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United States, San Francisco
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The International School of San Francisco is the city's oldest and largest bilingual school and was the first in the city to offer the International Baccalaureate, the fourth in the United States to do so. It began as the French-American Bilingual School (FABS), founded in 1962 by nine San Francisco Bay Area residents with close ties to France and opened in 1963. The school moved campuses several times—from Vincente Street in 1965 to Grove Street in 1967—and the high school program began in 1978, adopting the International Baccalaureate. In 1994 the school relocated to 150 Oak Street, and in 1995 the high school was renamed International High School. The Maternelle opened at 1155 Page Street in 2014; in 2024-2025 it renamed to The International School of San Francisco to reflect its bilingual and international mission.
ISF hosts a year‑round calendar of community events, including an August Back‑to‑School Picnic, Grandparents and Grand Friends Day in November, and the Community Salon Series on topics such as biotechnology, neuroscience, political engagement, AI, and intellectual property as part of its Urban Engagement Program. There are monthly Principals Coffees for parents and regular Parent Education sessions to support families. PoSoC, a monthly affinity space for parents of students of color, and schoolwide service activities such as Days of Service and a Schoolwide Day of Service are also part of campus life.
All parents are members of the Parent Association, a volunteer organization that supports The International School of San Francisco by working with school leadership to engage parents and promote community, cooperation, and involvement. Parents can chaperone field trips, lead admissions tours, or chair fundraising events. The 2025‑2026 Executive Committee includes Co‑Presidents Pelin Cinar and Matt Hicks, Secretary, Treasurer, Communications Officer, and Volunteer Coordinator, as well as Section Vice Presidents for High School, Middle School, Lower School, and Maternelle, and Grade Representatives for each grade.
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.
