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Our 10 Best Private Elementary Schools in San Francisco
July 31, 2024

Give your kids a unique opportunity to learn by sending them to San Francisco private elementary schools that emphasize academic excellence and transparent value systems!

San Francisco private elementary schools provide a wide range of challenging academic programs that allow students to release their full potential. They offer a flourishing global education program and help students seeking a transformative educational experience. One of the core advantages is its cross-disciplinary curriculum, combining critical thinking and joint projects. With this, the students are challenged to think independently beyond the classroom walls.

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We reviewed rankings for all private schools from the 2024 Best Private Elementary Schools in San Francisco released by school and neighborhood data clearinghouse Niche to identify the best San Francisco elementary schools. The rankings of private elementary schools in San Francisco below have been compiled based on several factors:

  • analysis of critical data from the U.S. Department of Education
  • average SAT and ACT scores
  • culture and diversity
  • student-teacher ratio
  • parent and student surveys
  • private school ratings collected from millions of Niche users

Our 10 Best Private Elementary Schools in San Francisco

Best private elementary schools in San Francisco - The Nueva School

1. The Nueva School

6565 Skyline Blvd., Hillsborough, CA 94010
Phone Number: (650) 350-4600

#1 in Best High Schools for STEM in America
Grade: A+
Students: 853
Student-Teacher Ratio: 6:1
Average Graduation Rate: 100%
Yearly Tuition: $53,350

Nueva is a place that brings together gifted students from across the Bay Area to engage in a rigorous Pre-K through 12th-grade educational program anchored by a caring and compassionate community. This unique combination of academic and social-emotional learning makes Nueva the school it is and has been since 1967.

At Nueva, the support and encouragement that students share with each other is one of the key ingredients of the magic in their community. The collective social embrace of learning from like-minded peers is just as important in the school for gifted students as the individual pursuit of knowledge.

2. Head-Royce School

4315 Lincoln Ave., Oakland, CA 94602
Phone Number: (510) 531-1300

#2 in Best Private K-12 Schools in California
Grade: A+
Students: 900
Student-Teacher Ratio: 6:1
Average Graduation Rate: 100%
Yearly Tuition: $54,000

Head-Royce School is a diverse K–12 community nestled in the Oakland hills that serves families seeking a transformative educational experience. It cultivates lifelong learners who lead with joy, purpose, and compassion and are well-prepared to embrace the challenges and opportunities of the future.

The mission of the Head-Royce School is to inspire our students with a lifelong love of learning and pursuit of academic excellence, promote understanding of and respect for the diversity that makes our society strong, and encourage constructive and responsible global citizenship. Their world-class faculty brings unique perspectives from a wide range of experiences.

3. Convent & Stuart Hall

2222 Broadway, San Francisco, CA 94115
Phone Number: (415) 563-2900

#3 in Best Catholic High Schools in California
Overall Niche Grade: A+
Students: 1,100
Student-Teacher Ratio: 6:1
Yearly Tuition: $55,015

Convent & Stuart Hall is one of the private elementary schools in San Francisco that believes in the unique power of educating girls and boys separately and together. The fundamental value in this paradoxical school structure is the lived experience of its students, as they see possibilities in themselves beyond social norms.

With an intentional suspension of the societal and cultural roles and behaviors assigned to boys or girls, the school environment provides a well-scaffolded framework for students to grow fully into all the dimensions of their being. In this context, girls and boys see themselves as physicists, authors, actors, athletes, thinkers, and friends.

4. Bentley School

1 Hiller Dr., Oakland, CA 94618
Phone Number: (510) 843-2512

#1 Best Private K-12 Schools in Contra Costa County
Grade: A+
Students: 650
Student-Teacher Ratio: 6:1
Average Graduation Rate: 100%
Yearly Tuition: $55,800

Students come to Bentley School from all corners of the Bay Area and from myriad backgrounds and personal histories. Their individual and unique stories enrich the entire community and inspire faculty to continually raise the bar. Passionate and curious by nature and nurtured by challenge, Bentley students energize all of us to continue growing and learning together.

At Bentley, the intentional balance of joy and hard work makes for genuinely happy learners. When students are happy and flourishing, they are more motivated and effective learners. Challenges feel less insurmountable, change is less scary, and taking risks becomes exciting. Their most vital responsibility is to create a culture that develops confident, curious, and kind students.

5. French American International Lower School

1155 Page St., San Francisco, CA 94117
Phone Number: (415) 231-5733

#11 in Best Private K-12 Schools in San Francisco Bay Area
Grade: A+
Students: 1,067
Student-Teacher Ratio: 7:1
Average Graduation Rate: 100%
Yearly Tuition: $46,580

The well-planned pedagogical approach in the Maternelle is maintained and reinforced each year at French American and continues into Lower School. The curriculum continues in both English and French to make learning exciting and challenging while meeting the high standards of the U.S. and French educational systems.

Students begin Grade 1 with great resourcefulness and independence, thanks to their blossoming bilingualism and increased confidence and self-esteem. As children progress through Lower School, they begin to see themselves as others and think beyond their immediate emotional needs. They learn self-sufficiency as well as collaboration.

Lycée Français de San Francisco

6. Lycée Français de San Francisco

1201 Ortega St., San Francisco, CA 94122
Phone Number: (415) 661-5232

#13 Best Private K-12 Schools in the San Francisco Bay Area
Overall Niche Grade: A+
Students: 858
Student-Teacher Ratio: 10:1
Yearly Tuition: $41,500

Students at LFSF commit to respecting, valuing, and celebrating our students, teachers, staff, and families’ diversity and uniqueness and fostering equitable, safe, and inclusive learning and working experiences for all. The Lycée Français de San Francisco prepares students to realize their potential and positively impact their world by emphasizing intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, and integrity.

The division of learning into cycles in primary school helps recognize and respect the differences between students’ learning abilities and maturity. In Elementary school, priority is given to mastering reading and writing skills and mathematics through a systematic and progressive approach. Objectives are identified in the different subjects and broken down into skills and goals.

7. San Francisco Christian School

25 Whittier St., San Francisco, CA 94112
Phone Number: (415) 802-2851

#12 in Best Christian High Schools in San Francisco Bay Area
Overall Niche Grade: A-
Students: 247
Student-Teacher Ratio: 11:1
Yearly Tuition: $12,000

As one of the best private elementary schools in the Bay Area, San Francisco Christian School offers Godly wisdom, wholesome family values, and world-class education to students from the Bay Area worldwide. From strong academics, including technology and the arts, to unusual extracurricular activities like the top-performing school choir in the area, SF Christian School offers something for every student.

They provide an accessible private education for elementary schools and welcome students of all backgrounds in San Francisco. All elementary students are instructed in Bible, reading, English, math, history, science, physical education, art, and music and are fully prepared to enroll in our middle school, into which they receive enrollment priority.

8. St. John of San Francisco Orthodox Academy

6210 Geary Blvd., San Francisco, CA 94121
Phone Number: (415) 221-3484

#16 in Best Christian High Schools in San Francisco Bay Area
Overall Niche Grade: A-
Students: 46
Student-Teacher Ratio: 5:1
Yearly Tuition: $16,000

St. John’s provides a unique environment in which the complete heritage of the Orthodox Church is combined with an outstanding classical academic program that is fully accredited to the longest possible tenure. It seeks not only to provide an education that exceeds national and state standards in core and different subjects but to do so in an environment focused on the growth of the whole person into the Church’s living tradition.

At St. John’s, they provide our students with the intellectual foundations necessary to engage critically with the world in which they live. The tools of analytical thought are established and honed, and children are given the confidence needed to express themselves in the modern world. The students are motivated by their surroundings to aim for excellence in all their endeavors and acquire it through hard work, dedication, and a positive attitude.

9. Patten Academy of Christian Education

2430 Coolidge Ave., Oakland, CA 94601
Phone Number: (510) 533-3121

# 250 in Best High Schools for STEM in San Francisco Bay Area
Grade: B-
Students: 108
Student-Teacher Ratio: 8:1
Average Graduation Rate: 100%
Yearly Tuition: $5,999

Through its urban Oakland campus and online offerings, Patten Academy of Christian Education (PACE) exists to elevate, cultivate, and celebrate life in our city and communities by intentionally integrating a robust Christian ethos with unwaveringly high academic standards in each student and family we serve.

The school philosophy grows out of historical intentionality to maintain a coeducational Christian institution in which students can complete primary, intermediate, junior, and senior high studies in a nurturing environment and atmosphere reflective of the teachings and values of Jesus Christ.

10. Terra Schools

3801 Balboa St., San Francisco, CA, 94121
Phone Number: (415) 906-2220

Grade: A+
Students: 100
Student-Teacher Ratio: 3:1
Average Graduation Rate: 100%
Yearly Tuition: $41,550

At Terra Schools, a progressive private school located in San Francisco (PreK-8), students embark on a natural learning path, where adventures in nature, dedicated teachers, and a unique curriculum accelerate academics and empower young minds to grow far beyond what traditional classrooms can offer.

The Terra Schools educate, nurture, and inspire students of diverse backgrounds to achieve their highest academic and creative potential, embrace ethical values, and become active contributors to their communities. They believe that all children have gifts, and it is their mission to help them discover these gifts.

Best private elementary schools in San Francisco - Terra Schools

10 Best Private Elementary Schools in San Francisco

One of the criteria that parents should consider when choosing the best school is its reputation for producing battle-ready students for future challenges in higher education. As parents, you know there is no better way to prepare your school-age kids for the future than to look for the best private elementary school in San Francisco.

Though some may consider sending their children to public schools since it is free, some parents strongly feel private education for their kids despite the substantial expense it entails. With the private elementary schools in San Francisco, you will indeed find the one that perfectly fits your child’s academic needs.

San Francisco offers so many opportunities for kids to enjoy and have fun all year round! Check out our list of resources, or browse through our things to do in San Francisco with kids. Still looking for more activities for kids in San Francisco? No problem! Check out our comprehensive listing of places to go in the region and our highly recommended education blog posts.

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