Independence High School

What makes this school special

SFUSD's independent-study high school: students come to campus 5-15 hours a week and do the rest of their coursework on their own schedule, each with an assigned advisor
Built for students whose lives don't fit an 8-to-3 bell schedule — jobs, family caregiving, serious athletic or artistic commitments
Unlike the district's continuation schools, families can actively request Independence; there's no age minimum and no credit-deficiency requirement
Real enrichment despite the flexible format: a Media Arts CTE pathway with a KQED-TV collaboration, dual credit at City College, internships, and electives from surfing to mural painting to LGBTQIA Studies

Academics

Curriculum

Independent study with flexible, individualized scheduling: students attend campus 5-15 hours per week and complete coursework on their own, supported by an assigned advisor, with project-based and online options

Advanced coursework

No AP courses · 2 UC-approved honors courses

See the list filed with UC

World languages

Spanish, French

Schedule

Flexible/individualized; campus open Mon-Thu 9:00am-3:00pm, Fri 9:00am-12:45pm

Signature programs

Media Arts CTE pathway (video, digital art; KQED-TV collaboration)
Concurrent enrollment at City College of San Francisco (dual credit)
Internship placement and job training
Electives — surfing, outdoor education, mural painting, journalism, LGBTQIA Studies, film studies

UC admissions · For fall 2025 entry

applied: 20
admitted to at least one campus: 10
enrolled at a UC: 3

See UC’s data

What these numbers can and can’t tell you

Applying

Key dates

Application due: Rolling (referral)

Tours and events

The application

Independence sits outside the SFUSD lottery (you can't list it on a choice application), but it's also not referral-only: SFUSD describes the process as application/transfer-based, and families can choose it. Current SFUSD students complete Voluntary Transfer paperwork with their school counselor, email it to the school, attend an orientation within about two school days, and set a start date. Students new to the district apply at the Enrollment Center at 555 Franklin Street and select Independence (school 466); 8th graders use a form with their middle-school counselor instead. Placement is rolling.

Application requirements

Current SFUSD students — Voluntary Transfer (VT) paperwork completed with your school counselor, emailed to the school
Orientation visit (within about two school days), then a set start date
New to SFUSD — apply at the Enrollment Center (555 Franklin Street) and choose Independence (school 466)
8th graders apply via a form with their middle-school counselor

Testing

None — voluntary transfer, no lottery

Sources

Independence High School | SFUSD — name, address, grades, model, programs, support services
How to Apply to Independence High School | SFUSD — voluntary transfer process, school code, orientation
Attendance Options: Alternative Schools | SFUSD Student & Family Handbook 3.8.10 — alternative-school enrollment options
NCES Common Core of Data (2024-25) — enrollment, student:teacher ratio, % students of color
SFMTA — 6 Hayes/Parnassus, N Judah, 44 O'Shaughnessy — transit routes
Independence Details | SFUSD — world language (Spanish)
UC A-G course list — Independence High School — the 2026-27 course list the school files with the University of California: 2 UC-approved honors courses. The same filing names the languages the school teaches: French, Spanish

Details checked August 2026

Independence High

What makes this school special

Academics

Curriculum

Advanced coursework

World languages

Schedule

Signature programs

UC admissions · For fall 2025 entry

Athletics, arts & activities

Arts

Clubs & activities

Life there

Food

Learning support

Still thinking about Independence High?

Often on the same list

Sources