The International School of San Francisco - Oak Campus

Oak Campus: 150 Oak Street, San Francisco, CA 94102; Maternelle/Page Campus: 1155 Page Street, San Francisco, CA 94117.

Preschool/ Maternelle; Lower School (Kindergarten–Grade 8); High School.

Learning Services are provided by learning specialists who collaborate with students, teachers, and families to support the learning process and identify when extra help is needed. Accommodations may include extended time on tests, extra breaks, a separate testing space, the use of calculators or portable word processors, assistive technology, peer tutoring, and referrals to qualified evaluators or outside professionals when contracted by the family.

France; AEFE-affiliated French international school.

High School operates on a period-based schedule with start times around 8:10 a.m. and day end around 4:25 p.m. Periods 1–8 run with a lunch break from 12:00 to 12:50; Period 9 exists for French Baccalaureate students only.

Maternelle provides bilingual immersion from age 2 (PK2) through Kindergarten, with French immersion initially at about 80%–90% and language development in English and French. Lower School continues French language development, while the program blends U.S. educational practices with the French national curriculum Cycle System (Cycle 1). The five learning domains are: language (English and French), arts, mathematics, exploration of the world, and physical activity, with strong social-emotional development and differentiated instruction. In Middle and High School, students choose between two tracks: International Track, which leads to the IB Diploma, and French Track, which leads to the French Baccalaureate, with some subjects offered in French for bilingual students. The High School offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma program, including a bilingual IB Diploma, and the French Baccalaureate.

Grade 9 students prepare the Brevet des Collèges, a French national exam. Successful completion of the French Baccalaureate provides a diploma equivalent to completion of High School in France. The International High School offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma program, including a bilingual IB Diploma option. The IB Diploma is organized around groups 1–6 with core elements such as Theory of Knowledge, Extended Essay, and Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS), and there is an option to earn a bilingual IB Diploma.

College Counseling helps students identify colleges that fit their intellectual, social, and emotional needs. By pursuing either the International Baccalaureate or the French Baccalaureate, graduates earn internationally recognized diplomas. Alumni are currently enrolled in higher education institutions around the world and across the United States.

The school offers a social-emotional learning program that develops empathetic listening, cooperative teamwork, and responsible behavior; counselors provide drop-in and brief counseling, and an in-class Social and Emotional Learning program supports student well-being.

The Learning Services team includes learning specialists who collaborate with students, teachers, and families to support learning; accommodations may include extended time on tests, extra breaks, a separate testing room, use of calculators, portable word processors or computers, peer tutoring, and assistive technology; referrals to outside evaluators and professionals are available when needed.

The International Track in High School serves non-French-speaking students and provides pathways toward the IB Diploma; more than half of students entering International High School do not speak French.

Counseling services include drop-in and brief individual counseling, crisis intervention, study-skills workshops, and liaison with outside mental health resources; there is an in-class Social and Emotional Learning program and in-class sex education and bullying-prevention efforts; school counseling is confidential with certain legal exceptions related to child protection.

Counseling services are confidential with exceptions required by law for child protection; there is an in-class bullying prevention program; a dedicated Student Support Team provides counseling and learning-support staff across levels to monitor and support student safety and well-being.

Maternelle/Preschool Admissions
Step 1: Create a Ravenna account to keep track of all admissions tasks. Ravenna is the online application site used to manage applications, events, decisions, and to monitor your progress.
Step 2: Save the date. Starting September 1, you may register for a school day tour and/or our Saturday Open House.
Step 3: Apply. Submit your application and family questionnaire, and the Student Evaluation Form if applicable.
Step 4: Classroom visit and playdate. PK2 and PK3 applicants are invited on a weekday, while PK4 applicants join a Saturday visit with other children in January or February.
Step 5: Schedule your parent interview. Parent conversations begin in November and continue through February and can be conducted in person or on Zoom.

Sibling/Faculty/Alumni Applicants
Step 1: Create a Ravenna account.
Step 2 (Optional): Schedule a tour or attend an admission event. Tours begin in early October.
Step 3: Submit your child's application on Ravenna by the November 1, 2025 deadline.
Step 4: In December, children are invited for a Saturday classroom visit with other prospective students and our teachers at the Page Campus. PK2 applicants will have their visit in February.

Long Distance Applicants
We welcome applications from families relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area. Our admissions procedures are essentially the same as for local applicants, except all meetings are held via Zoom if the family cannot be in San Francisco during the application period. Evaluations are tailored to family travel constraints. Potential applicants from overseas should contact our Associate Director of Admissions, Karine Luguet. Students from public, independent, and parochial schools are admitted on the basis of academic records and other data. Our admission policies are non-discriminatory.

Lower and Middle School Admissions
Step 1: Explore. Create a Ravenna account to keep track of everything on the admissions to-do list.
Step 2: Submit your Parent/Guardian Application Form. Starting September 1, you may register for a school day tour and/or our Saturday Open House.
Step 3: Sign up for the Parent Interview. Submit your application, family questionnaire, and Student Evaluation Form (two forms are needed for Grades 6-8).
Step 4: Sign up for a Visit/Assessment Day. Kindergarten applicants are invited to a Saturday visit; Grades 1–8 will join on a weekday.
Step 5: Sign up for the Student Interview. Schedule your parent conversation. Parent conversations begin in November and continue through February, and can be conducted in person or on Zoom.
Step 6: Delegate the Teacher Recommendation Form. For Grades 1–8, request official transcripts and schedule the Student Interview with our Middle School Principal (Grades 6–8 only).

Sibling/Faculty/Alumni Applicants
Step 1: Create a Ravenna account.
Step 2 (Optional): Schedule a tour or attend an admission event. Tours begin in early October.
Step 3: Submit your child's application on Ravenna by the November 1, 2025 deadline.
Step 4: In December, children are invited for a Saturday classroom visit with other prospective students and our teachers at Page Campus.

Long Distance Applicants
We welcome applications from families relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area. Our admissions procedures are essentially the same as for local applicants, except all meetings are held via Zoom if the family will not be in San Francisco physically during the application period. Evaluations are tailored to family travel constraints. Potential applicants from overseas should contact our Associate Director of Admissions, Karine Luguet. Students from public, independent, and parochial schools are admitted to The International School of San Francisco on the basis of academic records and other data. Our admission policies are non-discriminatory.

Important Dates (illustrative; see site for full timeline)
Decisions released electronically; Enrollment deadline for financial aid recipients; Enrollment contract deadlines.

Aid Application Process
Step 1: Go to Clarity and sign up. The application typically takes less than 30 minutes to complete. The Clarity submission has a $65 fee and can be shared with additional schools that accept Clarity.
Step 2: Begin your Clarity application and add The International School of San Francisco.
Step 3: Complete your Clarity application and pay the $65 fee.
Step 4: Complete the Clarity Enhanced Tax Verification (ETV) process to release W-2 and personal tax return transcripts by signing Form 8821 or using IRS.gov.
Step 5: Submit your Clarity application and upload any additional supporting documents. Non-U.S. tax filers should upload income verification and other required documents. International tax information for 2025 must be available by February 15, 2026. Returning and new families deadlines are published in Clarity.

Need-Based Scholarships
Financial assistance is awarded on the basis of need and the family's potential contribution, based on Clarity's data and household guidelines. The school aims to meet demonstrated need where possible, but resources may not cover the full need. Timely submission of documents is critical because awards are made within a constrained timeframe. All information provided during the financial aid process is kept confidential.

French Government Scholarships
Applicants may pursue French Government scholarships through the Consulate; complete the school's Financial Aid process and contact Mireille Gaonac'h or the Financial Aid office for assistance. The Consulate's deadlines and processes apply, including a February deadline for certain years. All information is kept confidential.

Financial Aid Details and Aids
The school's financial aid program includes need-based awards, with average grants cited (e.g., around $28,000 for Maternelle families and higher amounts for other divisions) and a track record of significant aid funding (several million dollars annually). The Clarity application is used to determine need, and the school aims to meet the demonstrated need of admitted or enrolled families where possible.

Citations: Maternelle admissions details, Lower/Middle admissions details, High School admissions details, and Tuition & Financial Aid pages from the ISSF site.