Pacific Primary
Pacific Primary is a 501(c) nonprofit preschool operating two San Francisco campuses serving 154 children ages 2.5 to 6 with full-day, year-round early childhood education, funded primarily by tuition ($35,604 annually) and community fundraising.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1974
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Pacific Primary does
Pacific Primary is a 501(c) nonprofit preschool founded in 1974 and headquartered in San Francisco's Western Addition neighborhood, operating two owned campuses — Yellow Sun School at 1500 Grove Street and Orange Sun School at 1501 Grove Street — that together serve 154 children ages 2.5 to 6 years with a full-day, year-round program running 7:45 AM to 5:30 PM. The curriculum is built on emergent and thematic child-initiated learning, supported by dedicated Music & Movement specialists (Orff Schulwerk approach) and an Expressive Arts program, plus two full-time in-house chefs, weekly field trips via public transit, and a summer program with Bay Area excursions. The school employs 49 staff at an approximately 6-to-1 student-teacher ratio with 8-year average teaching tenure.
The business model is tuition-driven (annual tuition of $35,604 for 2025-2026, approximately 86% of the operating budget) supplemented by an annual fundraising program targeting $695,000 in the 50th anniversary year through the Fund For All campaign, the Here Comes the Sun auction, and the Fund for the Future initiative. Distribution is community-led via school tours, parent referrals, and word-of-mouth, with admissions managed through the BigSIS platform and enrollment led by an Enrollment Director; 22-25% of families receive tuition assistance, and the school participates as a qualified provider in the San Francisco Department of Early Childhood's Early Learning For All (ELFA) subsidy program. There is no proprietary technology stack — the school relies on Ravenna for tuition processing, ParentSquare for family communications, and BigSIS for admissions, with no AI/ML components, API products, or software offerings.
Pacific Primary firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pacific Primary
- Legal name
- Pacific Primary
- Website
- https://www.pacificprimary.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1974
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Pacific Primary is a 501(c) nonprofit preschool operating two San Francisco campuses serving 154 children ages 2.5 to 6 with full-day, year-round early childhood education, funded primarily by tuition ($35,604 annually) and community fundraising.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Pacific Primary industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Early Childhood Education
- NAICS
- Child Care Services (62441)
- SIC
- Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Academic/School-Readiness Preschools (EDACABAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Toddler-Focused Childcare Centers (EDACAAAG), Transition & School-Readiness Support for Special Needs Children (HSAAAIAO)
Keywords
Where Pacific Primary is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Pacific Primary business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Tuition: Annual tuition for 2025-2026 school year is $35,604 ($2,967/month). Tuition makes up approximately 86% of the operating budget. Three payment options available via Ravenna Tuition Management: Pay in Full, Semi-Annual, or 12 Monthly Payments.
- Fundraising - Fund For All: Annual fund campaign running September through December. Goal to raise $350,000 and achieve 100% participation from the community. Supports flexible, unrestricted operating support for teacher recruitment/retention, tuition assistance, and the Pacific Primary Experience program.
- Here Comes the Sun Auction Event: Annual adult party and auction event held in March. Goal of $300,000 to support the Tuition Assistance Fund and Music & Movement and Expressive Arts programs. Includes event sponsorships from local businesses.
- Fund For the Future: Graduating families are invited to donate all or part of their last month's tuition deposit, reinvesting in the school community.
- ELFA Subsidy Revenue (via San Francisco DEC): Pacific Primary participates as a qualified provider in the San Francisco Department of Early Childhood's Early Learning For All (ELFA) initiative. Families earning up to 110% AMI receive fully funded tuition; families earning 111-150% AMI receive 50% tuition credit. This represents subsidy revenue from the city.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Full Tuition - 2025-2026 |
| Other | Monthly | ELFA - Fully Funded Tuition |
| Other | Monthly | ELFA - Tuition Credit |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Pacific Primary product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pacific Primary is a nonprofit full-day, year-round preschool serving children ages 2.5 to 6 years across two San Francisco campuses (Yellow Sun School and Orange Sun School), with 49 staff supporting a 6-to-1 student/teacher ratio. The school delivers an emergent and thematic curriculum with dedicated Music and Movement and Expressive Arts specialists, in-house meal preparation, weekly field trips, and tuition assistance supported by an annual fundraising program.
Product overview
Pacific Primary is a nonprofit full-day, year-round preschool serving children ages 2.5 to 6 years in San Francisco's Western Addition neighborhood. The school operates two campuses: Yellow Sun School (original, 80 children, 1500 Grove Street) and Orange Sun School (2008 expansion, 74 children, 1501 Grove Street). Core programming includes an emergent and thematic curriculum centered on child-initiated, hands-on learning. Specialized programs include the Orff Schulwerk-based Music and Movement program taught by specialists, and the Expressive Arts program using puppet play and open-ended art. The school provides tuition assistance and partners with San Francisco's ELFA program for financial support. Additional offerings include summer programs with Bay Area field trips.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Full-Day Year-Round Preschool Program Full-day, year-round preschool (7:45 AM to 5:30 PM) for children ages 2.5 to 6 across two San Francisco campuses, delivering an emergent and thematic curriculum centered on child-initiated, hands-on learning, daily music class, bi-weekly expressive arts, weekly field trips, and a summer program.
- Yellow Sun School Campus Original Pacific Primary campus at 1500 Grove Street — a single-story, 4,400 square foot facility with a 5,600 square foot playground, accommodating 80 children.
- Orange Sun School Campus Second Pacific Primary campus at 1501 Grove Street — a two-story, 7,400 square foot ADA-accessible facility with solar power and radiant heating, accommodating 74 children and housing administrative offices.
- Music and Movement Program Comprehensive music education program founded on the Orff Schulwerk approach, taught by specialists Kevin Gerzevitz and Kate Offer, featuring singing, movement, rhythmic games, folk dancing, and hands-on instruments including xylophones.
- Expressive Arts Program Bi-weekly program created by Elyse Jacobs that helps children identify feelings and express themselves through art and puppet play, using found materials and loose parts for open-ended artistic expression, problem solving, and social-emotional learning.
- Summer Program Summer program running July through August featuring field trips throughout the Bay Area via chartered school bus with child safety seats, parent volunteers, and extra staff support.
- Tuition Assistance Program Financial aid program based on demonstrated need, providing tuition assistance to help make the program accessible to families showing financial hardship. Approximately 22-25% of families receive assistance.
- ELFA (Early Learning For All) Program Channel through which San Francisco Department of Early Childhood (DEC) provides fully funded tuition for Pacific Primary families earning up to 110% AMI and 50% tuition credits for families earning 111-150% AMI.
Quantifiable outcome
- Student/teacher ratio of approximately 6-to-1
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Pacific Primary
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Pacific Primary technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Pacific Primary partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- San Francisco Department of Early Childhood (DEC) — Early Learning For All (ELFA)corePacific Primary participates as a qualified provider in the DEC's Early Learning For All (ELFA) initiative, which aims to increase access to high-quality early care and education for children ages 0-5 of San Francisco residents. ELFA provides fully funded tuition for families earning up to 110% AMI and 50% tuition credit for families earning 111-150% AMI. Pacific Primary supports the DEC's mission and commitment to inclusivity through this partnership.
- Hall WinesminorEvent sponsor for the Here Comes the Sun Auction, Pacific Primary's annual fundraising event.
- Fort Point Beer CompanyminorEvent sponsor for the Here Comes the Sun Auction, Pacific Primary's annual fundraising event.
- Brass-tacks San FranciscominorEvent sponsor for the Here Comes the Sun Auction, Pacific Primary's annual fundraising event.
- Baca WinesminorEvent sponsor for the Here Comes the Sun Auction, Pacific Primary's annual fundraising event.
- AninaminorEvent sponsor for the Here Comes the Sun Auction, Pacific Primary's annual fundraising event.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Pacific Primary competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Stratford School: Bay Area-based private preschool through middle school chain with multiple campuses. Comparable as a competing premium preschool provider in the SF Bay Area targeting similar families, though with a more standardized, multi-campus corporate model.
- Guidepost Montessori: Large national Montessori preschool and elementary operator with Bay Area presence. Comparable as a competing premium early-childhood provider serving similar families, though differentiated by its franchise-like national expansion versus Pacific Primary's single-site nonprofit model.
- Bright Horizons Family Solutions: Largest US provider of employer-sponsored childcare and early education with hundreds of centers nationwide. Comparable as a competing preschool operator but at much larger scale and with a corporate, employer-channel model versus Pacific Primary's community-driven nonprofit approach.
Direct peers
- The San Francisco School: Independent, progressive private school in San Francisco serving early childhood through middle school. Comparable to Pacific Primary as a Bay Area independent preschool with a progressive educational philosophy, similar tuition tier, and overlapping geographic catchment.
- Children's Day School: Independent preschool and elementary school in San Francisco's Mission District with a similar progressive, diversity-focused mission and comparable tuition. Both schools compete for the same progressive, urban professional family demographic in San Francisco.
- Live Oak School: Independent K-8 school in San Francisco with a progressive, experiential educational philosophy and similar tuition tier. Listed as a destination school for Pacific Primary graduates, indicating strong feeder relationship and similar family demographic.
- The Little School: Small parent-participation preschool in San Francisco with a cooperative model similar to Pacific Primary's required parental involvement. Comparable as a Bay Area progressive preschool competing for the same families with similar tuition and small-class philosophy.
- Synergy School: Independent K-8 school in San Francisco's Mission District founded on similar progressive, project-based educational principles. Comparable to Pacific Primary in pedagogy, urban private school positioning, and Bay Area parent demographic.
- SF Day School: Independent K-8 school in San Francisco with progressive, experiential curriculum. Listed as a Pacific Primary graduate destination, indicating strong feeder relationship, similar family demographic, and overlapping educational philosophy positioning.
Regional players
- Marin Primary & Middle School: Independent preschool through middle school in Marin County north of San Francisco. Comparable as a Bay Area progressive private school with similar tuition tier and philosophy; serves families from a different (but adjacent) geography, including Pacific Primary graduates per the data.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Pacific Primary social profiles
Digital presencePacific Primary compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Pacific Primary financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pacific Primary leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Pacific Primary subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Pacific Primary funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pacific Primary M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Pacific Primary
What does Pacific Primary do?
Pacific Primary is a nonprofit full-day, year-round preschool serving children ages 2.5 to 6 years across two San Francisco campuses (Yellow Sun School and Orange Sun School), with 49 staff supporting a 6-to-1 student/teacher ratio. The school delivers an emergent and thematic curriculum with dedicated Music and Movement and Expressive Arts specialists, in-house meal preparation, weekly field trips, and tuition assistance supported by an annual fundraising program.
Is Pacific Primary a public or private company?
Pacific Primary is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Pacific Primary founded?
Pacific Primary was founded in 1974.
Where is Pacific Primary based?
Pacific Primary is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Pacific Primary make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Tuition is the primary driver. The others are fundraising - Fund For All, here Comes the Sun Auction Event, fund For the Future and ELFA Subsidy Revenue (via San Francisco DEC).
Who are Pacific Primary's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Stratford School, Guidepost Montessori and Bright Horizons Family Solutions. Direct peers are The San Francisco School, Children's Day School, Live Oak School, The Little School, Synergy School and SF Day School. Marin Primary & Middle School is listed as a regional player.
Does Pacific Primary have an API?
No public API is recorded for Pacific Primary.
What industry is Pacific Primary in?
Pacific Primary's product category is Early Childhood Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDACABAB, Academic/School-Readiness Preschools, with a secondary code of EDACAAAG, Toddler-Focused Childcare Centers. Its NAICS code is 62441 and its SIC code is 8351.