Frequently Asked Questions

Applications can be started approximately one year prior to your desired start date. For example, if you are interested in starting in the fall of 2025, the application will be available starting September 2024 and due on January 9, 2025. We encourage families to start the application as early as possible in the fall, though it is possible to complete the application within a few days if starting later.

We take a holistic approach in our admission process and consider all parts of the application. We do not have a weighted system for different sections of the application. We highly encourage families to see the campus in person and highly recommend scheduling a school tour to learn more about our program and see if Alta Vista is a great fit for your child. 

Successful Aviators have a demonstrated joy for learning and a record of academic success within the context of their own experience; a willingness to be open-minded and positively engaged in a diverse community; and the skills, potential, and desire to progress within our program.

The Alta Vista School math curriculum was developed from national (Common Core) and state (California Mathematics Framework) standards. For more, visit the mathematics page in our academics guide.

Alta Vista School’s dedicated and experienced faculty is committed to providing an educational experience that meets each student's needs through a variety of instructional strategies and approaches. Student Support Team members include a Learning Specialist, a Math Coach, a School Counselor, a Dean of Students at the MS, and a Literacy Specialist at the LS. As a school community, we value all dimensions of each child and work diligently to address their intellectual, social, emotional, and physical needs. AVS teachers and support faculty acknowledge and respect the fact that all children approach learning in their own unique ways, yet we are not a school that specializes in serving students with significant learning differences or social-emotional challenges. 

Our learning specialists and school counselor are important resources to teachers and to parents; they help pinpoint academic and social-emotional challenges and are also closely involved with designing an action plan to address issues. After careful analysis and reflection, a teacher, with guidance from the learning specialist and division head, may determine that a student would benefit from tutoring, therapies, or other supports which will need to occur outside of the classroom environment. In such cases, a referral will be made in a parent meeting with the classroom teacher, learning specialist, and division head. While we may suggest outside support, our program does not allow for external 1:1 level of intervention within the classroom during the school day. For additional information about our Student Support systems, please email the admissions office directly.

Sports in the Lower School are parent-organized and typically include basketball and soccer.

Sports in the Middle School are led by a professional coach/athletics director and include basketball, futsol, volleyball, and cross-country. We are members of the San Francisco Independent Athletic League (SFIAL).

For more, see our pages on physical education and athletics.

At the Middle School, students are invited to participate in the Student Leadership Team. The SLT's purpose is to help to create changes in our school community in positive and healthy ways and to build and promote a more inclusive and collaborative school community for all members.

See the before- and after-school activities page for the most up to date response.

For families who are interested in recurring transportation options to and from school, AVS partners annually with Zum, a child ride service company. Routes and schedules are determined the summer before school starts based on family interest level and location. This service is offered at an additional cost above tuition.

At AVS, we welcome the experiences and perspectives of all members of our community. We strive for continuous growth in understanding and valuing the intersections of age, ability, gender, race and ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status. Our faculty, parent, and leadership based DEI groups coordinate with all members of our community to better engage in these principles. We see DEI as integral to the ethical foundation of our community and as work that we all share.

The Annual Fund supports every aspect of the AVS experience. It allows AVS to be an extraordinary place of education, collaboration, and innovation for students today and in years to come. We ask every family to participate at a level that is comfortable for their circumstance. In addition, the Parent and Family Group runs an annual Gala that benefits our Tuition Assistance program, and our Advancement Office is proactive in helping interested families consider major gifts, either individually or as part of periodic capital campaigns.

If you're curious to know more, you can check out the Supporting AVS section of the site, or you can reach out to our Director of Advancement directly at advancement@altavistaschool.org.

Note: As a policy, AVS does not accept donations from applicant families who do not have a pre-existing relationship with the school.