International
“This is how we make the world a better place.”
AKA: IHS, French AmericanHayes ValleyIndependent
International High School
“This is how we make the world a better place.”
AKA: IHS, International, French AmericanHayes ValleyIndependent
- Students
- ~390
- Ratio
- 7:1
- Tuition
- $64k
Base tuition as published for 2026–27.
Admissions
- Applications open
- Late August
- Application due
- Beginning of January
- Decisions released
- Mid-to-late March
- Enrollment
- ~390
- Student:teacher
- 7:1
- Base tuition
- $63,621
- 2026–27 school year
- Real cost
- $72k–$77k
- Flexible tuition
- ~35%
What makes this school special
- Juniors and seniors choose between the full IB Diploma and the French Bac
- No French required. More than half of entering students don't speak a word of it
- The Global Travel Program sends students in grades 9-11 on two-week international trips (think Senegal, Vietnam, Ecuador)
- A genuinely international community: hundreds of students representing roughly 25 nationalities, in the middle of Hayes Valley
Academics
Curriculum
IB Diploma & French Baccalaureate; bilingual
World languages
French, Mandarin, Spanish, Italian, Arabic
Schedule
Semester
Signature programs
- IB Diploma Programme
- French Baccalaureate track
- Bilingual / multilingual immersion
- Global Travel Program
- Service learning
College matriculation
Stanford, Princeton, Brown, University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon, Georgetown, NYU, Emory, Tufts, UC Berkeley, UCLA, McGill, University of St Andrews, Boston College
See the full listAthletics, arts & activities
Athletics · Bay Counties League (BCL Central) / CIF SF Section
BadmintonBaseballBasketballCross CountryLacrosseSailingSoccerSwimmingTennisTrack & FieldVolleyball
Arts
TheaterMusicVisual ArtsFilm
Clubs & activities · 40+
AI ClubAnimal RightsAnime ClubAsian Student UnionBaking ClubBlack Student UnionBook ClubChessComputer ScienceDebateFilm ClubGirls Who CodeInvestment ClubModel United NationsPhilosophyPhotography
See all clubsLife there
Tuition includes
- Arts
- Athletics
- Extended care
Learning support
Learning Services — Learning Specialists on the Student Support Team
Often on the same list
Sources
- High School Admissions — deadlines, requirements, test policy, email
- Tuition & Financial Assistance — tuition, fees, aid, what's included
- IB High School — academic model, languages, programs, semester transcript
- International Baccalaureate — IB Diploma, IB-not-AP
- High School Athletics — sports, league, gear
- Class of 2025 Matriculation — college list
- Wikipedia — International High School of San Francisco — founding, enrollment, athletics, arts
- Mission + Values — motto ("This is how we make the world a better place," the tagline above the mission)
Last reviewed July 2026