In response to a deeply felt need for an innovative, coeducational, independent secondary school in the Bay Area, San Francisco University High School was established by a youthful board of trustees and community activists in 1973. The school officially opened in September 1975 and graduated its first class in 1976. The school's founding was made possible through funds contributed by individuals and foundations who shared a vision of a school "in and of the city" that would be a model of equity and excellence.

In 1978, school leadership founded Summerbridge (now Breakthrough Summerbridge), an award-winning, tuition-free, year-round, and summer intensive academic enrichment and advocacy program for underserved middle school students. It was the original site and inspiration for the nationally-known Breakthrough Collaborative.

Set in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, the school's campus and its main building, designed by architect Julia Morgan and constructed in 1917, was purchased from Katherine Delmar Burke School. Since that initial purchase in 1974, the school has acquired several additional properties to house the Dennis A. Collins Library (named after the founding head of school), a student center, 400-seat theater, multiple STEM labs, humanities classrooms, and athletics and arts facilities. In 2017, the school opened a $11 million Paul Goode Field, home to UHS athletics, in the Presidio. It is the first artificial turf field constructed in a national park, and we offer our neighbors and nonprofit partners free access.  The school recently completed the California Campus, a 50,000 square-foot addition which expands its footprint to a major transportation corridor and allows for enrollment growth to 500+ students.

The school has developed a strong reputation for its outstanding faculty and challenging liberal arts and sciences curriculum, as well as  its competitive athletics program and deep and broad fine and performing arts offerings. In its relatively short history, UHS has become a leader in secondary education in independent schools across the country by setting a standard for professional growth and continual institutional research, self-reflection, and innovation.  In 2019, the school was awarded a $250,000 leadership grant for institutional research from the E.E. Ford Foundation.

Due to our strong reputation and the robust economy of the Bay Area, our application numbers are high and admission is highly selective.  The school is in a strong position financially with a $37 million endowment that is stewarded by strong finance, investment, audit, and risk teams  that have allowed us to maintain our competitive position with faculty and staff compensation and well-maintained facilities.  Since our last accreditation, our annual fund has doubled, and the school has surpassed the 50% mark of an historic $52.6 million dollar campaign to add facilities, provide endowment for financial aid, and support the faculty and program.  While disrupted by the global pandemic, The San Francisco Decorator Showcase, which typically provides over $500,000 to the school’s financial aid budget, reopened in April 2022.  

In 2013, the school initiated its signature mentoring program that is nationally recognized as a distinctive and compelling student support model. In 2015, the school added a human development department to integrate equity literacy, metacognition, community engagement, and student leadership and wellness into its program; last year, this department evolved into the Institute for Responsive Education. While the mission of the school today remains remarkably consistent with that of the original statement of philosophy, as articulated by the founding Trustees almost 40 years ago, the school launched a perpetual strategic design in 2015 and developed a transformational vision for the school that included adopting the core values of inquiry, integrity, agency, care, and interconnection.  The school authored an Equity and Community Belief Statement in 2018 and updated it in 2022.

Today, enrollment stands at 517, with 21 percent of the student body receiving $5.4 million in financial aid. 53 zip codes are represented in our student body, and more than 60% of the students identify as students of color. Our equally diverse faculty (81 percent with advanced degrees) and staff totaling 120 bring a breadth and depth of talent and experience in their leadership of a school and program that continues to evolve to prepare students for our fast-paced and complex society. The faculty has an average of 20 years teaching experience and an average of 11 years at UHS.

The 30-member Board of Trustees remains a diverse (60% identify as BIPOC), highly skilled, and devoted group of trustees (with a balance of representation between alumni and current and past parents) well known for their nonprofit experience and accomplishments in their professions. Standing committees of the Board of Trustees include Finance, Investment, Buildings and Grounds, Committee on Trustees, and Executive. In  2019, the Board added a standing committee for Equity and Community, and in 2021 established a standing Risk Committee.

Graduates of San Francisco University High School (over 5,000) have gone on to become leaders in STEM, Public Health, Education, Environment, Global Affairs, Justice and Civil Rights, Finance, Philanthropy, the Arts, and Political office, to name a few. In 2018 we began a new tradition called Alumni Honors, designed to recognize and acknowledge the contributions of alumni who embody our core values. Each year we celebrate alums who are leaders in their fields, making important contributions at a local, national, or international level through personal accomplishment, professional achievement, or humanitarian service.