2023 Best Public Schools in San Francisco

• San Francisco Unified School District, CA•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.8 out of 5  1,065 reviews

Senior: Lowell overall is a great high school for those looking to take competitive, rigorous courses. With the rigorous and challenging courses (29 APs, 11 honors), however, it is not uncommon for students to report high levels of stress and lack of sleep. The teachers, in my opinion, are just as good as teachers anywhere else. The main difference comes from the students. All the students are motivated to do well leading to a class environment that fosters learning with minimal disruptions. Aside from academics, there over a hundred of student started clubs that anyone can join; from cultural clubs such as La Raza and Fil-Am to Model-UN and Forensics to Robotics and LSRP (which offers a great unique to Lowell UCSF internship opportunity), all students can find clubs that suit their interests. Overall, I would recommend Lowell to those that do well under high-stress and are good at time management. Juniors and seniors usually end up with 4 hours of homework a night and over 10 on a weekend.... Read 1,065 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 2,786

• Student-teacher ratio 25:1

• Oakland, CA•

• Public School•

• K-8

• •
  Rating 5 out of 5  2 reviews

Middle School Student: Great school, I go there and I love it so much! There are a lot of different things you can do but I love how it also teaches me mandarin and it also is super strong on math and English even though its half Chinese!... Read 2 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 555

• Student-teacher ratio 19:1

• San Francisco, CA•

• Public School•

• K-7

• •
  Rating 3.5 out of 5  2 reviews

Parent: Amazing curriculum, teachers, parent involvement, communication, and culture. I haven’t seen anything like it at other schools, public or private.... Read 2 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 391

• Student-teacher ratio 16:1

• San Francisco Unified School District, CA•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.59 out of 5  160 reviews

Senior: I loved the structure of the school's non-traditional classrooms and hyper-focus on the arts. The school has lots of strong support programs from mental health counseling to academic support. As a student with an IEP, SOTA was very helpful in making sure I had the support I needed through teachers that would fight for me and made me feel very welcome and supported. However, the school environment had a severe lack of structure, and most of the administration and many teachers were new and didn't have the proper experience to support the student body as a whole.... Read 160 reviews

• grade A

• Students 776

• Student-teacher ratio 21:1

• Oakland, CA•

• Public School•

• K-8

• •
  Rating 5 out of 5  4 reviews

Parent: We've been here for a few years now. I have been extremely impressed with the teaching. We attended a private French immersion school before this, and I think that academically speaking, this is very similar in terms of the teaching and curriculum, only it's free! I'd also say the student/family community is very warm and diverse in every sense of the word. So we're very glad we made the switch. It is still a growing school and sometimes the systems and processes are a bit messy and disorganized, that I would say is the main downside.... Read 4 reviews

• grade A

• Students 311

• Student-teacher ratio 24:1

• Burlingame Elementary School District, CA•

• K-5

• grade A

• Students 238

• Student-teacher ratio 22:1

• San Francisco, CA•

• Public School•

• PK, K-8

• •
  Rating 5 out of 5  1 review

Middle School Student: I'm a current student in Mission Preparatory and it's great. Since it's a new school, I think it should have more clubs and sports, but academics are great. Teachers and staff are very supportive and encouraging.... Read 1 review

• grade A

• Students 439

• Student-teacher ratio 26:1

• Larkspur-Corta Madera School District, CA•

• K-5

• grade A

• Students 368

• Student-teacher ratio 22:1

• San Francisco Unified School District, CA•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.95 out of 5  371 reviews

Senior: My experience at Abraham Lincoln High School was unfortunately cut short because of COVID-19 but it was fun while it lasted. The staff here at Lincoln were really helpful when I need help such as support for my schedule and mental health. I was going through depression and the wellness center was understanding that sometimes I just needed someone to talk to. When I was having cramps, the wellness center had everything you need from heating pads, water, pads, and snacks if you were hungry. The teachers here at Abraham Lincoln High School are also very helpful with your grades. If you were failing, the teacher would try to make sure everything is okay to help you get back on track.... Read 371 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,991

• Student-teacher ratio 22:1

• San Francisco Unified School District, CA•

• K-5

• •
  Rating 5 out of 5  2 reviews

Parent: This is our third year at Yick Wo. Our son is finishing 2nd grade and our daughter is finishing kindergarten. The experience has been overwhelmingly positive. The teaching, the community and administration are excellent. There are great before and after care options. They have lots of fun enrichment programs such as art, gardening, and music. It’s a small school mostly made up of children from the neighborhood and surrounding area so feels like a neighborhood school. The parent community is awesome too! It’s really easy to get involved in whatever way you can. We really like the school and feel like our children are being set up for a great future.... Read 2 reviews

• grade A

• Students 239

• Student-teacher ratio 18:1

• San Francisco Unified School District, CA•

• K-5

• •
  Rating 4.75 out of 5  4 reviews

Alum: Protective school, organized well and very on task. Very heart warming and nice teachers, many programs for elementary school. Somewhat diverse, and overall I had a fun experience!... Read 4 reviews

• grade A

• Students 273

• Student-teacher ratio 23:1

• San Francisco Unified School District, CA•

• K-8

• •
  Rating 5 out of 5  1 review

Parent: We have three children at Claire Lilienthal. We count our blessings every day - the school is amazing. Our kids have very different personalities and learning styles, and two are African American and one is White, and all have found tremendous academic enrichment, fabulous arts and sports programs and truly excellent academics. I have come to appreciate that teachers have “feet” and chose to work in schools where they have ample family and administrative support. Our teachers have been hands- down phenomenal. To top it off, the school has terrific community and many very involved families. I am proud to have my kids be in such a diverse and academically and socially successful school. We can do this, America! Urban public schools can be amazing places of academic achievement and cultural and racial integration. Thank you Claire Lilienthal.... Read 1 review

• grade A

• Students 692

• Student-teacher ratio 23:1

• San Francisco Unified School District, CA•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.55 out of 5  518 reviews

Alum: The mathematics teachers were really good overall. They taught their students well to the point that the students do well in the class they take the next year. Besides mathematics though, the science department was really lacking the tools necessary to keep the class interesting as we barely had any equipment that was professional to even call a lab. The history classes were a mix of both and bad. I wasn't really engaged in all three years of taking history but that could just be me as a student. Overall, pretty good school with a lot of passionate students and teachers, the administration didn't care for what we wanted and need to be better overall.... Read 518 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,846

• Student-teacher ratio 22:1

• San Francisco Unified School District, CA•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 4.14 out of 5  7 reviews

Middle School Student: During my time at Roosevelt Middle School, I have been allowed to express myself, learn new things, make new connections, and find a family in sports. the amazing staff, teachers, curriculum, activities, clubs, technology, and all the materials that we have to access are what made this school exactly what I was looking for. Taking a tour of the school if you plan on going here can also be beneficial because the campus is amazing as well. The teachers have so much heart and care for their students and go above and beyond for us so we can have the best middle school experience. Even with the wide range of clubs, if you don't see one that would fit you, you can also always go to a teacher and create a club of your own! This school helped me succeed and excel throughout the year, with support always there for me. I'm very lucky to have been able to attend here and I hope that future kids going into middle school will consider Roosevelt Middle School when applying!... Read 7 reviews

• grade A

• Students 698

• Student-teacher ratio 19:1

• San Francisco Unified School District, CA•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.66 out of 5  418 reviews

Junior: Many uprising high school students living in San Francisco would try their best to get into Lowell High School but I wished to get into George Washington High School. This school might not be the best high school in the city but the school itself is wonderful. First off, all the teachers desperately want the best for their students. Teachers wanted students to have the best resources and provide it to students if they don't have the right resources. Teachers checkup on students to see if they're doing well mentally or physically. There's also a great college and career center at this school. The staffs want students to be admitted to their dream schools. They hold workshops which teach students about college admission essays, SAT and ACT, scholarships, future careers, and etc. Overall, this school provides a great environment for me to study and pursue my future dreams.... Read 418 reviews

• grade A

• Students 2,069

• Student-teacher ratio 25:1

• San Francisco Unified School District, CA•

• K-5

• grade A

• Students 383

• Student-teacher ratio 24:1

• San Francisco Unified School District, CA•

• K-5

• grade A minus

• Students 519

• Student-teacher ratio 24:1

• San Francisco Unified School District, CA•

• K-5

• grade A minus

• Students 368

• Student-teacher ratio 22:1

• San Francisco Unified School District, CA•

• K-5

• grade A minus

• Students 546

• Student-teacher ratio 27:1

• San Francisco Unified School District, CA•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.32 out of 5  243 reviews

Junior: Raoul Wallenberg High has a diverse community that aims to create a safe place for everyone. The academics at Wallenberg is pretty good, but the Computer Science and Biotechnology pathways are great! The teachers here are very nice and usually very flexible and understanding with the students' needs. Overall, a great school if you like a smaller class population!... Read 243 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 659

• Student-teacher ratio 21:1

• San Francisco, CA•

• Public School•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.96 out of 5  120 reviews

Senior: I have been at Gateway for all 4 years. What I like about the school is the smaller size of students compared to the other public high schools in the city. It is easy to know most of the teachers and have great relationships with them. The teachers there are great because they offer office hours after lunch where all students can work with teachers or independently. Another good thing about the school are the clubs. There are many clubs with students willing to share what they're interested in. The school makes sure that all students are safe by reminding COVID protocals, but there have been difficulties arising at the school. Overall, it is a good school to do well academically with teachers supporting students when they're behind.... Read 120 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 519

• Student-teacher ratio 19:1

• San Francisco Unified School District, CA•

• K-5

• grade A minus

• Students 396

• Student-teacher ratio 25:1

• Oakland, CA•

• Public School•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 3.75 out of 5  4 reviews

Middle School Student: Downtown Charter Academy has taught me not to judge people too quickly based on just one thing. Instead, I was taught to give the person a chance before I judge them. This school has great staff members and will treat you well if you treat them just as well!... Read 4 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 318

• Student-teacher ratio 23:1

• San Francisco Unified School District, CA•

• K-5

• grade A minus

• Students 528

• Student-teacher ratio 24:1

• San Francisco Unified School District, CA•

• K-8

• grade A minus

• Students 602

• Student-teacher ratio 22:1