The Bay School is an independent, coeducational college preparatory high school that opened its doors in the Presidio of San Francisco in 2004. For the 2017-2018 school year, 370 students – from over 90 middle schools – are enrolled at Bay in grades 9 through 12. The founders envisioned a school focused on the future – not only the immediate future of college and adulthood but also an increasingly interconnected world where change and innovation are constant. To prepare students for their roles as capable, courageous, and ethical leaders, Bay's nationally-recruited faculty has developed an educational program that balances challenging academics with a mindful approach to learning and life.
It is not a book of facts to be memorized, nor is it a set of activities to check off a list. At The Bay School, learning means acquiring ways of being in order to prepare our students for an uncertain future
- asking challenging questions that may not have simple answers,
- articulately expressing sophisticated ideas,
- working with others to address real-world issues, and
- seeing our dynamic world with empathy and through a variety of perspectives.
It is about possessing fluency in the new literacies that shape a rapidly changing world and about having the courage to think ethically about one's actions and to follow one's path. It is about a depth of thought and inquiry rather than breadth of coverage, about taking a mindful, intentional approach to everything Bay does.
Bay students spend class time investigating, discussing, creating, evaluating, refining. Bay's teachers design their courses to maximize student involvement and to allow students to get their hands messy with the business of learning while always maintaining the teacher's role as the expert, facilitator, and mentor.
Because we value critical and independent thinking and thoughtful and thorough exploration, our assessment tools are varied and comprehensive, our assessments authentic and intentional. In all disciplines, assessment reaches beyond the "quiz, test, paper, final exam" paradigm multimedia presentations, design challenges, collaborative projects, dramatic representations, and field research are also a part of each student's comprehensive portfolio of work.
Bay's curriculum for the 9th- and 10th-grade years builds a broad foundation of necessary skills and habits of mind, emphasizing inquiry, critical thought, problem-solving, elegant communication, and the acquisition of ethical and philosophical frameworks. Faculty members challenge students to relate their learning to multiple disciplines and the world in which they live. As students advance to their 11th- and 12th-grade years, their interests and talents, in parallel with college admissions requirements, increasingly drive the academic program. The curriculum includes more than 70 advanced elective courses across eight disciplines. Specific course offerings each year at The Bay School ultimately reflect our faculty's expertise and interests and the interests of our students and therefore evolve on an annual basis.
Each student works closely with a faculty or administration member who serves as their advisor and advocates in academic and personal matters relating to school life. In addition to getting to know each advisee personally, advisors help students with academic scheduling and, in close collaboration with teachers, monitor students' academic progress. Students meet weekly with their advisors in small groups of between six to 10 students and are encouraged to schedule private meetings with their advisors as needed. Advisors also serve as an essential link between home and school. Parents and guardians are invited to speak with their student's advisor about any questions or concerns.
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