The International School of San Francisco

What The International School of San Francisco does

The International School of San Francisco is a private, nonprofit PK2-through-Grade-12 French bilingual international school founded in 1962 in San Francisco. It operates two main campuses — 150 Oak Street (Lower, Middle, and High School) and 1155 Page Street (Maternelle/Preschool opened 2014) — plus the 66 Page Street Dennis Gallagher Arts Pavilion. The school delivers instruction in French and English starting at age 2, with a third language (Arabic, Chinese, Italian, or Spanish) added in Middle School, and offers two terminal diploma tracks: the International Baccalaureate (authorized 1979, the first in San Francisco and fourth in the U.S.) and the French Baccalaureate, under a curriculum homologué by the French Ministry of Education.

The school is governed by a 20-member Board of Trustees and staffed by 191 faculty and staff from over 20 countries, with more than 80% holding advanced degrees. Revenue is generated primarily through annual tuition (PK2-G8: $45,168-$46,268; High School: $63,621-$64,721 for 2026-2027) under Advance Plan and TenPay Plan subscription structures, supplemented by Extended Care fees, non-refundable enrollment deposits, Annual Fund and Campaign for a Bold Future charitable contributions, and French government scholarships administered through the AEFE and MLF Monde networks. Approximately 35% of students receive need-based financial aid totaling $8.5M annually. Admissions is run directly via the Ravenna portal, with financial aid administered through Clarity and tuition billing through FACTS. Distribution is multichannel: direct admissions offices, events/open houses, community referrals with priority for sibling/faculty/alumni families, and international recruitment through the AEFE and MLF Monde networks.

Name

The International School of San Francisco

Legal name

The International School of San Francisco

Website

https://internationalsf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The International School of San Francisco is a nonprofit PK2-Grade 12 French bilingual school founded in 1962 in San Francisco, offering IB and French Baccalaureate diplomas to roughly 750-850 students through two campuses with 191 faculty and staff from over 20 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

International/Global Curriculum Schools (IB, Cambridge, etc.) (EDAJABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

English Learner (EL/ESL/ELL) & Bilingual Education Programs (EDAJAGAB), International Branch Campus & Offshore Program Partnerships (EDAIABAI)

Keywords

• Bilingual education services
• International baccalaureate program
• French immersion school
• Independent private schooling
• College preparatory 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, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition - PK2 through Grade 8: Annual tuition revenue for the PK2 through Grade 8 program. Two payment plans available: Advance Plan (one annual payment) at $45,168 or TenPay Plan (ten monthly payments) at $46,268 for the 2026-2027 school year.
2. Tuition - High School: Annual tuition revenue for the High School (Grades 9-12) program. Two payment plans available: Advance Plan at $63,621 or TenPay Plan at $64,721 for the 2026-2027 school year.
3. Extended Care / Before and After School Program: Before-school care (from 7:30 a.m.) and after-school childcare (until 6:00 p.m.) available for an additional fee across all programs including PK2, PK3, PK4, and Kindergarten through Grade 8.
4. Enrollment Fees and Deposits: Non-refundable enrollment fees including a 5% tuition deposit (credited toward tuition) and a one-time $2,000 enrollment fee. For French track families, a $1,000 deposit and $750 enrollment fee are noted.
5. Financial Aid / SUCCEED Program: Approximately $8.5 million awarded in financial aid in the form of partial or full tuition grants. Approximately 35% of the student body receives tuition reduction. Aid is need-based, administered through the Clarity platform. Average grant is $28,000 for Maternelle families and $35,000 for High School families.
6. Annual Fund and Campaign Giving: The school operates an Annual Fund and Campaign for a Bold Future capital campaign for donations from families, alumni, and the community to support the school's mission and programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The International School of San Francisco is an independent, nonprofit French bilingual immersion school serving students from age 2 (PK2) through Grade 12 on two San Francisco campuses. It delivers two parallel diploma tracks — the International Baccalaureate (IB) and the French Baccalaureate — alongside a trilingual language program, Global Travel, arts, athletics, and college counseling, funded primarily through tuition ($45,168–$64,721 annually for 2026-2027) and an Annual Fund.

Product overview

The International School of San Francisco is a PK2-Grade 12 French bilingual international school offering a comprehensive educational program organized into four divisions: Maternelle/Preschool (PK2-PK4), Lower School (Grades 1-5), Middle School (Grades 6-8), and High School (Grades 9-12). The school delivers two distinct curriculum tracks: the French Baccalaureate for fluent French speakers and the International Baccalaureate (IB) for non-French speakers. Core programs include bilingual French-English instruction, Global Travel, Arts (visual, theater, music), Athletics, College Counseling, and Extended Care. The school is accredited by the French Ministry of Education, WASC, and is an IB World School.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• By Grade 8, students are fully fluent in both French and English, reading and analyzing Victor Hugo and Shakespeare, and giving fluent oral presentations in both languages
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Chinese American International School (CAIS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1994In 1994, French American International School (now The International School of San Francisco), in partnership with Chinese American International School, successfully bid on the former Caltrans building at 150 Oak Street. The two schools shared the campus, with the doors to the new 'schoolhouse' opening in 1997 for 679 students, 90 faculty, and 32 staff.
• International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAuthorized as an IB World School for the Diploma Programme (1979) and Candidate School for the Middle Years Programme (MYP). First IB school in San Francisco, fourth in the US, first west of the Mississippi. Over 40 years of providing the IB curriculum.
• Agence pour l'Enseignement Français à l'Étranger (AEFE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial partner of the AEFE network of French schools abroad. The school is homologué by the French Ministry of Education and participates in the network's programs and standards, including French government scholarship programs for French nationals.
• Mission Laïque Française (MLF) MondecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner of MLF Monde network, a global network of French schools abroad. MLF Monde supports the school's French bilingual programs and provides a framework for international education standards and exchanges.
• Ministère de l'Éducation Nationale français (French Ministry of Education)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe school's curriculum is designed and approved by the French Ministry of Education. The school holds homologué status, meaning its programs meet the rigorous standards set by the French national education system.
• Lycée Molière (Paris)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe first exchange program took place in 1986-87 between the school's 8th grade and Lycée Molière in Paris. This exchange program launched between the two schools and still continues to this day.
• Stanford University (Admissions)minorOthersStanford University's Assistant Dean of Admission has publicly stated that Stanford perceives IB students as strongly prepared, capable, and ready to take on the challenges of their curriculum. This serves as an unofficial endorsement of the school's IB program outcomes.
• Ravenna (Admissions Platform)coreTechnology or IntegrationRavenna is the online application portal used by The International School of San Francisco for the complete admissions process. Families use Ravenna to create accounts, register for events, submit applications, track application progress, and view admission decisions.
• Clarity (Financial Aid Platform)coreTechnology or IntegrationClarity is the financial aid application platform used by the school to determine family financial need. Families submit financial information through Clarity, which calculates need based on assets, income, expenses, and debts. The school uses Clarity's data and household income/assets guidelines to assess annually each family's ability to pay for education.
• FACTS Tuition Management CompanycoreTechnology or IntegrationFACTS provides the school's tuition payment management services. Families can pay tuition through automatic bank payments or credit/debit card. FACTS administers the 10-month payment plan option (TenPay Plan) for families who prefer to spread tuition payments over the academic year.
• FinalsitecoreTechnology or IntegrationFinalsite provides the school's website platform (internationalsf.org). The website serves as the primary digital presence, hosting program overviews, admissions information, academic curriculum details, community news, and the global travel blog.
• French Consulate General (San Francisco)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe French Consulate in San Francisco administers the French Government Scholarship program (Bourses du gouvernement français) for French nationals. Families applying for French government scholarships must also complete the school's Clarity financial aid application. The consulates sets the annual deadline for scholarship applications (typically February).

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves16 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Avenues: The World School: Large, well-funded private school network with multilingual and globally-oriented curriculum. Comparable premium tuition tier and international positioning, though broader in scope and structure than ISSF.
• Head-Royce School: Prestigious Oakland-based K-12 independent school with strong college preparatory track. Comparable in Bay Area private school positioning and tuition tier but does not offer French curriculum or IB.

Direct peers

• Lycée Français de New York: Long-established French international school in New York with homologué status, AEFE network membership, and bilingual curriculum. Shares the same French Ministry alignment and IB authorization profile.
• San Francisco Day School: Independent K-8 school in San Francisco at similar tuition tier. Competes for the same Bay Area private school families but lacks bilingual/IB specialization.
• International School of Boston: French-English bilingual school serving Boston-area families with IB and French Baccalaureate pathways. Comparable in curriculum model, language immersion design, and family demographic.
• French-American School of New York: Independent French-English bilingual school in New York offering IB and French Baccalaureate tracks. Directly comparable in curriculum structure, accreditation set, and target families to ISSF.
• Lycée Français de San Francisco: The other French-credentialed school in San Francisco, offering French curriculum and Baccalaureate track. Most direct local competitor for French national and French-aspirational families in the Bay Area.
• The Bay School of San Francisco: San Francisco private high school with progressive curriculum. Comparable in local market positioning, tuition tier, and target Bay Area families, though it does not offer bilingual immersion.

Regional players

• French International School of Portland: French immersion school on the U.S. West Coast offering IB program. Comparable in bilingual immersion curriculum but operates in a different metro/regional market.
• L'École Française de Los Angeles: French bilingual school in Los Angeles serving families seeking French curriculum. Comparable in language immersion model but does not directly compete in the San Francisco market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@InternationalSF/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/theinternationalschoolofsanfrancisco
• Instagraminstagram.com/international_sf
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/the-international-school-of-san-francisco

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 The International School of San Francisco