Private Schools
Private Schools in San Francisco, California
76 private schools in San Francisco, California with at least 30 students answered the 2023-24 federal survey. Together they enroll 18,599 students: 25 Catholic, 16 other religious and 35 nonsectarian. 17 schools go through high school grades.
Schools listed
76
Go through high school
17
Median enrollment
180
Median students per teacher
8.3
Private schools in San Francisco, California
Largest first. Students per teacher is the school’s own report.
| School | Grades | Students | Per teacher | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Ignatius College Preparatory | 6–12 | 1,585 | 12.4 | Catholic |
| Convent & Stuart Hall Schools of the Sacred Heart | K–12 | 1,198 | 10.3 | Catholic |
| Archbishop Riordan High School | 9–12 | 1,143 | 14.9 | Catholic |
| St Gabriel Elementary School | PK–8 | 511 | 17.7 | Catholic |
| St Cecilia School | K–8 | 503 | 20.1 | Catholic |
| San Francisco University High School | 9–12 | 480 | 8.1 | Nonsectarian |
| The Bay School of San Francisco | 9–12 | 447 | 7.3 | Nonsectarian |
| Chinese American International School | PK–8 | 431 | 9 | Nonsectarian |
| Town School for BoysBoys | K–8 | 416 | 5.8 | Nonsectarian |
| Live Oak School | K–8 | 415 | 6.1 | Nonsectarian |
| Katherine Delmar Burke SchoolGirls | K–8 | 401 | 8.3 | Nonsectarian |
| Children's Day School | PK–8 | 394 | 5.7 | Other religious |
| Holy Name Elementary School | PK–8 | 364 | 19.6 | Catholic |
| Cornerstone Academy | K–8 | 363 | 18.2 | Baptist |
| The Brandeis School of San Francisco | K–8 | 360 | 6 | Jewish |
| San Francisco Waldorf SchoolSpecial program | PK–12 | 334 | 3.7 | Nonsectarian |
| West Portal Lutheran School | K–8 | 330 | 14 | Lutheran |
| Alta Vista SchoolSpecial program | K–8 | 323 | 6.3 | Nonsectarian |
| French American Intnl School PreschoolSpecial program | PK–3 | 322 | 80.5 | Nonsectarian |
| St Brendan School | K–8 | 277 | 19 | Catholic |
| Ecole Notre Dame Des Victoires School | K–8 | 271 | 12.4 | Catholic |
| Ica Cristo Rey AcademyGirls | 9–12 | 270 | 14.2 | Catholic |
| Presidio Knolls School | PK–8 | 269 | 5.5 | Nonsectarian |
| San Francisco Christian School | PK–12 | 264 | 15.6 | Baptist |
| Cathedral School for BoysBoys | K–8 | 256 | 6.2 | Episcopal |
| St Anne Elementary School | K–8 | 241 | 16.6 | Catholic |
| St Stephen School | PK–8 | 240 | 18.5 | Catholic |
| San Francisco School | PK–8 | 236 | 8.4 | Nonsectarian |
| La Scuola International SchoolSpecial program | PK–8 | 233 | 7.7 | Nonsectarian |
| La Scuola International School-Mission CampusSpecial program | PK–8 | 233 | 7.7 | Nonsectarian |
| St Finn Barr Catholic School | K–8 | 224 | 18.7 | Catholic |
| Our Lady of the Visitacion School | K–8 | 216 | 19.6 | Catholic |
| Presidio Hill School | K–8 | 210 | 6.5 | Nonsectarian |
| St Philip School | K–8 | 207 | 18.6 | Catholic |
| St Vincent de Paul School | K–8 | 202 | 16.7 | Catholic |
| Synergy SchoolAlternative | PK–8 | 189 | 9.2 | Nonsectarian |
| Cornerstone Academy-Cambridge Campus | 4–8 | 184 | 16.7 | Christian |
| Sterne SchoolSpecial education | 4–12 | 181 | 6.6 | Nonsectarian |
| Jewish Community High School of the Bay | 9–12 | 179 | 4.9 | Jewish |
| St Peter's School | K–8 | 178 | 17.1 | Catholic |
| Mission Dolores Academy | K–8 | 173 | 10.6 | Catholic |
| STS Peter & Paul School | K–8 | 168 | 13.1 | Catholic |
| St Pauls | K–8 | 165 | 14 | Catholic |
| St Anthony - Immaculate Conception School | K–8 | 164 | 18.2 | Catholic |
| School of the Epiphany | K–8 | 158 | 19.8 | Catholic |
| St John the Evangelist School | K–8 | 152 | 11.8 | Catholic |
| Zion Lutheran School | K–8 | 152 | 11.9 | Lutheran |
| Adda Clevenger SchoolSpecial program | K–8 | 143 | 4.5 | Nonsectarian |
| Chinese American Intl Middle School | 6–8 | 122 | 8.7 | Nonsectarian |
| BrightworksSpecial program | K–12 | 116 | 7.3 | Nonsectarian |
| BrightworksSpecial program | K–12 | 116 | 7.3 | Nonsectarian |
| San Francisco Schoolhouse | K–8 | 115 | 7.6 | Nonsectarian |
| Stratford School San Francisco | 6–8 | 115 | 7.8 | Nonsectarian |
| Proof SchoolSpecial program | 6–12 | 113 | 5.5 | Nonsectarian |
| St James Catholic School | K–8 | 111 | 15.9 | Catholic |
| San Francisco SchoolhouseAlternative | K–8 | 110 | 7.2 | Nonsectarian |
| De Marillac Academy | 4–8 | 106 | 9.6 | Catholic |
| Golden Bridges SchoolSpecial program | PK–8 | 105 | 4.1 | Nonsectarian |
| Millennium School of San Francisco | 6–8 | 104 | 7.8 | Nonsectarian |
| KZV Armenian School | PK–8 | 98 | 7.5 | Other religious |
| San Francisco City Academy | K–8 | 86 | 4.9 | Christian |
| Mission MontessoriMontessori | PK–5 | 76 | 12.7 | Nonsectarian |
| Rise University Preparatory | 9–12 | 72 | 8.2 | Christian |
| San Francisco Islamic School | K–8 | 72 | 9.5 | Islamic |
| St Brigid School | PK–8 | 71 | 6.7 | Catholic |
| Stratford School | PK–4 | 69 | 6 | Nonsectarian |
| Donum Dei Classical Academy | K–8 | 66 | 7.9 | Christian |
| Kittredge School | K–8 | 60 | 4.6 | Nonsectarian |
| Bais Menachem Yeshiva Day School | K–8 | 57 | 3.6 | Jewish |
| San Francisco Pacific Academy | K–8 | 56 | 4.6 | Nonsectarian |
| San Francisco High School of the Arts | 5–12 | 48 | 2.5 | Nonsectarian |
| Casa Dei Bambini SchoolMontessori | PK–1 | 40 | 10 | Nonsectarian |
| Red BridgeSpecial program | K–5 | 40 | 5.5 | Nonsectarian |
| St John of San Francisco Orthodox Academy | K–12 | 37 | 3.7 | Other religious |
| Fusion Academy San Francisco | 6–12 | 33 | 2.7 | Nonsectarian |
| Montessori House of ChildrenMontessori | TK | 30 | 3.8 | Nonsectarian |
Getting in, and keeping up
- Private school entrance exams: format, scoring, and dates for the ISEE, SSAT, and HSPT.
- CAASPP practice tests and score levels, the test public schools in California give.
- Using a 529 plan for K-12 tuition and tutoring in California.
- Colleges in California, for families already looking ahead.
Frequently asked questions
How many private schools are in San Francisco, California?
76 private schools in San Francisco, California with at least 30 students answered the 2023-24 federal Private School Universe Survey. Schools that did not answer are not counted, so the real number is higher.
What is the largest private school in San Francisco, California?
Among schools that answered the survey, St Ignatius College Preparatory in San Francisco is the largest, with 1,585 students in grades 6–12.
How big are classes at private schools in San Francisco, California?
The survey reports students per teacher, not class size. The median private school in San Francisco, California has 8.3 students per teacher and 180 students in total.
Do private schools require an entrance exam?
Many independent schools ask for the ISEE or SSAT, and many Catholic high schools use the HSPT. Each school sets its own rule, so check the admissions page of every school on your list.
Source: NCES Private School Universe Survey (PSS), 2023-24 public-use data file, National Center for Education Statistics. Schools that answered the survey and enrolled at least 30 students. Amish schools are left out. Schools report their own figures, and a school that did not answer the survey does not appear.
