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United States, San Francisco
Let the school know you're thinking of applying — they can share their prerequisites and help you through the process.
It's best to ask — circumstances can change at any time.
1. Create a Ravenna profile to start your admissions journey. Ravenna manages your admissions checklist, event registrations, and booking your parent interview and your child's assessment visit. If you already have a Ravenna profile, log in and select Hiba Academy Bay Area to continue.
2. Attend an Open House and complete the application components. Attend an Open House to learn about the bilingual program and to hear from school leaders. Parent/guardian interviews are scheduled after you submit the application, and students do not attend. Your child will participate in a Student Visit Day & Assessment, and you will complete the written application by answering the questions and submitting a Student Evaluation Form from your child's current teacher.
3. Review the timeline and age requirements. Hiba Academy Bay Area opens in Fall 2026 with PK3, PK4, Kindergarten, and Grade 1; applications remain open for founding families through the summer. Age requirements are: PK3 3 years by September 1; PK4 4 by September 1; Kindergarten 5 by September 1; Grade 1 6 by September 1. Admission decisions are typically released citywide in March, and families have one week to enroll by signing a contract and submitting a deposit.
4. Admission Decision and Enrollment. Independent schools in San Francisco typically make admission decisions in mid-March 2026; decisions are posted on Ravenna and families have one week to enroll by signing the contract and submitting a deposit. Founding Families will participate in onboarding events, including a ribbon cutting ceremony at 99 Rhode Island Street and orientation before the school year begins; Admitted Family Reception is also held for new families.
5. Optional admissions activities and financial aid information. Heart-to-Heart conversations with the Head of School are optional. Monthly Open Houses are offered in-person or virtual. Admitted families are invited to an Admitted Family Reception. Financial aid is need-based and determined via the Clarity platform, with awards synchronized to enrollment contracts. Founding Families receive a 10% tuition discount in the first two years.
Financial aid is need-based and determined via the Clarity platform, which analyzes a family's ability to pay. Clarity reports inform financial aid awards that are synchronized with enrollment contracts. Founding Families receive a 10% tuition discount in the first two years of operation.
Hiba Academy Bay Area is a private international independent school opening Fall 2026 in San Francisco. As the newest member of the Wellington College Education network, it draws on a 160-year UK heritage and a global footprint that includes schools in the UK, China, Thailand, India, and beyond. The school delivers a bilingual English–Chinese curriculum from Early Years through Primary Years, with Chinese used as an instruction language in the Primary Years and English and Chinese used across learning experiences. The IB Primary Years Programme framework emphasizes inquiry, creativity, collaboration, and empathy. In Early Years, learning is immersive and hands-on, developing mathematics, literacy, language, and the arts in both languages. Academic Enrichment includes STEM, coding, language, and math explorations, while arts, calligraphy, and cultural traditions reinforce creative expression. A range of after-school activities supports wellbeing, sport, and social belonging. The campus will offer modern facilities designed for bilingual learning experiences.
