San Francisco Friends School

Name

San Francisco Friends School

Legal name

San Francisco Friends School

Website

https://sffriendsschool.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private K-8 Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based (Religious) K–12 Schools (EDAJABAC)

Keywords

• Private K-8 education
• Quaker education
• Independent school
• Progressive pedagogy
• Elementary education

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, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Tuition: Primary revenue stream from tuition payments for K-8 education. The school offers an Adjustable Tuition program to provide financial accessibility.
2. Annual Fund and Donations: The school conducts annual fundraising campaigns including the Annual Fund, capital campaigns (Light the Way, Building Friends), and endowment donations. These support operations and facilities improvements.
3. Horizons Program Fundraising: Horizons at SFFS, a summer enrichment program for public school students, fundraises independently under SFFS fiscal sponsorship. Tax ID 94-3397589.
4. Special Events: Revenue from special events including the annual Blue Party celebration.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

San Francisco Friends School delivers a K-8 progressive education rooted in Quaker tradition, operating a Lower School (K-4) and Middle School (5-8) program built on constructivist, inquiry-based pedagogy. The school supplements its core academic curriculum with the Horizons at SFFS summer enrichment program for public school students in San Francisco's Mission District.

Product overview

San Francisco Friends School offers a K-8 progressive Quaker education with a unified academic program. The Lower School (K-4) and Middle School (5-8) programs share a constructivist approach rooted in inquiry-based learning, Quaker values, and social-emotional development. The school supplements its core academic curriculum with the Horizons at SFFS summer enrichment program serving public school students, alongside arts, athletics, and extended day offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lower School Program K-4 educational program for children in Kindergarten through 4th grade, emphasizing academic, social and emotional skill development in a joyful and challenging environment. Curriculum includes Literacy, Math, Science, Social Studies, Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Spanish, and Physical Education, taught through a constructivist, inquiry-based approach integrated with Quaker testimonies.
• Middle School Program Grades 5-8 program with an integrated curriculum covering Humanities, Math, Science, Spanish, Music, Design/Technology, Drama, and Physical Education, emphasizing inquiry-based learning, service learning, and Quaker values. Includes a High School Transition Program that prepares students for their next educational step.
• Horizons at SFFS Summer academic enrichment program for K-8 students attending public schools in San Francisco's Mission District, providing joyful academic and enrichment experiences that build on students' strengths and talents. Serves 150 students annually and operates under SFFS fiscal sponsorship.

Quantifiable outcome

• Pioneer Class graduated in 2011 after completing K-8, demonstrating the school's first full cycle of education
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Horizons at SFFScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Horizons at San Francisco Friends School is a summer academic enrichment program for K-8 students attending public schools in the Mission District. SFFS acts as the fiscal sponsor (501(c)(3) Tax ID 94-3397589), providing in-kind use of facilities. The program serves 150 students and fundraises independently. This partnership embodies SFFS's Quaker values of educational equity and community service.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Carolina Friends School: Durham, NC Quaker K-12 school with progressive pedagogy closely mirroring SFFS's constructivist, values-driven model. Direct leadership link: Mike Hanas, SFFS's second Head of School (2016-2021), previously led Carolina Friends School.
• Friends Seminary: New York City Quaker K-12 school and the most direct peer in terms of mission, pedagogy, and Quaker tradition. Direct leadership lineage link: Pankti Sevak, SFFS's current Head of School, was a longtime administrator at Friends Seminary, making institutional and cultural overlap explicit.
• San Francisco Day School: Independent K-8 school in San Francisco serving the same Bay Area progressive private school demographic. Same city, same grade range, and overlapping curricular emphasis on social-emotional learning and academic rigor make it a strong direct comparable.
• Black Pine Circle School: Independent K-8 progressive school in Berkeley with a constructivist, inquiry-based curriculum. Closely aligned with SFFS on pedagogy, grade range, and Bay Area geography, and competes for similar families evaluating progressive K-8 options.
• San Francisco Waldorf School: Independent K-12 Waldorf school in San Francisco offering an alternative progressive pedagogy. Directly comparable to SFFS in grade range, geography, and progressive education positioning, competing for the same alternative-education families in the Mission-adjacent SF market.
• Berkeley Friends School: Independent Quaker K-8 school in Berkeley serving Bay Area families with progressive, values-based education. Operates in the same geographic market and grade range as SFFS, making it one of the closest head-to-head competitors for prospective families.

Broad incumbents

• Sidwell Friends School: Washington, D.C. Quaker PK-12 school and the most prominent Friends school in the U.S. Sidwell is a larger, more established institution in the same Friends-education category, with overlapping admissions profiles and Quaker-testedimony framework.

Regional players

• Marin Primary & Middle School: Independent K-8 progressive school in Larkspur, Marin County. While across the Golden Gate, it draws from the same Bay Area family pool seeking progressive alternatives to traditional private school models, making it a meaningful comparable for tuition, scale, and program design.
• Mission Dolores Academy: Catholic K-8 school in San Francisco's Mission District, geographically adjacent to SFFS. Comparable as a faith-rooted K-8 alternative for Bay Area families, though pedagogically more traditional than SFFS's constructivist approach.
• Peninsula School: Progressive independent K-8 school in Menlo Park, part of the broader Bay Area private school set. While not Quaker, it competes for similar Bay Area families seeking constructivist, progressive pedagogy and shares SFFS's K-8 structure and inquiry-based approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sanfranciscofriendsschool
• Instagraminstagram.com/sffriendsschool

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 San Francisco Friends School