San Francisco University High School

UHS intends to be at the forefront of changing high school culture, affirming our fundamental commitment to intellectual challenge and vitality while simultaneously responding to the demands and opportunities of today. OUR MISSION 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. OUR VALUES INQUIRY CARE INTEGRITY AGENCY INTERCONNECTION Being curious, open-minded, and courageous; seeking out different perspectives and learning from one another; striving to deepen our understanding of the evolving world. OUR VISION We are a courageous community dedicating ourselves to: EMBRACING EMPOWERING ESTABLISHING EMBODYING ENSURING education as a transformational, rather than a transactional, endeavor. OUR HISTORY Established by a youthful board of trustees and community activists in 1973 in response to a deeply felt need for an innovative, co-educational, independent secondary school in the Bay Area, San Francisco University High School officially opened in September 1975. The school was created through funds contributed by individuals and foundations who shared a vision of a school that would be a model of equity and excellence. In its relatively short history, UHS has excelled as a leader in secondary education in the Bay Area, building strong and deepening ties among its students, teachers, administrators, families, alumni, and the larger community. The school's original building, designed by the architect Julia Morgan, was constructed at 3065 Jackson Street in 1917. Its Italianate architecture is compatible with the residential character of its Pacific Heights neighborhood. Completely renovated to strict seismic codes in 1975, the building was recently modeled to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and to restore many of its interior architectural details as classrooms are refurbished. The building houses the admissions office, humanities classrooms, administrative and faculty offices, the College Counseling Center, and the Summerbridge program offices. The Middle Campus, across the courtyard and facing Washington Street, was constructed in the late 1960s and has undergone several transformations. The academic center with the Dennis A. Collins Library, a student center and cafeteria, science laboratories, and multiple performance venues, including a 400-seat theater, are located in the Middle Campus. Across Washington Street, the Lower Campus holds enhanced math, science, technology, and athletics facilities. South Campus, at 3220 Sacramento Street, opened in the Fall of 2006. This building adds 17,000 square feet to the campus and is home to painting, ceramics, and photography studios, language classrooms and the language lab, and a maker space. University High School has grown and made necessary adjustments over its 45-year history. The focus of these changes and adjustments has always been the school’s small student body, currently numbering 410, in an ongoing effort to best meet their needs and create as open and nurturing an environment for learning as possible.