Director of College Counseling
Gina Meneni gmeneni@bayschoolsf.org
415.561.5800, ext. 107
Associate Directors of College Counseling
Maria Furtado mfurtado@bayschoolsf.org
415.561.5800, ext. 144
Ashley Terry ’11 aterry@bayschoolsf.org
415.561.5800, ext. 179
Assistant Director of College Counseling
Scott Bell sbell@bayschoolsf.org
415.561.5800, ext. 4068
Class of 2024
102 students
Highest GPA: 4.0
Lowest GPA: 2.4
The Bay School uses an unweighted GPA, does not calculate class rank, and does not award any academic honors or distinctions.
School Profile
The Bay School of San Francisco, founded in 2004, is a co-educational, independent, college preparatory day school located in the scenic Presidio National Park. Bay enrolls 446 students in grades 9–12 and offers a challenging curriculum that emphasizes depth over breadth, rigor, and discipline in mastering detail; cultivates depth of synthesis and analysis; demands authentic inquiry; and emphasizes examination of pressing global issues.
MISSION
At The Bay School, we balance challenging academics and innovative thinking with a mindful approach to learning and life. Our goal is to see students unlock their individual and collective potential so they begin to realize their roles in a dynamic world.
CURRICULUM HIGHLIGHTS
In 2018-2019 Bay moved from a block trimester calendar to a semester schedule punctuated by two 3-week Immersive terms. In each semester, students take five courses. In each Immersive term, students take one course all day, every day.
The Bay School does not prescribe to/offer an AP or IB curriculum. In the 11th and 12th grades, students have the opportunity to apply for Honors courses. Pending approval by faculty and the Academic Office, 11th grade students can take up to four semesters of Honors courses and 12th graders can take up to six semesters.
INTERDISCIPLINARY COURSES
IMMERSIVE TERM
Immersive courses are interdisciplinary courses that are affiliated with academic departments and are UC-approved A–G courses that meet graduation requirements. An Immersive meets for the equivalent number of hours as a semester course.
SENIOR SIGNATURE PROJECTS
A highlight of each student’s Bay experience, the Senior Signature Project (SSP) program is designed to be the culminating experience of a Bay education. SSP is required for graduation and involves extensive field work for which students earn full academic credit for a twoterm course. The program offers a meaningful opportunity for each senior to explore a passion in depth through the lens of a young professional working in a field rather than a high school student studying a topic. Each student works with an adult mentor who works in the field of their project topic and can provide expertise and guidance.
CEEB number: 053985
Accreditation: WASC, CAIS
Member school: NAIS, NACAC, WACAC, ACCIS
Location 35 Keyes Avenue San Francisco, CA 94129
Phone 415.561.5800
Fax 415.561.5808
www.bayschoolsf.org
Bay pushes the boundaries of the traditional classroom setting in order to ensure our students are given the tools needed to thrive in the 21st century. Bay offers a host of interdisciplinary courses—in both the semester and Immersive terms—co-taught by two instructors of different disciplines. These courses combine curriculum from each discipline to create a challenging, in-depth, and wellrounded approach to learning that centers critical thinking as a learning outcome.
Projects in recent years have included redesigning the waiting area of a health clinic for lowincome families to reduce patient anxiety; creating a course reader about LGBTQ+ history and identity as a supplementary resource for high school teachers; teaching week-long astronomy courses for middle school students to expose them to a branch of science typically not covered in depth at that level; and designing a prototype running shoe with replaceable, interchangeable soles. The diversity of projects reflects the diversity of Bay students and their interests.
2023–2024
Course Offerings
SUBJECT REQUIREMENTS
ENGLISH 4 credits
REQUIRED COURSES
ELECTIVE COURSES
• Humanities 1 (1 credit)*
• Humanities 2 (1 credit)*
• American Studies: Literature (.5 credit)
• Advanced Composition
• Advanced Gothic Literature (H)
• Advanced Russian Literature (H)
• Advanced Seminar: Essay and Memoir (H)
• Advanced Seminar: Fiction (H)
• African American Literature
• The American Dream
• American Rage: Political Discourse
• Asian American Literature
• Breaking the Singular Story
• The Business of the Short Story
• Connecting to Place
• Creative Writing
• Critical Theory
SOCIAL STUDIES
3 credits
• Humanities 1 (.5 credit)*
• Humanities 2 (.5 credit)*
• American Studies: U.S. History (1 credit)
• Civics
• Art History
• Art History: Museum Studies at the De Young
• Artist as Activist
• Bay Area Culture: The Evolution of Food
• Civil Rights and the American South
• Espionage and Covert Affairs
• East Asian Philosophy
• Latin American Studies
• Mathematics of Democracy
• Essential Questions Through Film
• Existentialism (H)
• Futures Past and Present
• Gender in Literature
• The Good Life
• Indigenous Literature
• Literature of Neurodivergence
• Modern American Family
• Mythology
• Novels in Nature
• Rhetoric and Debate
• Speculative Fiction
• Stories of San Francisco’s Ethnic and Nonconformist Communities
• The Writer’s Life
• Negotiation, Legislation, and Diplomacy
• Poverty and Justice
• Regional Studies: Africa
• Uncovering Cultural Bias
• U.S. Foreign Policy (H)
• Water in the American West
MATH
3 credits
• Math 1 (CME)
• Math 2 (CME)
• Math 3 (CME)
• Analysis of Functions
• Calculus (H)
• Data Science
• Geometry in Islamic Art
• Group Theory (H)
• Mathematics of Democracy (cross-listed with Social Studies)
• Mathematics of Digital Animation
• Statistics
• Topology (H)
*Humanities 1 and 2 form an interdisciplinary program that fulfills two years of English and one year of history.
(H) Honors course
2
Course Offerings
SUBJECT REQUIREMENTS
SCIENCE
4 credits
REQUIRED COURSES
ELECTIVE COURSES
• Conceptual Physics
• Chemistry 1
• Biology 1
• Advanced Mechanism Design
• Advanced Product Design
• Applied Chemistry: Gastronomy
• Assembling San Francisco
• Astronomy: Experiential Processes in the Observatory
• Astronomy and Stellar Astrophysics
• Atmospheric Science and Engineering
• Biology 2 (H)
• Biology of Health and Wellness
• Biological Psychology
• Biotechnology
• California Geology
ARTS
1.5 credits
• The Creative Process
• Adv. Drama: Creating and Performing (H)
• Adv. Drama: Technique and Analysis (H)
• Adv. Drawing and Painting Studio (H)
• Adv. Projects in Digital Arts (H)
• Art History: Museum Studies at the De Young (cross-listed with social studies)
• Artist as Activist (cross-listed with social studies)
• Design
• Digital Imaging
CAPSTONE
1 credit
LANGUAGES
3 credits
• Senior Signature Project
• Mandarin 1
• Mandarin 2
• Mandarin 3
• Mandarin 4
• Mandarin 5 (H)
• Adv. Topics in Mandarin (H)
• Spanish 1
PHILOSOPHY & WORLD RELIGIONS
0.5 credit
• California Natural History
• Chemistry 2 (H)
• Climate Change
• Computer Science 1
• Computer Science 2
• Engineering 1
• Engineering 2
• Environmental Science: Biodiversity
• Fire Ecology
• Marine Biology: San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean
• Water in the American West (cross-listed with Social Studies)
• Wilderness First Responder
• Drama
• Drawing
• Electronic Music Studio
• Filmmaking
• Immersive Art Studio
• Jazz 1
• Jazz 2 (H)
• Music Production
• Painting
• Painting in Nature
• Photography
• Strumming
• Video Production
• Vocal Music
• Spanish 2
• Spanish 3
• Spanish 4
• Spanish 5 a/b (H)
• Spanish 5 c/d (H)
• Spanish for Spanish Speakers 1
• Spanish for Spanish Speakers 2
• Spanish for Spanish Speakers 3 (H)
• Buddhism
• Comparative Philosophy (H)
• Comparative Religion (H)
• East Asian Philosophy
• Ethics and Ethical Decision Making
• Existentialism (H, cross-listed with English)
• The Good Life (cross-listed with English)
3
(H) Honors course
