Urban School of San Francisco

What Urban School of San Francisco does

Urban School of San Francisco is a private, independent, 501(c)(3) non-profit high school founded in 1966 and headquartered at 1563 Page Street in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. It serves approximately 420 students in grades 9-12, drawn from 86 different middle schools and concentrated 92% in San Francisco and 8% in the broader Bay Area. The school delivers a progressive, college-preparatory curriculum organized around a three-term academic year with longer class periods, offering 174 unique courses of which 68 are designated Urban Advanced Studies (UAS), comparable in rigor to college-level work. A 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio, a faculty with an average tenure of 19 years, and a diverse student body (49% students of color, 46% faculty/staff of color) underpin the educational model.

Core programs include the UrbanX Labs experiential learning track, a four-course Service Learning sequence focused on equity and identity, the Urban Athletics program (20+ sports with 75% student participation), and the newly opened Performing Arts + Community Center (PACC), a 400-seat facility launched in Fall 2024. Academic operations run on commodity K-12 infrastructure: Google Workspace for Education, Schoology LMS, PCR Student Information System, and Finalsite for the website; admissions is managed through the Ravenna-Hub platform with Clarity Tuition for financial assistance processing.

The school's revenue model is a hybrid of tuition, donations, and endowment income. Tuition from ~420 families is the primary recurring stream, with $5.72M (30% of students) provided as need-based assistance at an average package of $43,696. Philanthropy is mission-critical: the Annual Fund supports operations and financial aid, endowment and named funds provide a permanent income stream, the Blue Jean Bash gala and Class Endowment Funds raise additional restricted dollars, and the school recently raised nearly $25M from its community to fund the PACC. The 501(c)(3) entity (Tax ID 94-1622034) is governed by a Board of Trustees with no parent company, PE, or VC backing.

Name

Urban School of San Francisco

Legal name

Urban School of San Francisco

Website

https://urbanschool.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Urban School of San Francisco is a private 501(c)(3) independent high school serving approximately 420 students in grades 9-12 in San Francisco. It delivers a progressive college-preparatory curriculum with 174 courses (68 advanced) funded by tuition, an Annual Fund, and a growing endowment.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition: Primary revenue source from tuition payments for approximately 420 students across four grade levels
2. Annual Fund: Mission-critical annual fundraising campaign supporting operating budget, financial assistance, and teacher recruitment/retention
3. Endowment: Pool of invested funds providing permanent income stream beyond tuition to support school operations and financial assistance
4. Blue Jean Bash Event: Annual fundraising gala supporting financial assistance program with auction and Fund-A-Need components
5. Class Endowment Funds: Graduating class funds that grow the school's endowment, raised nearly $1M since inception in 2000

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Urban School of San Francisco is an independent, college-preparatory high school delivering progressive secondary education to approximately 420 students in grades 9-12. Core offerings include the Urban Curriculum (174 unique courses, including 68 Urban Advanced Studies courses), an athletics program with 20+ interscholastic sports (the Blues), a Visual and Performing Arts program supported by the new Performing Arts + Community Center, comprehensive college counseling, need-based financial assistance, and an array of experiential and service-learning programs. The school operates on a distinctive three-term academic year with a 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio.

Product overview

Urban School of San Francisco is an independent high school offering a comprehensive college-preparatory education to approximately 420 students. The core academic program includes the Urban Curriculum with 174 unique courses (68 advanced studies), supported by specialized programs including UrbanX Labs (experiential learning), Service Learning (equity-focused community service), and Learning Strategies (academic support). The school operates a three-term academic year with a 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Beyond academics, key programs include the Performing Arts + Community Center (PACC) facility for drama, music, and dance; Urban Athletics (Blues) with 20+ competitive sports; and comprehensive college counseling. The school provides $5.72 million in financial assistance to 30% of students and maintains an active endowment program through annual fund campaigns.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Blues House: The athletic department mascot and identity for Urban School teams
• Performing Arts + Community Center (PACC)
• Urban Thrives 2030

Products and services

• Urban Curriculum Core college-preparatory academic program covering Math, Science, History, English, and World Languages plus specialized offerings; 174 unique courses with 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio on a three-term academic year, for grades 9-12 students and their families.
• Urban Advanced Studies (UAS) Honors-level coursework developed in-house by Urban faculty and recognized as comparable to college-level work by colleges including the UC system; many students take AP exams after completing UAS courses. Targeted at high-achieving Urban students seeking advanced academic challenge.
• UrbanX Labs Experiential learning program featuring hands-on projects in science, technology, and applied disciplines, integrated into the Urban Curriculum. Targeted at Urban students seeking project-based, real-world learning experiences.
• Service Learning Program Equity- and inclusion-focused program comprising four required courses exploring personal identities, heritage, and social systems. Targeted at all Urban students as part of graduation requirements.
• Urban Athletics (Blues) Interscholastic athletic program offering 20+ sports at varsity, JV, and frosh-soph levels; member of Bay Counties League-West and Bay Area Conference. Approximately 75% of students participate. Targeted at all enrolled Urban students.
• Visual and Performing Arts Program Comprehensive arts program covering Visual Arts, Theater, Music, and Circus with multiple performance ensembles; hosted at the new Performing Arts + Community Center (PACC). Targeted at all Urban students as part of the school's required arts curriculum.
• College Counseling Service Comprehensive college-preparation service with dedicated counselors, SAT prep courses, and financial aid guidance, supporting Urban students through the college application process.
• Learning Strategies Support Academic support services including a director of learning strategies, associate director, and subject-specific academic support coordinator to help Urban students succeed across the curriculum.
• Financial Assistance Program Need-based financial assistance program covering tuition and non-tuition expenses (books, trips, athletic gear, college-related costs) for qualifying families. Average aid package is $43,696, with 30% of the student body receiving assistance and total annual support of $5.72 million.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 75% of students participate in athletics
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• St. Agnes ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Long-term partnership enabling transformation of St. Agnes gym into the Performing Arts + Community Center (PACC). The partnership allowed Urban to address facilities challenges without expanding campus footprint. The Salkind Center garage is a shared space with St. Agnes.
• Sports BasementminorGTM or Marketing PartnerUrban participates in Sports Basement's Basementeer program where community members receive 10% discount and Urban receives 10% of purchases when mentioning Urban affiliation at checkout.
• eScripminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFundraising program where community members link grocery cards and credit/debit cards, and a portion of purchases at participating businesses goes back to Urban at no cost to the supporter.
• The Giving BlockminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCryptocurrency donation processor partnering with Urban to accept gifts of cryptocurrency for charitable contributions.
• Outward Bound CaliforniaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for experiential learning activities; students participated in team-building ropes course to develop communication, trust, and teamwork skills.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/theurbanschool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/66241
• Instagraminstagram.com/urbanschoolsf
• Xx.com/urbanschool

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Urban School of San Francisco