DISCOVER
UNIVERSITY
HIGH SCHOOL
University High School welcomes students of demonstrated motivation and ability to engage in an education that fosters responsibility and the spirited pursuit of knowledge. We are a school where adults believe in the promise of every student, and together we work to build and sustain a community of diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and talents. UHS challenges each individual to live a life of integrity, inquiry, and purpose larger than the self.
CONTENTS 02 - Who We Are
03 - What We Value
04 - Inspired by Inquiry 06 - Grounded in Care
08 - Committed to Integrity
10 - Empowered by Agency
12 - Enriched by Interconnection 14 - Beyond UHS
16 - Applying to UHS 17 - Affording UHS
At UHS, we embrace education as a transformational experience, empowering our students to invent and sustain their own vision of success and sense of purpose, while also prioritizing wellness and self-care. They, in turn, grow into motivated learners and creators, excited to make their mark on the world. We believe that collaboration among people of diverse backgrounds and life experiences is essential to deep learning, and we challenge our community to engage in learning, reflection, and growth on all levels—not just for four years of high school, but for a lifetime.
02
Who We Are 1973
421
53%
49
89
55%
23%
32
75
85%
48%
11
year founded
middle schools represented
faculty members
total students
of students from religiously affiliated and public schools
of faculty have advanced degrees
self-identified students of color
of students awarded $3.7M in financial aid for the 2021-22 school year
self-identified faculty of color
zip codes represented
languages spoken at home
Average number of years teaching at UHS
03
What We Value INQUIRY:
Being curious, open-minded, and courageous; seeking out different perspectives and learning from one another; and striving to deepen our understanding of the evolving world
CARE:
Investing wholeheartedly in our work and in one another; cultivating empathy, compassion, mindfulness, and resilience; recognizing and seeking to address injustice
INTEGRITY:
Being truthful, open, honest, and reflective; honoring the wholeness of each individual; acting to fulfill a purpose larger than the self
AGENCY:
Taking risks and growing from the experience; pursuing our passions with confidence, creativity, and humility; discovering and making real our own distinctive and evolving expressions of excellence
INTERCONNECTION:
Building and sustaining an intentionally diverse, equitable, and inclusive school; engaging as socially responsible citizens in communities both near and far; recognizing that we form a web through our common humanity: what affects one person affects us all
04
Inspired by
INQUIRY
“ Learning can look like magic: you turn around one day, and suddenly your young child is reading, catching a ball, or doing math in their head. Meaningful educational bursts occur within the context and confluence of interest, courage, effort, and guidance. This spirit of inquiry is a powerful engine at University High School – teachers can walk into the classroom on the first day expecting students to dive in, headlong.” Byron Philhour, dean of teaching & learning
W
e want our students to be inspired by both their teachers and their peers—to think critically, to ask tough questions, and to explore their own interests. Our program is built for students
excited to delve into the more than 100 courses we offer, then forge their own path. University’s Independent Study Program is a prime example of how students can be the architects of their own education. Each year, over 100 students select a topic they’re passionate about, partner with a faculty advisor to plan a semester of work, and they’re off, where they will eventually share their findings with the entire community at our Independent Studies Symposium. And we’ve laid the foundation for their exploration: Our faculty are experts in both their subject area and working closely with adolescents, and our schedule encourages a healthy approach to pace and workload. The possibilities in the classroom are nearly endless (in fact, nearly two-thirds of our courses are electives) and the work we pursue is only possible because of the care that we show one another.
Numbers That Matter
Sample Electives
137 Courses Offered
Industrial Design
115 Electives Offered
Radical Black Atlantic
26 Advanced Placement and Honors classes
Chaos Theory
Average class size: 14 Each class meets 3 times weekly, for a total of 190 minutes 125+ Independent Study projects per year
Sample Independent Study Projects Electronic Music
Modern Middle East American Lives: Asian America AP Computer Science Global Infectious Diseases Chinese VI: Honors Advanced Topics
Printmaking The Female Experience Through Short Story Writing in the Fantasy Genre American Sign Language LGBTQ: What Does it Mean? Study of Python
06
Grounded in
CARE
“Students and teachers alike at UHS care deeply– about each other, about their studies, about the journey of each individual student. Teachers will schedule one-on-one meetings, invest time in getting to know their students outside of the classroom, and give students as many resources as possible for them to succeed. Peers and friends will check in on and support each other both in and out of the classroom to show their extensive care.” Katie, Class of 2022
A
t UHS, students are known, cared for, and supported—it’s at the center of everything we do. To ensure that we encourage our
young peoples’ various endeavors and their well-being, we start school at 9:00 a.m. twice a week, build in hours of unstructured free time, and set aside ninety minutes each week for students to connect with their mentor. Our belief in the promise of every student is epitomized by our nationally recognized mentoring program. Grounded in extensive research on adolescent development and cognitive neuroscience, we’ve developed a four-year plan designed to help our students transition and thrive in high school—academically, socially, and emotionally. Every student is placed in a “cluster” and is matched with a faculty mentor trained in how to best support them and given the time to foster an authentic connection. The result? Confident students who know they are an important part of our community at University.
Numbers That Matter 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio 33 mentors who spend 100+ hours in training Average cluster size: 13 4 hours per week spent by ninthgrade mentees with their mentors 370 structured minutes per week provided to students to meet with faculty 36 Peer advisors, who are juniors and seniors who work closely with each cluster of younger students
08
Committed to
INTEGRITY
At UHS, we understand the responsibility of integrity, of delivering and making good on the commitments and the values to which we ascribe, and doing so in a steadfast manner. We honor the wholeness of each individual in our community by upholding our core values with sincerity and decency in the pursuit of greater individual and communal growth.” Rosie, Class of 2023
C
ome as you are and expand your thinking and your perspective. At UHS, integrity doesn’t just mean honesty and character—we consider it honoring the
wholeness of each individual. We intentionally make time and space for students to think about who they are, their place in the world, and how they can contribute in ways that hold significance for them. The Human Development Department at UHS, a fully recognized academic department, is part of every UHS student’s experience for 100 minutes a week, throughout all four years of high school. The curriculum is designed to support the cognitive, social, and emotional development of each student by creating opportunities for experiential learning. By the time they leave University, students have a strong understanding of themselves, how they learn, and how they can create meaningful lives.
Facts That Matter Number of years students take classes in Human Development: 4 Human Development areas of focus: • Learning and metacognition • Cultural competency
• Mind and body wellness
• Community engagement • College counseling
UHS Council on Honor and Integrity: A student-led group charged with promoting integrity at the school. Every student agrees to adhere to the UHS Honor Pledge at the start of each year.
10
Empowered by
AGENCY
“Empowering the UHS community is a sense of passion and ambition that manifests itself in extremely motivated students and faculty. What makes UHS so special is that there are programs specifically designed to encourage students to pursue their individual interests and strive to make change within the community through collaboration with their peers.” Sean, Class of 2022
W
e are a community of committed artists, athletes, activists, and volunteers—
University High School is not a place for the complacent, and we encourage our students to experiment. Driven by their intellectual curiosity, our students take charge of their education, seeking a myriad of perspectives and interests both in the classroom and beyond. Student leadership and initiative are at the core of our school, and it shows: Over 80 percent of students participate in interscholastic athletics each year; we put on three annual theater productions, perform four concerts, and host six art openings; and each week, over fifty student-led clubs hold meetings throughout campus. Our community is passionate, and that passion drives us individually in numerous varying and fulfilling directions, making for a rich and dynamic school.
Numbers That Matter 50+ student-led clubs 36 teams across 15 different sports 4 league championships won in 2019–2020 (fall/winter) 84% of UHS students play on at least one team per year 3 annual theater productions a year 80% of students take more than the two-year arts requirement
12
Enriched by INTERCONNECTION “ In our community, we recognize that what affects one of us affects us all. To that end, our students are always in pursuit of understanding the world—and therefore each other—more deeply. This important work happens in classrooms, clubs, affinity spaces, day-long symposiums and more. By creating and sustaining safe spaces in and out of the class for students to explore and share their experiences, our community grows closer and more understanding of the web that connects us.”
Alexandra Simmons, dean of student life
W
e believe that the diversity of backgrounds, perspectives, and aspirations in our community are what
make UHS extraordinary. We are proud to be a school in and of the San Francisco Bay Area, and we strive not merely to benefit from the variety of opportunities available to us, but also to contribute. With interconnection as one of our school’s core values, our students first gain a deeper understanding of the circumstances and context of our surrounding community, then get involved. We partner with over 150 non-profit organizations, including ALS Association, Glide Memorial Church, SF Marin Food Bank, and the YMCA. One of the organizations closest to the heart of our school is Breakthrough Summerbridge, which is located on University’s campus and is the founding site of the Breakthrough Collaborative, a national network of community-based organizations committed to educational equity. Over 100 UHS students volunteer as tutors with Breakthrough Summerbridge each year. By contributing to the wellbeing of the Bay Area, we are helping to shape civic-minded and responsible citizens at UHS.
Numbers That Matter 150+ non-profit community partners 100 senior community engagement projects completed annually 6,000+ community engagement hours completed by UHS students in 2020–2021 100+ UHS student volunteers at Breakthrough Summerbridge annually
14
B
Beyond UHS y the end of their time at UHS, our graduates are inspired, confident, and ready for their next adventure. With the support of our experienced and supportive college counselors, students map out a path forward that best matches their values, passions, and aspirations. While we take pride in the broad range of
excellent colleges and universities our students choose to attend, we are most proud of who they are when they graduate: individuals ready to live lives of integrity, inquiry, and purpose larger than the self. Below is a list of colleges where five or more UHS students have matriculated between 2017-2021: University of Chicago
26
Carleton College
7
Tufts University
22
Middlebury College
7
Stanford University
17
Northwestern University
7
University of California-Berkeley
17
Pitzer College
7
University of California-Los Angeles
15
University of Southern California
7
Brown University
12
University of Wisconsin-Madison
7
Yale University
12
Wesleyan University
7
Colby College
11
Emory University
6
New York University
11
Northeastern University
6
Washington University in St Louis
11
Vassar College
6
Cornell University
10
Wellesley College
6
Harvard University
10
Barnard College
5
Columbia University
9
Davidson College
5
Georgetown University
9
Kenyon College
5
Boston College
8
Swarthmore College
5
Duke University
8
University of California-Santa Cruz
5
Tulane University
8
University of Pennsylvania
5
Boston University
7
Williams College
5
“In mapping out our future, UHS has taken a bold step in committing to becoming a national leader in shifting high school culture from one that is limited to grades and scores, wins and losses, to one that prizes the journey of discovery, the commitment of care and community, and the value of diversity of perspectives and experiences. Rather than conforming to a fixed definition of excellence, UHS students are afforded the agency to invent and sustain their own vision of excellence. We see this play out as our students engage in independent intellectual pursuits, discover their dramatic and political voices, and help value leadership and sportsmanship over victory. Time and time again, UHS alumni tell me that they credit their years at UHS for inspiring them to live a life of the mind, as well as to lead lives of creativity, consequence, and commitment to the greater good.” Julia Russell Eells, head of school
16
Applying to UHS
W
e hope you consider learning more about UHS and the opportunities that abound here. Come to an open house, sign up for a campus visit, or check out a play or an athletic event. Here’s how to get started:
• Visit sfuhs.org to learn more about our school community! • To see important dates and deadlines, sign up for an open house or campus visit, or to start the application, you must create a Ravenna-Hub account by visiting ravenna-hub.com, and complete the Student Profile. Find UHS in the School Directory and click, “Apply.” • Please visit our admissions home page to find ways to connect with current members of our student and parent community. For details and updates on our application process, please don’t hesitate to be in touch with the Admissions Office by phone (415-447-3101) or email (admissions@sfuhs.org). We look forward to getting to know you!
17
Affording UHS
A
t UHS, we are committed to access and affordability. We work to build and sustain our community by intentionally seeking, enrolling, and fully supporting
a student body representative of the Bay Area, regardless of financial means. Varied perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences among our students and faculty are critical components of a UHS education. To fulfill this commitment, UHS maintains a strong financial aid program to meet the demonstrated need of our families. For the 2021-2022 school year, UHS awarded 3.7M to the 23% of students who participate in the financial aid program; the tuition cost for families participating in the financial aid program: $15,621.
We encourage you to learn more about financial aid at UHS by visiting the Affording UHS section of our website at sfuhs.org/affording.
Office of Admissions and Financial Aid San Francisco University High School 3065 Jackson Street San Francisco, CA 94115 Tel: 415.447.3101 Email: admissions@sfuhs.org sfuhs.org/admissions
