Best Private Kindergarten in San Francisco, CA

PKS Elementary School

KMS Summer Camp

The Elementary Program (Grades 1–5) at KMS follows a Reggio-inspired, project-based philosophy. Students cycle through daily stations covering Math, Literacy, Art, Science, and Spanish Language and Culture, alongside outdoor learning and self-directed exploration. Multi-age classrooms allow each child to progress at an individual pace.

Terra San Francisco TK-5

Terra San Francisco TK-5 is a nature-based, trilingual program (Mandarin, Spanish, English) where Kindergarteners build fluency through language immersion, hands-on projects, and outdoor learning. With small classes and a warm, caring community, every child thrives from the very beginning.

Terra San Francisco TK-5

Terra San Francisco TK-5 is a nature-based, trilingual program where elementary students thrive through language immersion, outdoor learning, and ability-based “banded scheduling” in core subjects—keeping them challenged, engaged, and excited to learn.

Kindergarten

In Stratford’s kindergarten program, students tackle math, grammar, phonics, and reading in the morning, while afternoon sessions feature music, writing, Spanish, and science several times each week. Kindergarten students learn to explore subjects more deeply – allowing for greater understanding, more critical thinking, and analysis. Kindergarteners begin formal recitation to develop public speaking skills, and teachers use poetry, music, and reading aloud to promote students’ self-assurance in front of a group. While academically challenging, Stratford kindergarten classes embody the pillars of Stratford School spirit – joyful warmth, sparkling intelligence, and passionate commitment.

Elementary

Our accelerated, sequential, and cross-disciplinary elementary curriculum builds upon the fundamentals that students learn during their Preschool years. In our Elementary program, we integrate critical thinking and collaborative projects so that students discover the value of both independent thinking and working together. We complement our academic instruction with a focus on developing every child’s potential through social, emotional, and personal character education to help each student become articulate and respectful. We inspire our students to ask big questions about the real world, we challenge them to think beyond our classroom walls, and we show them how to learn from these experiences.

After-School Programs

Sterne's after-school care program runs in partnership with the Salesian Boys and Girls Club, with offerings that include athletics such as basketball and yoga, arts-based activities like stop motion film and mixed media studio art, and a daily walking bus connecting students from campus.

Lower School

Sterne's Lower School is a grades 4–5 program designed for neurodiverse learners, using a strengths-based, project-based model that integrates phonics-based structured literacy intervention, small instructional-level groupings, and specialized electives such as maker, digital film, music, drama, and studio art.

Kindergarten

Holy Name's full-day kindergarten program follows California State Standards infused with Catholic teachings, with hands-on learning in small group stations, weekly Mass, and a year-long mentorship pairing each kindergartner with a fifth-grade buddy.

Primary Grades

Primary Grades (1–3) at Holy Name is part of the school's WCEA/WASC-accredited Catholic academic program, with a daily core curriculum of language arts, math, religion, science, and social studies supplemented by enrichment classes including physical education, music, art, and computer technology.

Kindergarten

Kindergarten at Mission Dolores Academy is the entry point to the school's Catholic K-8 program, where a Common Core, Science of Reading-grounded curriculum includes explicit phonics instruction through SIPPS alongside math, Spanish, PE, art, drama, and music.

Middle School Grades 6-8

Elementary Grades 1–5 is part of Mission Dolores Academy's K-8 Catholic academic program, where a Common Core Standards-based curriculum with a Science of Reading foundation is paired with Spanish instruction, Physical Education, Art, Music, and Drama.

Private Kindergarten Program

Extended Day & After3

Extended Day & After3 is San Francisco Friends School's before- and after-school care program for Lower and Middle School students, offering a mix of free play, organized activities, enrichment classes, and private music lessons in a drop-in, flexible format.

Lower School Kindergarten – 4th Grade

The Lower School at San Francisco Friends School is the K–4 portion of an academically rigorous, progressive Quaker program grounded in the values of reflection, integrity, peaceful problem-solving, and stewardship, with a constructivist classroom approach that emphasizes inquiry and student agency.

Kindergarten

Golden Bridges' kindergarten is part of the school's Waldorf-inspired early childhood program, where a mixed-age model pairs kindergarteners with preschoolers — children first join as 'Youngers' and return as 'Elders' — building confidence and leadership through imaginative play, handwork, oral storytelling, and weekly full days at Hawk Creek Farm.

Grades 1-5

Grades 1–5 at Golden Bridges School is the lower elementary portion of a Waldorf-inspired K–8 program that integrates academic foundations with experiential learning, the arts, and environmental stewardship, including a full day each week at the school's working farm, Hawk Creek Farm.

Kindergarten

Kindergarten is the entry point to St. Anne's Catholic elementary program, a WASC- and WCEA-accredited school committed to developing the whole person through spiritual, intellectual, physical, and emotional growth in partnership with families.

Pre-Kindergarten Program

Grades 1–8 at St. Anne is the elementary and middle school portion of a Catholic academic program committed to developing the whole person — spiritually, intellectually, physically, and emotionally — and accredited by both WASC and WCEA.

Elementary

PKS Elementary delivers a bilingual Mandarin-English curriculum through an inquiry-based, project-centered approach, organizing study into Units of Exploration that span all major disciplines alongside daily specialist classes in areas such as Maker/Science Lab, Performing Arts, Visual Arts, and Multimedia.

Elementary School

SFCS elementary school covers Bible, reading, English, math, history, science, physical education, art, and music within a Christ-centered, biblical worldview curriculum, with small class sizes designed to support individualized attention and prepare students for the middle school program.

Transitional Kindergarten

St. Philip's kindergarten through 8th grade program is a Catholic elementary school rooted in faith and values, offering a rigorous academic curriculum that includes Spanish, Art, Music, Technology, and Physical Education, alongside enrichment activities and a comprehensive sports program.

K-8 Program

Saint Brigid Academy's K-8 program is a micro Catholic school built around a 4:1 student-to-teacher ratio, serving neurodivergent and academically gifted students through personalized instruction, multiage classrooms, and a whole-child approach that addresses spiritual, intellectual, social-emotional, and physical development.

Elementary School

St. Gabriel's elementary program is part of a Catholic parish school serving preschool through 8th grade, accredited by both WCEA and WASC, with a curriculum infused with Christian values and co-curricular offerings that include Academic Decathlon, a Science Discovery Lab, and a Learning Support Program.

Grade School

The Grade School (K-5) at San Francisco Waldorf School offers a balanced curriculum integrating sciences, mathematics, humanities, and the arts, taught by Waldorf-trained teachers within a human-centered, holistic educational approach.

Grades 1–4

Grades 1–4 is the lower school portion of Brandeis's private Jewish day school program, where student-centered, inquiry-based learning is paired with Judaic studies, Hebrew, and a curriculum that integrates mindfulness, social-emotional learning, and maker education.

Kindergarten

The kindergarten program at St. Paul's is a full-day offering within this WCEA- and WASC-accredited Catholic K–8 school in Noe Valley, where the curriculum covers English language arts, math, science, social studies, and religion, supplemented by PE, library, technology, and music.

Grades 1-8

St. Paul's elementary grades are part of a K–8 Catholic academic program that combines core subjects with Spanish, laboratory science, fine arts, and technology integrated across the curriculum, all within an inclusive community focused on academic excellence and character development.

K-8 Program

KZV's elementary program is part of the school's bilingual Armenian-English education, where students work toward proficiency in reading, writing, and conversing in both Armenian and English alongside core academics in math, science, and social studies.

Lower School

The Lower School covers grades K through 5 at Cornerstone Academy's Silver Campus, building academic foundations within a faith-based program that integrates Christian character development, volunteer service, and a bilingual Chinese-English curriculum.

Upper Elementary

Upper Elementary is the 3rd–5th grade program at Brightworks, a project-based K-12 school in San Francisco's Presidio, where students grow their capacity to manage their own work through collaborator-facilitated, interest-based group projects that integrate academic skills with collaborative problem solving, iteration, and reflection.

Lower School

Lower School (Grades K-4) is the foundational academic program at Adda Clevenger, where teachers build strong conceptual understanding through an individualized, fast-paced curriculum developed around each student rather than standardized benchmarks, setting the stage for the enriched Upper School experience.

K–5 Elementary School

The K–5 elementary program at San Francisco High School of the Arts builds a strong academic foundation alongside arts training, reflecting the school's mission to provide exceptional education in traditional arts and academics while focusing on character development.

K-8 Program

Kittredge's K-8 program is a small, NIPSA-accredited independent school where all classroom teachers are credentialed and/or hold graduate degrees, and the Habits of Mind framework is integrated across the curriculum alongside the Character Counts social-emotional program.

Kindergarten

Grades 1–5 is part of St. Stephen School's K-8 Catholic academic program, accredited by both WCEA and WASC, with curriculum grounded in Archdiocesan Guidelines and California State Standards alongside integrated faith formation.

Kindergarten

Kindergarten at St. Vincent de Paul is the entry point to the school's Catholic K-8 academic program, where religious education is described as "the heart" of school life and Gospel values are woven through all subject matter, including core subjects such as language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies.

Kindergarten

St. Vincent de Paul School's K–8 program delivers Catholic education rooted in experiential, innovative, and courageous learning, with a core curriculum spanning Religion, English Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Science, alongside co-curriculars including Italian, Visual and Performing Arts, and Physical Education.

Elementary School

School of the Epiphany's elementary program is part of a Catholic TK–8 school that has served San Francisco students since 1938, challenging them to achieve educational excellence within a Catholic tradition.

Lower School

The Lower School (Grades 1–5) at Presidio Hill is part of the school's independent, progressive TK–8 program, offering a project-based curriculum that nurtures curiosity and emphasizes hands-on, integrated learning suited to each grade's developmental level.

Grades 3-5

This elementary program (grades 3–5) is part of Alpha San Francisco's AI-driven, mastery-based model, where students complete core academics in roughly two hours each morning and spend afternoons in life skills workshops covering areas such as leadership, entrepreneurship, and coding.

Grades K-2

Alpha San Francisco's elementary program uses an AI-driven, mastery-based model in which students complete core academics in roughly two hours each morning, then spend afternoons in life skills workshops covering areas such as leadership, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy.

Elementary School

St. Cecilia's elementary program is part of a WCEA-accredited TK–8 Catholic school where parents and teachers collaborate to support each student's academic, spiritual, and social development, with instructional aides supporting classrooms through sixth grade.

Elementary Program

The elementary program covers grades 1–5 with daily instruction in English language arts, math, science, social studies, and religion, supplemented by weekly Spanish and rotating classes in music, dance, technology, and art, all within St. John's WASC- and WCEA-accredited Catholic curriculum aligned to California Common Core standards.

Kindergarten

The elementary grades at St. Thomas More are part of a Catholic Archdiocesan school whose curriculum follows California State Standards and Archdiocesan Guidelines, with instruction in mathematics, English language arts, social studies, religion, art, technology, and visual and performing arts, supported by teacher's aides in the lower grades.

Elementary School

The Elementary School program at La Scuola is rooted in the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program and Reggio Emilia approach, with Italian language immersion woven throughout grades K-5.

Private Kindergarten Program

Elementary School

The elementary school program at La Scuola's Mission Campus is the K–5 portion of the school's Reggio Emilia-inspired, Italian language immersion curriculum, accredited as an International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program (IB-PYP) — the only such accreditation for a K–8 school in San Francisco.

Lower School

The Lower School at San Francisco Day School covers grades 1–5 within the school's K-8 coeducational program, where two instructors share each classroom through the signature Teaching Fellows program and the curriculum emphasizes embracing challenge, productive struggle, and understanding each child's individual learning style.

Kindergarten

San Francisco Pacific Academy's transitional kindergarten is the entry point to the school's ACS WASC-accredited K–8 bilingual program, which emphasizes higher-level mathematics and oral and written communication skills in both English and Russian within a multicultural, hands-on learning environment.

Elementary

St. Peter's elementary program (grades K–5) builds foundational skills in English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies, and nurtures Catholic faith through religion class, Masses, and prayer services. The school holds dual accreditation from WCEA and WASC, and offers a Dual Language Immersion curriculum with instruction in both English and Spanish.

Elementary School

The elementary school program at Saints Peter and Paul School spans kindergarten through fifth grade and extends learning beyond the common core through a curriculum that includes Spanish, Italian, art, coding, robotics, and physical education, alongside core academic subjects.

Elementary School

San Francisco Islamic School's elementary program integrates California Common Core academic subjects with Quranic studies, Arabic language, and Islamic studies, combining academic achievement with spiritual enrichment within an Islamic environment.

Kindergarten

Lower School

Cornerstone Academy's Lower School covers grades K through 5 at the Silver Campus, building academic foundations alongside character development grounded in Christian principles, with a bilingual Chinese-English program that teaches Cantonese in kindergarten before transitioning students to Mandarin.

Private Kindergarten Program

Elementary School

St. Brendan Parish School is a Catholic parish elementary school serving kindergarten through eighth grade, accredited by both the Western Catholic Educational Association (WCEA) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), with a mission rooted in faith, academic excellence, and service to others.

Kindergarten to 8th Grade

Private Kindergarten Program

Elementary School K–8

San Francisco Adventist School offers a grades K-8 program rooted in Christian values, blending academic instruction with spiritual and character development across small class sizes. The school has provided continuous Seventh-day Adventist education since 1912 and holds accreditation from the National Council for Private School Accreditation.

Elementary School

Elementary

Synergy's elementary program is part of a progressive, independent TK-8 school with an interdisciplinary, multi-sensory curriculum spanning language arts, math, science, Spanish, visual arts, music, drama, and physical education, grounded in a long-standing commitment to equity, social justice, and student empowerment.

Grades 1-4