San Francisco Community Alternative School

I have two children at SFC and our family has been at the school for four years. I won't deny that SFC has had problems, but I firmly believe that those problems are in the past. While I cannot speak to every family's experience, I can say that our family's experience has been excellent here. My children's teachers have been exemplary, focusing not only on academic achievement but also social development and conflict resolution. As a parent, I feel that my opinions and contributions are valued. On top of that, some of the things that make SFC special are: 1) Project- based learning allows for integrated and in-depth learning (One-third of our graduating class last year went to Lowell), 2) mixed grades and looping means students will have the same teacher for 2 years, 3) Garden program gives students hands-on experience (we recently received an Education Outside grant to extend our garden program even further), 4) K-8 structure means that students and families can form long-term relationships with staff.
—Submitted by a parent

The teachers at this school care about each child. I have a child who graduated from this school and is now attending a private school with a high GPA. If it wasn't for SFC helping her develop her study habits and encouraging her to be involved with the community, she would not be as successful as she is now in school. I also have another child who currently attends this school and she really enjoys going to school every day. She comes home every evening showing us what she has learned. This school has proven to be a great public school. Last year so many graduating students went on to private and high ranking public schools that speaks for itself.
—Submitted by a parent

It's not true--!!! This school does not value each child... and there is no critical thinking... my child is lonely, cries not to go to school and is ignored by her teacher and in after school care, all because she's not a discipline problem. She is behind is math and reading compared to my friends daughter(same grade) in another sfusd school....... trying to get out!
—Submitted by a parent

Our middle schooler has been at SFC since kinder and we love this small, warm, special school. Because the school is teacher-run, it has many extraordinarily talented teachers; sometimes, teachers don't work out with the extra demands. Sometimes SFC is not a good fit for every family either, take a tour to get a sense of this. My son has thrived with the projects, the small community, the individual attention, and the outdoor education. The free after school has been a life saver for us. As he has gotten older he switched to the adjacent Boys and Girls Club, and now like other older kids walks across Mission St to the library to do homework after school. He is well grounded in academics and has high test scores - but what he has gained from his SFC education goes far beyond what is measured on a standardized test. The school places an emphasis on critical thinking and community values, and views each student as gifted, talented, and valuable.
—Submitted by a parent

All these sudden 5 ratings have to make you wonder! The same small group of parents (almost clique-ish) strive so hard to make this school "look good" but let's get real...this school in an area where most true locals barely even have an email address!! Please don't be fooled by a fancy internet presence! My peeves with this school - 1) little supervision after school and some kids repeatedly flock to Mission Street when they should be at afterschool care. Safety risk! 2) "project based" learning= less "homework" lacking reinforcement of lessons learned everyday. Kids need consistency some form of good old pencil pushing at home! The vision is good, but needs a little fine tuning.
—Submitted by a parent

I have two kids at SFC, one in the sixth grade and one in second grade and I have never had a bad not even a mediocre teacher. They've all been truly amazing, devoted, big-thinking educators. We were drawn to this school because of its project-based learning philosophy and it hasn't let me down. I've witnessed my children learn in the most engaging ways, from projects on roller coasters and how they work to baking and the science and math of it. I don't believe in rote learning and I feel like my children have been challenged to apply the basic tenants of education to real life experiences. Also, anyone who has fear of their kids having to transfer in the tender tween years to big middle schools can take solace that their children will be able to stay here through 8th grade in a nurturing setting with a small group of students.
—Submitted by a parent

We have been part of the SFC community for the last 5 years and are big supporters of the school. We like the small school approach, the K-8 system, project based learning and the support we receive from the very dedicated staff. All the teachers so far have been excellent and very experienced. Yes, unfortunately the active parent group is small, but all involved parents are very dedicated and committed to the school. Parents of 5th grader
—Submitted by a parent

We're loving SFC. My daughter is in K and we feel so very lucky that we landed here. Because the school was founded as a Small School by Design, they have some curricular freedom to teach through projects, which was very attractive to us. Go to the school on a Project Night and you'll see very proud and engaged students showing off their impressive, multi-disciplinary work. The school has so many of the things we were looking for--strong, experienced, kind teachers who know how to set personalized goals, engage students, and who make it a priority to nurture and sustain children's innate curiosity, as well as a diverse student body and staff. We also really liked the practice of "looping" grades--each child has the same teacher for 2 years. We love the small size of the school, as well as the K-8 model, which creates opportunities for older students to be mentors and reading buddies and eases or eliminates the transition to middle school. Homework for K/1 consists of reading only, which fits in well with our priorities. Most importantly, though, our daughter adores her K teacher and loves P.E., library day, and the garden class. Come visit SFC and see for yourself!
—Submitted by a parent

Our son has been here for 4 years, and we love it. The school is very focused on academics and our son has excelled. Teachers are first rate. Like all public schools, it has faced funding challenges lately, but with the help of involved parents the school has continued to provide music and PE classes, and a free after-school program. There is a great sense of community between parents and staff. Communication is facilitated by the school's small size. The student body is friendly and diverse, which makes for a very enriching learning environment. All students are treated equitably and are appropriately challenged academically. When problems have arisen, staff have been very quick to address issues in an open and effective way. Many students come from the local neighborhood, but a number of parents actively seek out the school because of the project-based learning program, mixed-grade class options and community ethos. Because of its location, the school is less competitively subscribed to than some. I believe it would be a lot more popular if it had more of a central location. However, it is a great asset to the neighborhood. I'm very glad we have it on our doorstep.
—Submitted by a parent

Definitely one of SF's hidden gems! Wonderful caring compassionate staff, and very nice community feel. We love the hands on learning, cultural diversity, outdoor education, experienced and dedicated teachers and staff, and small size (less than 300 students k-8). Our family has been there for 5 years. Our kids love it and so do we!
—Submitted by a parent

our two older kids are navigating large high schools with aplomb after their time in the small, nurturing SFC environment. our youngest is thriving with the extra transition to middle school SFC provides in grades 5 and 6. our kids have received an extraordinary amount of individual attention and love at SFC. some of the things we particularly appreciate are project based learning, outdoor education, free after school program, and the school's emphasis on equity, social values and restorative practices.
—Submitted by a parent

Our family has been at this school since our son began kindergarten and he is now finishing up 5th grade, ready for middle school at SFC. We pulled our son out of a preschool-8th private school after we visited SFC and found it to a wonderful learning environment, especially for bright, curious, and compassionate children and families. The teachers and students create a lovingly supportive place in which kids can learn and the expectation that all kids can thrive with support and guidance keeps the school focused on equity and genunie learning (not just focusing on raising test scores). Parent involvement is appropriate not overbearing (I want professionals teaching my kid and running his school not parents, but parents are an important, supportive part of the community). We hope many other students have the benefit of attending this small school by design where all children are seen as gifted, talented, and teachable. I encourage folks to visit and see if it is a good fit for them.
—Submitted by a parent

SFC has an excellent teaching staff and they are willing to go above and beyond to help the children succeed. Due to increasing costs, I took my daughter out of private and I selected this school because of it's small size and great location. The school is located next door to a Boys and Girls Club which is great for homework help and after school help. My daughter and I have not regretted our decision. It is a K-8 school and my only regret is that my daughter didn't go there from the beginning of elementary school. There is a diverse student population which is always a plus and a majority of their eigth grade graduation class will be going to some of San Francisco's top public and private schools.
—Submitted by a parent

My son has thrived here. He is in 2nd grade and wants to get to school early and doesn't want to come home. He's developed great conflict resolution skills, and is reading far above grade level (Harry Potter in one week, Lemony Snicket the next). He likes to learn, which is a hard thing to teach. Projects on the human body, birds, health, etc. have enabled him to learn a lot more than would be taught from a textbook. It suffers from lack of resources like any other PS, but it has committed teachers, and an overall positive vibe. Some parents have not found it to be a good match for their kids, but this even happens at well-reputed schools like Clarendon and Rooftop b/c everyone has different values. Make your own decision. Check it out for your self.
—Submitted by a parent

There are amazing social ideals and great academic theories behind the model of SFC, but because the staff is quite busy achieving and enforcing a lofty and undefined goal of "equity", the factors that make for safe and joyful, learning are often overlooked. The result is chaotic classrooms, a revolving door of teachers, disengaged families and, most serious of all, an uncurbed culture of rampant bullying among the students. Sadly, this is not a safe nor appropriate learning environment, do not send your children here, there is always an alternative.
—Submitted by a parent

Very disappointed! Was told this school was a hidden gem. More like a lump of coal! No discipline, no structure, no consistency and just plain chaos in the K/1 class that my dtr was in. She was bullied by other kids, she became more upset about going to school, "didn't like learning", didn't want to go to school, her behavior deteriorated in school and home. The teacher was inexperienced and didn't have enough support. Kids w/ "behavior" problems were given different rules, which confused my dtr who didn't understand why soandso didn't have to sit still, but she would get in trouble. When she had a problem, the teacher would ignore her or not follow up...she couldn't trust her teacher to help her. She'd be left crying b/c the teacher "had 20 other kids to worry about". She was becoming one the the problem kids! The head teacher didn't show up at the parent/tchr mtg to discuss this and never returned my emails/messages. I took her out and put her into a small private school. She's now happy, likes learning and loves/trusts her teacher. I do too. I called and left 3 messages w/ SFC to let them know I took her out. They called me 2 WKS later to find out why she was absent!
—Submitted by a parent

Our family has thoroughly enjoyed my child's first two years at SFC despite the shrinking resource problem plaguing ALL the public schools. The project-based learning has been a highlight, as has the garden program and elementary P.E., both of which we hope will be funded again next year. The school has many long-term, committed staff and wonderful families who contribute their time and money. It is not a perfect place; no school is! But our child loves to go and has done a lot of learning there.
—Submitted by a parent

After 4 years with SF Community, our family is very pleased with the school. The teachers and staff are excellent. Besides being very skilled as teachers and child-mentors, they truly love the children. They also seem to love what makes the school special, like project-based learning, fairly small class sizes and a democratic, "Head-teacher-led" model of running the school instead of a "Principal-led" model. They do a lot of interesting field trips and integrate them with learning projects about things like animals, science and music. The after-school program is free, it goes until 6:30pm, and its teachers are amazing. Given the socio-economic (and ethnic) diversity of the students, SF Community has achieved very good test scores. When I researched public schools a few years ago, they also had one of the most physically healthy student bodies in San Francisco. Like most SF public schools, this school is way underfunded. But it accomplishes a lot with a little. Our two daughters (3rd grade and kindergarten) are very different, and both are thriving at SF Community. My wife and I feel very fortunate to have our children in school here.
—Submitted by a parent

i question the previous review as i have had children at this school for 9 years, have been around quite a bit during the day and have never seen the police summoned. my oldest is graduating this year as well prepared for high school as any of his private school friends; and with a broader view of the world.
—Submitted by a parent

On more than one occasion I have seen the police at this school to resolve issues with some students. Some of the kids that go to school here are foul-mouthed and show absolutely NO manners or respect to anyone (even other parents - I have seen this first-hand when picking up my own kid after school). I know there are bad apples in every school, but you cannot ignore the fact that some of the kids at this school are just too much. I'm always worried about my kid picking up negative influences from some of the kids here, especially from the older grades. As for academics, I am not at all impressed with the quality of education here. Yes, it's SLIGHTLY better than the nearby public schools, but not by much. Lesser of two evils, I guess. Bottom line: try to get your kids into private school, or move to a better public school district.
—Submitted by a parent