DISCOVER UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL
San Francisco 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.
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.
Who We Are
1973
year founded
480 total students
59% self-identified students of color
50 zip codes represented
100 middle schools represented
21% of students awarded $4.4M in financial aid for 2023-2024 school year
31 languages spoken at home
69 faculty members
81% of faculty have advanced degrees
48% self-identified faculty of color
10 Average number of years teaching at UHS
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
INQUIRY Inspired by
“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
We 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 Studies 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
113 Courses Offered
95 Electives Offered
45 Advanced Placement and Honors classes
Average class size: 14
Each class meets 3 times weekly, for a total of 195 minutes
100+ Independent Study projects per year
Sample Electives
Black Radical Atlantic
Remaking Masculinity
Chaos Theory & Fractal Geometry
Modern Middle East
Afrofuturism
Global Infectious Diseases
Chinese VI: Honors Advanced Topics
Introduction to Engineering
US History through Film
Sample Independent Study Projects
The Female Experience Through Short Story
Black Americans and the GOP: A Long Breakup
Biology and Gender: How Society Informs Science
Writing in the Fantasy Genre
American Sign Language
Writing California
A Look at Belonging
Study of Python
CARE Grounded in
“At UHS, care is at the core of each person. It is seen in the teachers who work to help every student feel empowered to learn, the athletes who cheer on their teammates, the artists who spend months perfecting their work, and in every classroom on campus. What makes UHS a community rather than a group of random people is we support each other in order for everyone to reach their full potential.”
Alice, Class of 2025
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
7:1 student-to-faculty ratio
37 mentors who spend 40+ hours in training and professional development
Average cluster size: 13
75 minutes per week spent by ninthgrade mentees with their mentors
525 structured minutes per week provided to students to meet with faculty
41 Peer advisors, are juniors and seniors who work closely with each cluster of younger students
Committed to INTEGRITY
“UHS has empowered me throughout my high school experience through a myriad of ways, ranging from student led clubs and affinity spaces to supportive peers and faculty. Inside the classroom, our teachers incorporate real-world examples into their teaching, making learning a motivating experience beyond the textbook. Despite the academically rigorous curriculum, the small supportive environment UHS offers has not only allowed me to be comfortable, but to also go outside my comfort zone and explore new interests. I feel like I have a lot of unique opportunities (easy access to teachers, independent study, BlendEd courses, sports, clubs, etc.) at UHS that I would not have at any other school.”
Kylie, Class of 2024
We 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 this mission in mind, UHS is home to an Institute for Responsive Education (REd) that offers programs which (i) respond dynamically to events and evolving circumstances within and beyond UHS and (ii) center inquiry, care, integrity, agency, and interconnection in the education of graduates who embody a “purpose larger than the self.”
Facts That Matter
Number of years students take classes in the Institute for Responsive Education: 4
Areas of Focus:
• Metacognition & Neurodiversity
• Health & Wellness
• Equity & Community
• Climate Studies
• Community Engagement
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.
Empowered by AGENCY
“Coming to UHS on zoom, I was nothing more than a name less than 10 people at the school knew existed in person, having to unmute to have any voice at all. However, because of the variety of opportunities UHS provides (from applying for leadership positions to choosing class electives), I have been able to feel like a valued and empowered member on campus. Be it getting to play in front of an audience as part of our flute choir or UHS students attending my club meetings, be it getting to make positive changes to UHS’s academic programs as part of student council or UHS teachers and peers truly valuing each contribution in class discussions, be it designing my own independent studies or even the admissions team entrusting me to write this very post, UHS has supported my individuality and interests--it fosters agency in all of its students, helping to kindle a sense of empowerment for us to wear with confidence and responsibility once we leave our campus.”
Bryce, Class of 2024
We 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 myriad 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 three 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
55+ student-led clubs
41 teams across 20 different sports
84% of UHS students play on at least one team per year
3 theater productions a year
3 art openings
4 concerts a year
80% of students take more than the two-year arts requirement
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
We 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. 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 well-being of the Bay Area, we are helping to shape civicminded and responsible citizens at UHS.
Beyond UHS
By 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 2019-2023:
University of Chicago 27 Northwestern University 6 Stanford University 26 Pitzer College 6 Tufts University 19 Princeton University 6 University of California-Berkeley 17 Southern Methodist University 6 University of California-Los Angeles 13 Barnard College 5 Brown University 12 Colorado College 5 Georgetown University 11 George Washington University 5 Yale University 10 Haverford College 5 Boston College 9 Kenyon College 5 Columbia University in the City of New York 9 Northeastern University 5 Cornell University 8 Pomona College 5 Tulane University of Louisiana 8 Swarthmore College 5 University of Pennsylvania 8 University of California-Davis 5 University of Wisconsin-Madison 8 University of California-San Diego 5 Wesleyan University 8 University of California-Santa Cruz 5 Boston University 7 University of St Andrews (Scotland) 5 Colby College 7 Vanderbilt University 5 Duke University 7 Vassar College 5 Harvard University 7 Wake Forest University 5 New York University 7 Washington University in St Louis 5 Dartmouth College 6
High school students need to feel a sense of belonging to thrive. At UHS, we work tirelessly and intentionally to help each student design an empowering, emboldening experience, with the care and mentorship of trusted adults, and among diverse, motivated, and talented peers. Our students discover their voices and thrive in the classrooms, on the stage, in the studio, and on the athletic courts and fields, where they are stretched to reach their full potential as students and people, to, as our mission states, “live a life of integrity, inquiry, and purpose larger than the self.” We remain steadfast and bold in our promise to create and uphold a transformational high school experience inside a caring, diverse community. Our students leave UHS imbued with the courage and confidence to take risks, wrestle with new and novel ideas, bolster their communities, and experience a love of learning.
Matt Levinson, head of school
Applying to UHS
We 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!
Affording UHS
At 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 2023-2024 school year, UHS awarded 4.4M to the 21% of students who participate in the financial aid program; the average tuition cost for families participating in the financial aid program is $14,880. For more information on our financial aid program, please visit our Tuition and Additional Costs tab at sfuhs.org/admissions/welcome.
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
