The Urban School of San Francisco
Encyclopedia
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The Urban School of San Francisco
1563 Page Street
San Francisco, California 94117
1966
Urban
Independent
~350
76
9 to 12
Mark Salkind
Urban, Urban School, The Urban School of SF
Blue and White
The Color Blue
The Urban Legend (newspaper);
The Urban Journal (poetic periodical);
Urban School of SF
The Urban School of San Francisco is a private
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
located adjacent to Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. Urban offers a rigorous college preparatory program in math, science, the arts and humanities. All students are issued state-of-the-art laptop computers for school and home use, fully integrating technology into the curriculum. With a faculty and staff of more than 75 persons, Urban combines its challenging academic program with imaginative use of the city and Bay Area as an educational resource.
Mission statement
The Urban School of San Francisco seeks to ignite a passion for learning, inspiring its students to become self-motivated, enthusiastic participants in their education—both in high school and beyond.History
The school was founded in 1966 by a group of Bay Area parents who believed adolescents are curious, creative and eager to make sense of the world around them; their self-esteem is best developed in an atmosphere of trust, honesty and mutual respect between students and teachers. They believed high school should be a place where students discover the value of their minds and the excitement of learning, where they take initiative and responsibility for their education, and where they have an opportunity for meaningful engagement with the world outside the classroom. Today Urban has grown from its original 22 students to a student body of more than 375, but our founding philosophy remains the same.Evaluation & Grading
Urban’s grading policy is based on the belief that students do their most fruitful work in an atmosphere of support and cooperation that actively discourages overt competition and comparison. Urban teachers write two, thorough reports each term for each student, providing comprehensive feedback on student achievement and setting specific goals and strategies for improvement. Students are also asked to reflect on and formally evaluate their work. Written reports are provided twice per term, at the midpoint and at the end of each 12-week class, along with a final course letter grade.Block Schedule
Urban organizes the school year using a block system rather than a conventional semester system. While specifically designed for the challenges teenagers face, Urban’s schedule exposes students to the independence, depth of understanding and academic challenge they will face in college and beyond.The block schedule divides the academic year into three, 12-week terms: fall, winter and spring. Students take four intensive classes every term and most classes last for one or two terms. These classes meet for 70-minute periods with one 2-hour+ period per week. Due to longer class periods, a one-term class is equivalent to a semester course and a two-term class is equivalent to a yearlong course. The block schedule allows for more concentrated, less fragmented learning than does a traditional high school schedule. The intensive block format enables students and teachers to focus on each area of study in greater depth and approach the material in a variety of ways: in-depth discussions, independent and group projects, films, research and field trips into surrounding communities and environments.
In addition, students may take elective classes such as Jazz Band, Chamber Orchestra, Urban Singers, Yearbook or Newspaper, which meet during a shorter period that spans all three terms. Students also have the option of participating in physical activity classes or study halls during this shorter elective period. The weekly schedule includes advising, a grade-level meeting, an all-school meeting, and consultation periods for students to meet individually with teachers.
Curriculum
Urban’s curriculum is rich and broad, including core academic classes common to most high schools, as well as an unusually large number of specialized courses, advanced electives and creative arts courses usually found at the college level.All Urban courses share a common pedagogical approach based on the following principles: the expectation that students be active participants in their education; a commitment to cooperative learning and collaboration among students; an understanding and respect for the achievements, experiences and perspectives of various peoples, cultures and races; and the use of the Bay Area’s environmental, cultural and intellectual resources to extend learning beyond the classroom.
Urban’s program seeks to involve students in their broader community — the school, the city, the world — and develop in them a sense of social responsibility. Urban classes are characterized by the enthusiastic engagement of both students and teachers in the learning process. The nature and quality of classes result in part from the school’s block schedule and longer class periods, which allow for more intense and focused study of the material.
Two terms of a class makes up one credit; an elective class that only lasts one trimester is therefore .5 credits. In order to graduate from Urban, the following credits must be taken in each subject matter:
- 4 credits in English – Two 9th grade required classes, two 10th grade required classes, an 11th grade Shakespeare class plus another three elective English classes in 11th and 12th grades.
- 3 credits in Math – Math 1, Math 2 and Math 3 and/or advanced electives; Placement in first year math is based on a test given to incoming first years.
- 2 credits in Science – Fundamentals of Science 1A and 1B in 9th grade, Fundamentals of Science 2A and 2B in 10th grade with strong recommendation for additional electives.
- 2 credits in History – One credit in 9th grade (20th Century World History 1A and 1B), and one credit in 10th or 11th grade in US history (UAS The Civil War and UAS Recent America).
- 3 credits in Language (French, Spanish, Chinese) – Placement in the levels of the language are based on a test given to incoming freshmen.
- 2 credits in Art – One-half credit in Visual or Performing Arts must be earned each year.
- 4 credits in Additional Advanced Course Work – these can be met by a fourth year of language, third year of history, third year of science, third year of art, or fourth year of math.
- 2 credits in Service Learning – 9th graders participate in Identity & Ethnic Studies, 10th graders in Community Partnerships; 11th and 12th graders earn credit through individual projects.
Community & Diversity
Quick facts:- Number of Students: 375
- San Francisco 76%
- Marin 16%
- East Bay 4%
- Peninsula 4%
- Number of faculty and staff: 76
- Faculty to student ratio: 1:10
- Faculty with advanced degrees: 56%
- Faculty of color: 30%
- Average class size: 13
- Students of color: 32%
- Students receiving a part of $2.1 million in tuition assistance: 28%
Student Life
Through strong relationships with their teachers, advisors and with each other, Urban students learn early on how to navigate a culture of collaboration, inclusion and mutual respect, both inside and outside the classroom. Urban has more than 30 student clubs, as well as student government, an active outdoor and class trips program, and a student newspaper, yearbook, and online literary and arts journal. Performing arts opportunities include fall and winter theatre productions, circus class performances and the annual One Act Festival. Urban also offers an advanced and junior jazz and, a chamber orchestra and the Urban Singers chorus. The visual arts classes range from film and photography to printmaking, stone carving and book binding.Laptop program
Urban is a pioneer in integrating technology into academics. Schools from around the world look to us to learn how to create their own technology programs. Urban’s approach to technology is purposely holistic: technology skills and related computer projects are integrated throughout the daily curriculum to foster active, student centered learning. At Urban, technology is used to enhance communication, collaboration, organization and production in all classes, rather than being taught as a discrete subject.All students and teachers are issued state-of-the-art laptop computers for school and home use. Student computers (currently Apple MacBooks) come fully installed with all the software used throughout the curriculum. Many peripheral items are available for student use, including flatbed and film scanners, digital and video cameras, various printers, and a variety of other equipment fully supporting most any multimedia project.
Athletics
A member of the Bay Area Conference and Bay Counties League-West (BCL-West), Urban fields title-winning interscholastic teams in baseball, basketball, cross-country, fencing, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball. Athletic practices and games are held in St. Agnes Gymnasium, as well as venues throughout the city, including Kezar Pavilion, the University of San Francisco and the playing fields of San Francisco’s Rec and Park Department. More than 60 percent of all Urban students participate on 25 boys, girls and co-ed athletic teams in the department.College Matriculation
Graduates of The Urban School matriculate to a number of various colleges and universities. In the past five years, students have gone on to more than 125 colleges/universities, including 4 California State Universities, 9 University of California schools, and 6 Ivy League universities. 98 percent of Urban students from the class of 2011 went on to attend a four-year college or university after graduation.Tuition
The Urban School, because it is private and self-supporting, charges $34,050 per student for tuition and laptop fees. Urban provides financial aid to many students who have demonstrated need as determined by the school and the Student Service for Financial Aid (SSS).Student newspaper
The Urban School's student newspaper, called "The Urban Legend," is a part of the High School National Ad Network.Notable alumni
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