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United States, San Francisco
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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.
The International School of San Francisco operates as a dual-language institution in the center of the city, specializing in a bilingual French-English track from preschool through high school. Students at the Oak Campus, which primarily serves the high school, choose between the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma and the French Baccalaureate. The campus includes specialized facilities like the Arts Pavilion for music and film and the Mark Salkind Center for science and design. A standout feature is the Global Travel Program, where students in grades 9 through 11 participate in two-week international learning trips to destinations such as Senegal, Vietnam, and Ecuador. These trips are often part of reciprocal exchanges where students stay with local families to practice language skills in real-world settings. The school also integrates "makerspaces" and a dedicated design lab into its curriculum, allowing students to apply engineering and artistic concepts to physical projects.
