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Balboa

“First on the Pacific”

AKA: BalExcelsiorPublic

Students
~1,240
Ratio
20:1
Tuition
Free

Admissions

Application opens
October 23, 2026
Main Round application due
February 1, 2027
Offers released
Week of March 15, 2027
EnrollmentCenter@sfusd.edu
Visit admissions site

What makes this school special

  • The first SFUSD school to go wall-to-wall on career pathways: every junior and senior belongs to one of five — arts (CAST), game design, law, social justice (PULSE), or wilderness education (WALC), so a 1,200-student school works like several small ones
  • A short walk from Balboa Park station, where BART and three Muni Metro lines (J, K, M) converge — one of the easiest commutes of any SF high school
  • Jerry Garcia went here, as did WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi and En Vogue's Cindy Herron
  • A Wellness Center with an on-site DPH Teen Clinic, plus the CYC after-school program

Academics

Curriculum

All instruction runs through small learning communities; every junior and senior joins one of five career pathways. 10 AP courses.

World languages

Spanish, Chinese

Schedule

Semester

Signature programs

  • CAST — Creative Arts for Social Transformation (arts & entertainment CTE)
  • Game Design Academy (GDA)
  • Law Academy
  • PULSE — Peers United for Leadership, Service and Equity
  • WALC — Wilderness, Art and Literacy Collaborative

Athletics, arts & activities

Athletics · CIF San Francisco Section (AAA)

BadmintonBaseballBasketballCheerCross CountryFencingFlag FootballFootballGolfSoccerSoftballSwimmingTennisTrack & FieldVolleyballWrestling

Arts

BandOrchestraGuitarVocal MusicArtMedia ArtsCreative ComputingDJ Audio Media ProductionCAST Media Arts (video, animation, motion graphics, theatre production)

Clubs & activities · 20+

Asian Student UnionBlack Student UnionLatinoamerica UnidaChinese ClubDragon BoatLion DanceMock TrialRoboticsJROTCEco ClubPhotographyBook ClubBal EmpowerHerStudent Association
See all clubs

Life there

Food

Free for all students (SFUSD)

Learning support

Wellness Center with on-site DPH Teen Clinic, counseling, College Room, Special Education, CYC after-school program

Notable alumni

  • Jerry Garcia (Grateful Dead)
  • Solofa Fatu / Rikishi (WWE Hall of Famer)
  • Cindy Herron (En Vogue)
  • Herbert Sigüenza (playwright/actor, Culture Clash)

Often on the same list

Phillip and Sala Burton Academic High School

Public

Mission High School

Public

Galileo Academy of Science & Technology

Public

Sources

  1. Balboa High School | SFUSD — name, address, neighborhood, hours, support services
  2. Balboa Pathways | SFUSD — the five career pathways, wall-to-wall model
  3. Balboa Departments | SFUSD — AP courses, world languages, arts
  4. Balboa Clubs | SFUSD — club list
  5. Balboa Athletics | SFUSD — sports teams, league
  6. NCES Common Core of Data (2024-25) — enrollment, student:teacher ratio, % students of color
  7. How student assignment works | SFUSD — application process, deadlines, tiebreakers
  8. MaxPreps — Balboa Buccaneers — sports team genders
  9. Balboa High School | Wikipedia — 1928 founding, school colors, motto ("First on the Pacific"), alumni
  10. SFUSD Grading Periods — two-semester (Fall/Spring) structure ("18 weeks in a semester")

Last reviewed July 2026