Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Regions Schools in San Francisco for gifted kids

I would like some recommendations for schools that welcome gifted children and do a good job of supporting their needs. We live in San Francisco. Last week we learned that we only got into one of six independent school kindergarten programs that we applied to. While the school that accepted my son looks like a great place for my son, the psychologist who runs a social skills group my son participates in has warned that we shouldn't send him there. She said they cannot meet his needs. I feel really awful because we don't have a choice. We didn't get into any other school. The psychologist, who knows my son well and has worked with him extensively over the last year, told me that my son has the potential to be a genius if we can provide the appropriate opportunities and that this school isn't going to give him the resources or support he needs. What am I supposed to do?

We applied to Nueva and didn't get in. There was stiff competition and very few spots. I also suspect that my son's uneven scores hurt his application (he had a large gap between VCI and fluid reasoning and average processing speed). We were heartbroken because we loved the school's program and thought it would be a great fit for my extremely creative son.

We also applied to a handful of other schools. During our parent interviews many of the schools suggested that we apply to Nueva and expressed concern about meeting our son's needs or providing a peer group. And all of them wait listed us. If it were just our family, I would think my son's introverted personality was the issue but we know five other families with gifted kids who also applied to Nueva (so they had their kids tested and confirmed their high IQs). Two got into Neuva and will be going. The kids who didn't get into Nueva had terrible luck. Two gifted boys didn't get into a single school, despite applying widely. These kids are very smart, charming, well behaved and go to great preschools. They have lovely, successful parents. And they have no school to go to. This is deeply upsetting to me. There has to be a lot of gifted kids in San Francisco so what schools welcome them?

My husband and I feel so sad that we were not able to find a place for my son that we feel confident will meet his needs. I'd love some perspective from people on here about where else we can look if the psychologist's warnings turn out to be true. We are willing to move/travel out of San Francisco if that is necessary.

Thank you!

I can't answer your question, but here is a side comment.

I think kindergarten is too early for a program to be focused on anything, whether it's math and science or the humanities. Little kids need to learn a lot about everything.

@Bostonian: I agree. The school is focused on STEAM and project based learning but also has plenty of art, Spanish, music and a garden program where kids spend time digging in the dirt and raising bees and chickens and learning about sustainability. It has small classes and teachers who have pets bring them to school. It just celebrates geek culture and the school seeks kids who love math and science.

I met and talked to many parents who love the school and say it is nurturing and their kids are excited to go to school every day. I just feel worried because some parents with kids like mine have complaints.

To be honest, I think it sounds like you might have the kind of kid who may not fit in particularly well anywhere. But if he's tested in the high gifted range, did you apply to any programs specifically for gifted students?

Have you considered whether you'd do just as well to send him to public school? I know private schools are crazy popular in SF, but that doesn't mean that they're a better choice for everyone. Not everyone's going to be able to afford to live in SF and pay for private school, and you're in an area that imports a lot of highly skilled workers; I'd think there's a good chance a lot of very intelligent kids end up in public schools (especially since it sounds like anyone who moves in after preschool would be hard-pressed to find a spot in a private school).

Have you checked out Alt School in SF?
https://www.altschool.com
and the new Stratford in SF
http://www.stratfordschools.com/San_Francisco_Preschool_Elementary_Middle_School
Personally, I have not used these 2 schools, but you could attend their open houses to see if they interest you. There is a new Alt school coming soon nearer to me and I might visit them at that time.
How far south are you able to commute daily for school?

I have been in your shoes (a little south of you) and what I did was to put my son in the best school situations that I could find while after schooling him extensively to challenge him and biding my time until I could find a better fit for him. We have changed 3 schools so far and are changing to the 4th one next year (he is a 2nd grader!). Good luck.

I would try it before making judgement on the program. Your son might be just fine and if he 's not, then have a plan B ready to go.

There is also the GATE Academy in Marin. It seems like a nice (private) school that is priced a little lower than most private schools.

I can also vouch for Alt School. My son currently is in a combined 2nd -3rd grade class. It is not a "gifted" school, but my son really enjoys going. He feels like he has to work hard sometimes. The style isn't for every kid as it's not rigidly structured. It is very open and about "intrinsic learning". It is new and very progressive.

We applied to Alt School and were wait listed. Our preschool director and the psychologist we work with have relationships with the school and reached out but we weren't able to get off the wait list. It does seem like an ideal place for gifted kids because it's so flexible and personalized. It also happens to have a campus three blocks from our house! For now, it's not an option but I am planning to go back and apply again IF the school we are in doesn't work out. I'm happy to hear that it is working well for others.

I wish Alt School would explicitly welcome gifted kids. As I have found out in the last week, there is a real need for alternatives in the city.

@Aufilia: I am also a strong supporter of public schools. My husband and I both attended them and we have many family members who are public school teachers. Unfortunately, the school system here has real issues. The system is hostile to gifted students. It eliminated the GATE program and just last year got rid of honors math classes because kids who don't qualify might feel bad. There are also new rules that require all students to start with Algebra I in ninth grade and forbid them from testing out or taking higher level courses unless they are transferring from private school and can test into higher courses. This forces students to take a compressed version of Algebra II and precalculus the following year if they want to complete all the math courses. My husband is a mathematician and our son appears to be gifted in that area and we don't want to send him to a school that refuses to accommodate children who are gifted in math.

On top of that, we received an undesirable public school assignment that is far away, in a failing school and in a very dangerous neighborhood.

So, it looks like your options are as follows:

1. Bad public school in dangerous distant neighborhood that's part of a hostile-to-gifted system. Okay, cross that one off.

2. Dodgey private school that some people like and some don't.

3. Homeschool (if you both work and/or you don't like that idea cross that one off).

4. Other (small boutique school). This will require going page-by-page through a copy of Bay Area Parent Schools Edition (possibly online, possibly on the newstands) and scrutinizing each ad.

It sounds to me like you need to choose between options 2 or 4.

FWIW, I wouldn't recommend Stratford. We looked at it for my daughter and heard bad things about it: high pressure, super-competitive, that kind of thing. Stratford isn't supportive of acceleration (at least, they weren't with my daughter; I asked about moving her up a year in math, and the principal (!) told me that she'd have to talk to corporate about that. If a principal can't make such a basic decision, that's a bad sign. And I had to talk to her because the math teacher pretty much gagged when I asked him ("Oh! That's not MY decision! You'd have to talk to the principal!").

There are small schools out there, but you may have to dig to find them. You may also have to accept that they'll only work for a while.

San Francisco isn't known for having a kid-friendly atmosphere in general (people have been complaining about this problem, and especially that whole school-lottery thing, for many years).

You are not exaggerating, unfortunately. San Francisco real estate is fiercely expensive. How are are parents who care about education and are not rich supposed to raise a family in SF?

A look into San Francisco’s education market
by By Beth Weise
March 27, 2014