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San Francisco Community Alternative School

Public | K-8 | 286 students

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4 stars

Based on 43 ratings

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40 reviews of this school

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Posted April 29, 2010

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I have a Kindergartner at this school, and would highlight its strengths: project based learning, commitment to equity, dedicated teachers and parents, garden and outdoor ed (camping) program. Challenges: small school so not a lot of 'extra' resources, teacher-run governance model can lead to delays in decision-making and responding to issues,
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted April 6, 2010

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Excellent staff who attain high standards despite the best efforts of the State and City to deny them the resources they need. The project-based learning has really inspired our son to learn and experiment outside of school.
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted February 23, 2010

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My experience at this school has not been positive.It feels to me that you must agree with !00% of the staff politics or your arent' welcome.To me the enviornment has felt like intimidation into agreeing with political agendas.That has been my experience.
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted December 18, 2009

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My daughter started kindergarten here this year and she loves school. She's already learned to read and the project-based programs keep her engaged and interested. The staff is devoted and friendly. Yes there could be more PE & art, but this place is free, diverse, small, and nurturing.
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted June 5, 2009

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The worst school ever. No safty, not secured, do not recommend to any parent.
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted December 15, 2008

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This school is mediocre at best, don't get me wrong, there are some great caring teachers here, but when legitimate mature students are treated with little respect and rights I really can't recommend this school. If they can call this a 'community' then I say I can justly call it 'communist'. I'm an 8th grade student who has been here since kindergarten and have watched the school go downhill.
—Submitted by a student

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Posted November 6, 2006

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Math education has really turned around in response to the criticisms referred to in some of the earlier reviews. It is a top priority to give students a solid foundation in math, including getting all middle schoolers through algebra. SFC has a very special bunch of teachers who strive to impart both the state standards and a richer curriculum to develop creative and critical thinking and love of learning, in part through multi-disciplinary hands on projects. My 3 kids have had great teachers each year. There isn't as much fundraising as at larger more affluent schools, but we do have a library teacher, PE teacher, camping, garden, and some arts (this year, elem. art teacher part of the year plus special arts program for 4th-5th including claymation, sound production and more). There's a free onsite after school program with academic support and sports, plus adjacent Boys and Girls club.
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted September 20, 2006

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While SFC struggles with the same issues affecting all SF public schools, we have been very impressed with its staff and programs. Our daughter is thriving, learning a ton, and we feel validated in choosing not only this school but public education in general.
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted September 5, 2006

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My family has been at SFC for 5 years. Certainly, there has been bumps in the road as far as the math curriculum goes. However, as soon as it obvious that math instruction was not attaining the necessary results our motivated and dedicated teachers made the switch and fast. Now math is of the highest priority, specially trained math teachers are now in the middle school and 4-5 grades and there is more basic math emphasis in the lower grades. SFC project based learning is amazing. Practical applications of everyday school work motivate and challange the students. It allows for creative and lateral thinking, enhances verbal and social skills, and increases academic confidence. I can't say enough about this schools positive impact on my son this school has had. It has been the perfect learning environment for him.
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted March 15, 2006

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Academics at the school are great. Project-based learning opens up the opportunity for depth and focus. Funding for 'extras' is erratic so these activities are bare bones (PE, art, music). Teachers are miracle workers!
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted December 30, 2005

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My daughter got an A in algebra at SFC; after testing, her high school had her repeat the class. Critical thinking is encouraged only if it leads to conclusions consistent with the politics of the staff. My daughter and I both felt that expectations were lower for African-American students, both behaviorally and academically. They have some fine theory, but their practices don't seem to be working. There were some good staff members, but overall our experience with the middle school was not positive. (My child had gone elsewhere for K-5)
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted December 29, 2005

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This school has a lot of positives, and some very serious negatives. For my daughter, things began to go seriously wrong in her third grade year (2002-2003). The school had developed a math curriculum which wasted time on ineffectual activities and left out important topics. Her teacher decided that math wasn t important so often skipped math instruction, sometimes for weeks at a time. The STAR test results at http://star.cde.ca.gov/star2003/viewreport.asp give some indication of the scale of the disaster. As the math team coach (2003-2004), I found all middle-school classes fell behind covering material from earlier grades. The algebra class does not cover enough material to allow students to avoid repeating Algebra I in high school. There are problems with other academic subjects too.
—Submitted by Dale Lovett, a parent

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Posted November 27, 2005

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Diverse school with dedicated teachers. Curriculum includes learning beyond textbooks and promotes critical thinking.
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted October 17, 2005

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I forgot to add about the academics. I am puzzled by the reading program in K. The words my child is suppose to learn are all connecting words (the, in,) which seemed to me be words you don't actually learn as absorb.
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted August 30, 2005

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Our daughter is starting 4th grade at SF Community. We have been very pleased with this school and look forward to her going through to 8th grade. The community of teachers and families is amazing - it certainly lives up to its name! Academically speaking, our daughter has done great. She was reading by Dec. of kindergarten year. Her STAR test scores are highly proficient and she ranks in the top 95% compared to students all over the country. The teachers spend a lot of time with each child and respond to each individual child's needs and concerns. The quality of teaching is excellent. The curriculum is a project based learning. They learn a lot and are proud to show off their projects. Weakness: In a district that is strapped for cash, the lower socio-economic level of many of families makes it hard to have 'extras'.
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted August 22, 2005

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My daughter attended SF Community from K to 5th grade. She started as a very shy child and Community was wonderful at giving her the love and security that enabled her to blossom. I love the project based curriculum and the fact that the teachers put in so many extra hours to work together on the curriculum. We decided to move our daughter to a larger middle school that would have more offerings (such as band every day) and a seperate Gate strand. I am completely happy with my daughter's K - 5 education at Community.
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted August 22, 2005

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SF Community School is the healthiest, most authentically democratic, collaborative environment in which to be a teacher. Our staff is united in our efforts to provide high quality instruction to all students and to ensure equitable achievement. This is place where adults know students and families well, where people can feel like they belong. It is a great honor and privilege to work at SF Community School.
—Submitted by a teacher

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Posted July 15, 2005

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Wonderful staff, students. caring community
—Submitted by a former student

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Posted February 24, 2005

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My daughter attends this SF Community Alt. School. She loves her school and is now on the honor roll. The academic cirriculum at this school is wonderful. The classes are small, there are only 20-22 students per class. They offer classes in musical insturments. My daughter has learned to play the violin. I also like how diverse the school is. My daughter loves going to this school as they also do extracurricular activities. They also have parent teacher conferences more often than other schools I've seen. The teachers care about the childrens learning. Also, this is the only school that is run by teachers. They do not have a principal.
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted September 14, 2004

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I think this is one of the best schools in the district. It has a garden, PE, and art. It also has two 9 week project sections in which the kids do amazing work. The teachers are great too. The middle school need some improvement.
—Submitted by a parent

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About these ratings

	Ethnicity	This school	State average
	Hispanic or Latino	40%	49%
Asian	21%	8%
African American	13%	7%
White	13%	28%
Filipino	8%	3%
Multiple or No Response	4%	3%
American Indian or Alaska Native	0%	1%
Pacific Islander	0%	1%

	This school	District average	State average
English language learners ¹	38%	N/A	24%
Students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch program ²	69%	N/A	52%

	Language	This school	State average
	Spanish	51%	85%
Cantonese	30%	2%
All other non-English languages	9%	1%
Filipino (Pilipino or Tagalog)	4%	1%
Khmer (Cambodian)	3%	0%
Arabic	1%	1%
Hindi	1%	0%
Toishanese	1%	0%

	This school	District average	State average
Average class size	20	N/A	25

	This school	District average	State average
Average years teaching in district	7	N/A	11
Average years teaching	9	N/A	13

	This school	District average	State average
Full credential	95%	N/A	96%
Emergency credential or waiver	5%	N/A	2%

Notice an inaccuracy? Let us know!

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125 Excelsior Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94112
Website: Click here
Phone: (415) 469-4739

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All Students	45%
Females	42%
Males	n/a
African American	n/a
Asian	n/a
Filipino	n/a
Hispanic or Latino	n/a
American Indian or Alaska Native	n/a
Pacific Islander	n/a
Other Pacific Islander	n/a
White (not Hispanic)	n/a
Economically disadvantaged	33%
Non-economically disadvantaged	n/a
Students with disability	n/a
Students with no reported disability	53%
English learner	n/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only	50%
Migrant education	n/a
Gifted and talented	n/a
Parent education - not a high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)	n/a
Parent education - college graduate	n/a
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate	n/a
Parent education - declined to state	n/a

All Students	54%
Females	42%
Males	n/a
African American	n/a
Asian	n/a
Filipino	n/a
Hispanic or Latino	n/a
American Indian or Alaska Native	n/a
Pacific Islander	n/a
Other Pacific Islander	n/a
White (not Hispanic)	n/a
Economically disadvantaged	47%
Non-economically disadvantaged	n/a
Students with disability	n/a
Students with no reported disability	63%
English learner	n/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only	43%
Migrant education	n/a
Gifted and talented	n/a
Parent education - not a high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)	n/a
Parent education - college graduate	n/a
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate	n/a
Parent education - declined to state	n/a

All Students	22%
Females	33%
Males	13%
African American	n/a
Asian	n/a
Filipino	n/a
Hispanic or Latino	n/a
American Indian or Alaska Native	n/a
Pacific Islander	n/a
White (not Hispanic)	n/a
Economically disadvantaged	10%
Non-economically disadvantaged	n/a
Students with disability	n/a
Students with no reported disability	26%
English learner	n/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only	29%
Migrant education	n/a
Gifted and talented	n/a
Parent education - not a high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)	n/a
Parent education - college graduate	n/a
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate	n/a
Parent education - declined to state	n/a

All Students	40%
Females	33%
Males	44%
African American	n/a
Asian	n/a
Filipino	n/a
Hispanic or Latino	n/a
American Indian or Alaska Native	n/a
Pacific Islander	n/a
White (not Hispanic)	n/a
Economically disadvantaged	33%
Non-economically disadvantaged	n/a
Students with disability	n/a
Students with no reported disability	45%
English learner	n/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only	35%
Migrant education	n/a
Gifted and talented	n/a
Parent education - not a high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)	n/a
Parent education - college graduate	n/a
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate	n/a
Parent education - declined to state	n/a

All Students	65%
Females	47%
Males	87%
African American	n/a
Asian	n/a
Filipino	n/a
Hispanic or Latino	43%
American Indian or Alaska Native	n/a
Pacific Islander	n/a
White (not Hispanic)	n/a
Economically disadvantaged	52%
Non-economically disadvantaged	n/a
Students with disability	n/a
Students with no reported disability	68%
English learner	36%
Fluent-English proficient and English only	81%
Migrant education	n/a
Gifted and talented	n/a
Parent education - not a high school graduate	36%
Parent education - high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)	n/a
Parent education - college graduate	n/a
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate	n/a
Parent education - declined to state	n/a

All Students	59%
Females	53%
Males	67%
African American	n/a
Asian	n/a
Filipino	n/a
Hispanic or Latino	43%
American Indian or Alaska Native	n/a
Pacific Islander	n/a
White (not Hispanic)	n/a
Economically disadvantaged	52%
Non-economically disadvantaged	n/a
Students with disability	n/a
Students with no reported disability	61%
English learner	36%
Fluent-English proficient and English only	71%
Migrant education	n/a
Gifted and talented	n/a
Parent education - not a high school graduate	36%
Parent education - high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)	n/a
Parent education - college graduate	n/a
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate	n/a
Parent education - declined to state	n/a

All Students	70%
Females	71%
Males	69%
African American	n/a
Asian	n/a
Filipino	n/a
Hispanic or Latino	n/a
American Indian or Alaska Native	n/a
Pacific Islander	n/a
Samoan	n/a
White (not Hispanic)	n/a
Economically disadvantaged	68%
Non-economically disadvantaged	73%
Students with disability	n/a
Students with no reported disability	75%
English learner	n/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only	77%
Migrant education	n/a
Gifted and talented	n/a
Parent education - not a high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - high school graduate	75%
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)	n/a
Parent education - college graduate	n/a
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate	n/a
Parent education - declined to state	n/a

All Students	55%
Females	46%
Males	63%
African American	n/a
Asian	n/a
Filipino	n/a
Hispanic or Latino	50%
American Indian or Alaska Native	n/a
Pacific Islander	n/a
Samoan	n/a
Other Pacific Islander	n/a
White (not Hispanic)	n/a
Economically disadvantaged	48%
Non-economically disadvantaged	n/a
Students with disability	n/a
Students with no reported disability	59%
English learner	n/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only	67%
Migrant education	n/a
Gifted and talented	n/a
Parent education - not a high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - high school graduate	73%
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)	n/a
Parent education - college graduate	n/a
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate	n/a
Parent education - declined to state	n/a

All Students	39%
Females	50%
Males	27%
African American	n/a
Asian	n/a
Filipino	n/a
Hispanic or Latino	27%
American Indian or Alaska Native	n/a
Pacific Islander	n/a
Samoan	n/a
Other Pacific Islander	n/a
White (not Hispanic)	n/a
Economically disadvantaged	33%
Non-economically disadvantaged	n/a
Students with disability	n/a
Students with no reported disability	41%
English learner	n/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only	48%
Migrant education	n/a
Gifted and talented	n/a
Parent education - not a high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - high school graduate	47%
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)	n/a
Parent education - college graduate	n/a
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate	n/a
Parent education - declined to state	n/a

All Students	78%
Females	81%
Males	73%
African American	n/a
Asian	n/a
Filipino	n/a
Hispanic or Latino	n/a
American Indian or Alaska Native	n/a
Pacific Islander	n/a
Samoan	n/a
Other Pacific Islander	n/a
White (not Hispanic)	n/a
Economically disadvantaged	79%
Non-economically disadvantaged	77%
Students with disability	n/a
Students with no reported disability	83%
English learner	n/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only	78%
Migrant education	n/a
Gifted and talented	100%
Parent education - not a high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)	n/a
Parent education - college graduate	n/a
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate	n/a
Parent education - declined to state	64%

All Students	58%
Females	80%
Males	36%
African American	n/a
Asian	n/a
Filipino	n/a
Hispanic or Latino	50%
American Indian or Alaska Native	n/a
Pacific Islander	n/a
Samoan	n/a
Other Pacific Islander	n/a
White (not Hispanic)	n/a
Economically disadvantaged	41%
Non-economically disadvantaged	83%
Students with disability	n/a
Students with no reported disability	67%
English learner	n/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only	67%
Migrant education	n/a
Gifted and talented	100%
Parent education - not a high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)	n/a
Parent education - college graduate	n/a
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate	n/a
Parent education - declined to state	36%

All Students	30%
Females	16%
Males	50%
African American	n/a
Asian	n/a
Filipino	n/a
Hispanic or Latino	21%
American Indian or Alaska Native	n/a
Pacific Islander	n/a
Samoan	n/a
Other Pacific Islander	n/a
White (not Hispanic)	n/a
Economically disadvantaged	26%
Non-economically disadvantaged	36%
Students with disability	n/a
Students with no reported disability	38%
English learner	n/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only	35%
Migrant education	n/a
Gifted and talented	45%
Parent education - not a high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)	n/a
Parent education - college graduate	n/a
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate	n/a
Parent education - declined to state	31%

School start time	8:55am
School end time	3:35pm
School Leader's name	Nora Houseman
Is there an application process?	Yes
Fax number	(415) 337-6879

Instructional and/or curriculum models used Don't understand these terms?	Standards-based
Level of ESL/ELL programming offered	Moderate - the school consistently offers a full program for particular ESL/ELL needs

Operated by	Bay Area Community Resources
Days offered	Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Is there a fee for the program?	Yes
Website	http://www.bacr.org
Phone number	(415) 469-4739

San Francisco Community Alternative School

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4 stars

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40 reviews of this school

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+6

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4 / 10

API Statewide Rank (2011)

2 / 10

API Similar Schools Rank (2011)

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