Directory

Public (referral) · Potrero Hill · AKA: DHS

Downtown High

Students
~170
Ratio
12:1
Tuition
Free

What makes this school special

  • One of SFUSD's two continuation high schools (with Ida B. Wells), built for juniors and seniors who are behind on credits and want a different way to catch up
  • Instead of a traditional course schedule, every student earns core credits through one of five interdisciplinary projects: wilderness expeditions (WALC), music production (MARS), theater (ACT), design and making (MADE), or community-based learning (GOAL)
  • A Wellness Center, twice-a-semester parent conferences, and school-to-career preparation are built into the model, not bolted on

Academics

Curriculum

Project-based credit recovery: each student enrolls in one of five interdisciplinary projects that integrate core subjects with hands-on, experiential learning

Advanced coursework

No AP courses

World languages

French, Spanish

Schedule

Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri 9:30am-3:15pm; Wed early release at 12:30pm

Signature programs

  • Acting for Critical Transformations (ACT)
  • Get Out and Learn (GOAL)
  • Making, Advocating and Designing for Empowerment (MADE)
  • Music and Academics Resisting the System (MARS)
  • Wilderness Arts and Literacy Collaborative (WALC)

UC admissions · For fall 2025 entry

applied
fewer than 5
admitted to at least one campus
fewer than 3
enrolled at a UC
fewer than 3

UC withholds counts this small to protect students’ privacy.

What these numbers can and can’t tell you

Athletics, arts & activities

Arts

TheaterMusicBookmaking & DesignVisual Arts

Life there

Food

Free for all students (SFUSD)

Learning support

On-site Wellness Center with counseling, school-to-career preparation, service learning, parent conferences twice per semester

Often on the same list

Ida B. Wells High School

Public (referral)

Independence High School

Public (referral)

Life Learning Academy Charter School

Public charter

Sources

  1. Downtown High School | SFUSD — name, address, grades, schedule, programs, support services
  2. Project-Based Learning at DHS | SFUSD — the five interdisciplinary projects
  3. Attendance Options: Alternative Schools | SFUSD Student & Family Handbook 3.8.10 — referral process, age requirement, space-availability placement
  4. NCES Common Core of Data (2024-25) — enrollment, % students of color
  5. SFMTA — 19 Polk, 9 San Bruno, 22 Fillmore — transit routes
  6. SFUSD School Accountability Report Card (SARC) — student:teacher ratio estimated from the SARC's average class size of 14 and ~170 students per 13–17 teachers (the NCES CCD figure is a known reporting artifact)
  7. UC A-G course list — Downtown High School — the 2026-27 course list the school files with the University of California carries no AP course and no UC-approved honors course. The same filing names the languages the school teaches: French, Spanish

Details checked August 2026