Private Schools in San Francisco

[Anonymous]

So we're moving to SF. Anyone know the lowdown on private schools there? We have a daughter entering K next fall (a full year and a half from now) and a son who will be 3.
We're looking for a school in the city that's not Catholic, although single sex is OK.

Main concern is--- getting in. Is it same story as here? We don't have tons of connections there. Also culture. We're not tooooo progressive, wouldn't really care for Waldorf. We would consider Jewish, Episcopalian, Friends, non-religious, trying to be as open as possible!

Thanks for any leads!

[Anonymous]

Maybe you've seen this.

http://parents.berkeley.edu/recommend/schools/private.html

[Anonymous]

Thanks! Any other advice? We're considering East Bay, but would really like to be in SF city.

[Anonymous]

I have a nice friend who was deciding between Aurora and Park Day School. I have no idea where they are though. And they sound cheaper than the privates here!

[Anonymous]

I posted the link, I have a friend who taught at a high school but she doesn't know the pre-K / K scene.

[Anonymous]

Spend your money on a house in Atherton and send the kids to the excellent public schools there. The families are ridiculously wealthy (the families at DC's "big 3" can't possibly begin to come close) and it translates to a lot of resources to the local school.

[Anonymous]

Agree with PP. Also look to live in Los Altos. Same thing -great public schools.

[Anonymous]

Okay, but OP said she wants to live in San Francisco, and living in that city is nothing like living in Atherton, Los Altos (Hills), Palo Alto.

[Anonymous]

Atherton is 55% registered Republican, in California! I didn't know such a place existed!

[Anonymous]

I've been told that it is really really hard to get into the private schools in SF. There are not many of them and the big ones esentially filled up by children of the blue blood San Franciscans who grew up there and have stayed to raise kids. Everyone I know in SF who has kids reluctantly moved to the burbs because of this issue.

[Anonymous]

I have friends going the Catholic school route. They're not catholic, but it allowed them to live in the city.

[Anonymous]

I would definitely invest in a session (or more) with an educational consultant to get the lay of the land. It's a fraction of what you will be investing in tuition, and the information will surpass what we're offering here, wonderful intentions aside.

[Anonymous]

it's quite different there. it's not as intense which is refreshing. that seems most related to the fact that many of the kids out there take advantage of the excellent uc schools. there's not so much clamoring for the ivy leagues. the private schools are spread out all over the city. many city dwellers send kids across the golden gate to marin (academy) as well. there are not nearly as many single sex schools in the bay area. it's just a different culture, and there's not so much demand for that.

i grew up here in private schools and am back here raising a son who attends private school. however i lived in san francisco for about 10 years, and taught at a private high school there for 3 so I have some understanding of the different environments. the privates are not essentially filled up with the bluebloods. and the catholic schools out there are quite secular, so i would at least be open to looking at those.

like earlier posters have mentioned, the quality of the public schools on the peninsula is incredible. with the tuition of the privates...might be worth thinking about.

good luck! have a great time.

[Anonymous]

22:27 How recently were you there? A friend of mine teaches in a private in SF and said it was brutal, as bad as here as far as pining for stellar college placements.

[Anonymous]

I agree with PP. Both of my brothers live in San Francisco (in the city) and the competition for private schools seems even worse there than in DC, if one can believe it. There also seem to be more single sex schools there (in comparison to in DC). For the record, we are not from SF originally and both of my brothers have enrolled their children in top, single-sex private schools. From what I gather from my brothers, there are a lot more VERY wealthy families there with children in top private schools.