap.
But I highly recommend it!

I couldn’t have wished for a better place to spend nine formative years of my life. Simply put, I loved SFDS. I not only know that I received a top-​nop education academically, but I feel like I got an equally stellar «social» and «personal» education. By this I mean that SFDS strives to form well-​rounded, aware, and, most importantly, engaged students who are quizzical about the world around them and who are active civic participants. SFDS encourages students to not only understand themselves, but to understand the role they play in their local, national, and global communities.
SFDS does an especially good job of teaching students how to write. I felt far ahead of my classmates in high school when it came to analytical writing, and I had many opportunities at SFDS to develop creative writing skills as well. In general, critical thinking skills are emphasized, as is active dialogue, participation, and, in eighth grade, Socratic discussion (format used in English and history classes). Public speaking activities in the fifth and eighth grades also led me to become a confident and effective public speaker, a skill that has proved invaluable. Overall, when I got to high school, I felt incredibly prepared in all academic disciplines.
Academic rigor is balanced by other physical and/​or creative activities. Music and art classes are valued, as is physical education. The school also places a strong emphasis on the environment and sustainability, and each year, beginning in fifth grade, students take an outdoor education trip. The biggest of these trips is a week-​long backpacking trip in Yosemite, which was one of the highlights of my nine years at SFDS.
My best friends today are those I made at SFDS. I found the school’s atmosphere to be welcoming and inclusive. While the relatively small grade size may seem inhibiting, I found that it fostered deep social connections and an overall sense of community among students. The teachers also contribute to this sense of community by developing personal relationships with students that made me feel more confident in the classroom and as a person.
I have nothing but high praise for SFDS.

I transfered to SFDS after spending four years at another all boys, independent school in San Francisco.
The academics, particularly the technology curriculum, were top notch; I learned how to build websites as a 6^th grader in the mid-90’s! Compared to other private schools in the city, students at SFDS seemed much less pressured to succeed academically, but at the same time we all were accepted into excellent high schools and were in many cases much better prepared for the workload than students from surrounding elementary schools.
As with any school, some teachers will always be better than others, and it’s impossible to have an entire staff of all-​stars. That being said, the great majority of the teachers and staff of the school during my five years there were excellent educators who made great efforts to teach to all levels of comprehension and speed.
Socially, moving from an all-​boys school to a co-​ed institution was an adjust for me, but a welcome one. Compared to other independent schools in San Francisco, I felt my class was extremely diverse both culturally and socio-​economically, and there certainly was never any preferable treatment for those on financial aid.
Overall, SFDS is an excellent institution and one that I would not hesitate to recommend to any parent considering private schools in San Francisco.

As a student who recently graduated, I feel well qualified to write a review of this school. I loved it. The teachers were exceptional both as mentors for learning and as friends. The classes were small and I felt that I had the support and attention that I needed as a student. My peers were kind and welcoming to everyone and I know for a fact that the financial aid students were beloved by both teachers and kids. In the middle grades I had many friends who attended other SF independent schools and hated them, making my excellent time seem even better in comparison. This is my experience, however.
I will say that it may be useful to have actually attended the school to write a truly valid review, (Keep this in mind while reading the others).

I pulled my child out of SFDS in about 4^th grade. Never a regret! The staff turnover was unbelievable. Rarely do any of the teachers stay for more than a couple of years. Very telling. The school welcomes the African-​American scholarship students in the lower grades and seems to pat themselves on the back about how «multi-​cultural» they are, but for some reason, they usher these kids out the door far before graduation. What’s up with that? In my opinion, this is a school that is appropriate for a white/​jewish kid whose parents like pretending that they are politically correct, and who think that memorizing lots of information (rather than actually being creative) is the key to successful academics. To each his own.

Thankfully my daughter transferred to a wonderful middle school & we got her out of this horrible & horribly overrated elementary school with its large classes and many mediocre teachers (2 in 6 years, that’s 2 long wasted school years). Further, my sweet kid was bullied nonstop, every day, including instances of cyberbullying, & the administration would not do anything; i.e. The school culture embraces bullying! An open secret: half or more of the nonwhite kids transfer out of this institute of grandiose delusions. P. S. All the expensive independent schools take the kids camping etc. for a week every year, this is de rigueur.

Carmen, I was on financial aide and the teachers loved me, maybe the teachers are different now. I still go back occasionally to say hi, but I hardly know any of the teachers now, only a few remain from my days. This school was the best, I loves my 9 years here and would not have traded it for anything else. You’ve got some of the best teachers in the bay, who thoroughly care about the kids and want them to learn and grow and all that good stuff. There was this teacher, Mr. Trapasso who has a legacy there, all who took 7^th grade English and History with him know it. He was the hardest teacher we’d even had, he even threw stuff at us, and I don’t think anyone could forget. Other perks are the outdoor education program, state of the art computers, and a all the other perks that come along with going to school with really rich kids. My younger brother went here as well, he liked it as well.

fuck this school… i had the worst 9 years of my life here! especially as a minority in an all WHITE pacific heights controlled school where everyone’s nanny brings them to school in G wagons. the teachers hate you if your on financial aid… i hate this place!!! and have never set foot in it since my graduation in 2000 and dont plan on doing so EVER

Good but over controlling staff. Academics are the crème de la crème in SF and the administration is pretty good. I was weird in middle school and a troublesome kid so I got in trouble a lot: P.

THIS SCHOOL IS THE BEST :) They take you backpacking for a week every year for God’s sake. KYLE’S GROUP ROCKED !!! HAH I got the 2 person tent. Hohoho. Omgg… this school even has its own copywrited song. and yeah. the Bar Mitzvahs are great in 7^th grade because tons of rich Jewish kids go here. WOOO SFDS!!! I will love you forever.