Urban
“Urban for a reason”
Haight-AshburyIndependent
The Urban School of San Francisco
“Urban for a reason”
AKA: UrbanHaight-AshburyIndependent
- Students
- ~420
- Ratio
- 10:1
- Tuition
- $68k
Base tuition as published for 2026–27.
Admissions
- Applications open
- Late August
- Application due
- Beginning of January
- Financial aid docs due
- Mid-February
- Decisions released
- Mid-to-late March
- Contracts due
- Late March
- Enrollment
- ~420
- Student:teacher
- 10:1
- Base tuition
- $68,241
- 2026–27 school year
- Real cost
- $69k–$76k
- Flexible tuition
- ~30%
What makes this school special
- Four classes at a time: a trimester system with long blocks, built for depth over breadth
- No APs. Faculty-designed "Urban Advanced Studies" courses instead, recognized by the UCs as honors level
- Feedback culture: students get detailed written reports twice each term, not just a letter grade
- A Haight-Ashbury campus that keeps growing, most recently a performing arts center in the converted St. Agnes gym (2024)
Academics
Curriculum
No APs — Urban Advanced Studies (faculty-built advanced courses)
World languages
Mandarin, French, Spanish
Schedule
Trimester block
Signature programs
- Service Learning & Identity (four years)
- Urban Advanced Studies (UAS)
- City-as-classroom
- Bay Area BlendEd online consortium
College matriculation
UCLA, NYU, Northeastern, Occidental, Pitzer, Cal Poly SLO, University of Oregon, Loyola Marymount, Tulane, UC Berkeley, Boston University, Wesleyan, Brown, Stanford, Yale
See the full listAthletics, arts & activities
Athletics · Bay Counties League (BCL West) / CIF NCS
BaseballBasketballCross CountryFencingFlag FootballGolfLacrosseSailingSoccerSoftballSwimmingTennisTrack & FieldVolleyball
Arts
Visual ArtPhotographyVideo ProductionGraphic DesignInstrumental MusicChoral MusicTheater
Clubs & activities · 40+
Model United NationsPeer ResourcePeer TutoringUrban Legend (newspaper)YearbookStudent GovernmentEnvironmental ClubGreen TeamHIPE (peer education)Library LeadersMultiCulti Leadership TeamPlaywriting WorkshopPortfolio PrepUrban Singers (chorus)Chamber OrchestraAdvanced Jazz Band
See all clubsLife there
Food
On-site café (pay as you go)
Learning support
Learning Specialists — one-on-one tutoring and accommodations
Notable alumni
- Hannah Dreier (Pulitzer-winning reporter)
- Zelda Williams (actress and director)
- Matt Deakin (Olympic rower)
- Maggy Krell (CA Assembly)
- Bobby Chinn (chef)
Often on the same list
Sources
- Applying to Urban — requirements, deadlines, test-free policy
- Tuition and Fees — tuition, fees, food
- Admissions Welcome — enrollment, students of color, financial assistance
- Urban School Profile — no APs / Urban Advanced Studies, trimester block, signature programs
- World Languages — languages offered
- Athletics — sports teams by season and gender, league
- The Arts at Urban — arts disciplines
- Admission FAQ — clubs, learning support
- Wikipedia — Urban School — founding, notable alumni
- College Matriculation 2020–24 — colleges attended
Last reviewed July 2026