Our school provides a safe, supportive environment that prepares immigrant youth for college and their careers.

• Every student is known well and supported to succeed. We are a small school with small classes. Our team structure allows for personalization, growth and success for our students.


• Our students are involved in internships, community service, and service learning within the larger community.


• 90% of Internationals students graduate and 90% of Internationals graduates go on to college.

One of the main differences in our program and what is available at other schools is that students are never tracked or separated by their level of English proficiency. All of our instruction is in English, but students are supported to continue the development of their literacy in their native language as well. We support students to use all of the strengths that they bring to their new community to help them develop their academic English skills and adapt to their new culture while preparing them academically to go on to college.

We know that there are many indicators of student success, so we use a variety of benchmarks to evaluate our work including: student portfolios, course pass rates, attendance rates, standardized test results, graduation rates, and college entrance rates. We also work very closely with families to ensure that they are involved in the educational process and empowered to be advocates for their students.

Our Academic Program

There are many things that make SF International a unique school. Our school is a close-knit, supportive community for students who may feel displaced after moving from another country and are unfamiliar with American language and culture. Differences among students are cherished and nurtured as they are continually encouraged to celebrate their cultural and linguistic individuality. We also believe that recent immigrants are capable of the highest levels of academic success when given the support they need.
Because of these beliefs, our program is designed around these key features:

Experiential Learning

Learning goes beyond the walls of the school through community participation, career internships, and academic projects.

Small Size

Each grade level has only 100 students. Class sizes are 25 students or less. Our team structure allows for personalization, growth, and success for our students.

Language Development through the Content Areas

Students learn academic English skills most effectively in a meaningful context and their skills will emerge most naturally in purposeful, language-rich, experiential, interdisciplinary study

College Preparatory Focus

Students receive significant support to become prepared academically for success in college. Starting in 9th grade, students begin to explore options for college.

Career Exploration

In their junior and senior years, seniors will have opportunities for internships and community service in different settings, from businesses to government offices to community organizations.