SF High School of the Arts

Independent · Haight-Ashbury · AKA: HSArts

San Francisco High School of the Arts

Students: ~20
Ratio: 10:1
Tuition: $43k

Enrollment: ~20
Student:teacher: 10:1
Base tuition: $43,460
Real cost: $45k–$51k

What makes this school special

The Bay Area's only private, independent arts high school: a conservatory model where every student trains daily in dance, music, visual arts, or musical theatre alongside a college-preparatory academic program
A deep AP program for its size, from Music Theory and Art History to Calculus BC and both computer science courses, plus Mandarin and French
Not the public arts school: HSArts is regularly confused with Ruth Asawa School of the Arts, SFUSD's audition-based public arts school.

Academics

Curriculum

College-preparatory academics alongside daily conservatory arts training

Advanced Placement

20 AP courses

See the course list

World languages

Mandarin, French

Schedule

Semester

Signature programs

Dance Conservatory — ballet and Chinese dance
Music Conservatory — instrumental and vocal
Visual Arts — fundamentals and media arts
Musical Theatre

College matriculation

UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC San Diego, UC Davis, New York University, Purdue University, Rhode Island School of Design, Parsons School of Design, Pratt Institute, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, ArtCenter College of Design, Maryland Institute College of Art

See the full list

UC admissions

UC doesn’t publish admissions data for this school.

Athletics, arts & activities

Arts

BalletChinese DanceInstrumental MusicVocal MusicVisual ArtsMedia ArtsMusical Theatre

Life there

Tuition includes

Books
Educational materials
Laboratory costs

Applying

Key dates

Priority application deadline: Mid-December
Final application deadline: Mid-January
Portfolio, recommendations & transcripts due: Late January
Financial aid application (SSS) due: Late January
Decisions released: Mid-March
Registration deadline: Late March

The application

Admission runs on portfolio and fit rather than tests, and applications stay open past the deadline as space permits; portfolios for scholarship consideration are accepted year-round. Need-based aid is awarded case by case through SSS, the shared financial-aid platform.

Application requirements

Online application ($50 fee)
Artistic portfolio or audition recording in the student's discipline
Transcripts plus two teacher recommendations (math and English; arts optional)
Shadow day and family interview

Testing

Test-free

Getting there

1950 Page Street

Transit

7 Haight/Noriega on Haight
43 Masonic
N Judah at Carl & Cole

Transit directions

Contact the school

admissions@highschoolofthearts.org Visit the admissions site

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Often on the same list

Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts

Public

San Francisco Waldorf High School

Independent

Brightworks School

Independent

Sources

Tuition and Fees — 2026-27 high-school tuition ($43,460, US residents; books and materials included), $500 art-supplies fee, optional lunch program ($1,800/yr), after-school program, aid via SSS
Admissions — application steps, portfolio requirements by discipline, $50 fee, deadline pattern (the page still shows the 2024-25 cycle, so dates render as windows until the school posts the live year)
About: History and Logo — founded 2010, WASC accreditation (2014, renewed 2020), Page Street campus acquired 2015
FAQ — 10:1 ratio, class sizes, uniform policy, Mandarin instruction, college acceptances
AP Courses — the 20 listed AP courses, including AP Chinese and AP French
CDE Private School Affidavit, 2024-25 — enrollment (53 whole-school; 24 in grades 9-12), staffing; the school is absent from the 2025-26 filing, so this is the freshest state record

Details checked August 2026