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About Us

Our outdoor spaces are classrooms too! Preschool children playing ball outside

We are San Francisco's only International Baccalaureate PYP and MYP, Reggio Emilia inspired, Italian Immersion World School!

Founded in 2002, La Scuola International School – the only Reggio Emilia inspired, International Baccalaureate (IB) and Italian language immersion school in the world – is serving the Bay Area with two San Francisco campuses (Preschool - Grade 8), and one new campus in Silicon Valley (Preschool - Grade 1).

We are Open to the World

Our mission is to inspire brave learners to shape the future. Every day, it’s the students at La Scuola who ask provocative questions and lead their learning across languages, across cultures, and across subjects.

The Benefits of Attending La Scuola International School

Inquiry within the International Baccalaureate Curriculum
The International Baccalaureate program began as an academically challenging program for high school students and has evolved into a curriculum framework used by over 5,000 schools worldwide in PreK-12 that encourages critical and creative thinking, expression of knowledge in various modalities, global perspective, and foreign language acquisition. IB students are known for having a growth mindset, developing strong cognitive skills, high executive function, and are generally psyched to learn new things and solve problems.
 
Reggio Emilia Approach - From Preschool to Age 99

The Reggio approach nurtures collaboration, inquiry, experiential learning, and a Hundred Languages® to express themselves. We believe this approach is valid throughout a student’s educational journey. The Art, Music, Garden, Design, and Tinkering Ateliers are places where theories are put to the test and students create a better understanding of the world around them.

Language Immersion

Your child does not need to speak Italian! We aim for our students to be bilingual (though many are multilingual). By learning English and Italian simultaneously, they develop better attention, decision making, and planning
skills than monolingual students. Italian especially benefits students with a strong foundation in Latin word roots and imparts an increased appreciation for art, music, food, and history. Speaking another language
develops a child’s empathy and connectivity to the world. The school is recognized by the Italian Ministry of Education as a Scuola Paritaria.

Elementary students reading in pairs
We are all citizens of the world posters
Student smelling flowers in the school garden
We use the Montreal Model of Immersion, which looks like this:

Preschool:      10% English – 90% Italian
Grades K - 1:  20% English – 80% Italian
Grade 2:          30% English – 70% Italian
Grades 3 - 5:   50% English – 50% Italian
Grades 6 - 8:   70% English – 30% Italian


Specialist subjects are taught in English and Italian.

Children are not required to speak Italian to enroll in Preschool, Kindergarten, Grade 1, or Middle School. Students applying to Grades 2–5 are evaluated for language proficiency as part of the admissions process. In Middle School, language classes are categorized as beginner or advanced.

Global Citizenship: Open to the World

Our students are open to the world. They understand the global and local context. They engage with people that are different from them to form their values and they know that great ideas come from collaborating with different perspectives.

Right to Beauty and Joy

The environment is the third teacher. We believe that students who come to learn in a space that is beautiful and joyful will forever associate learning with beauty and love.

Pedagogy of Relationships

We prioritize trusting and loving relationships between teachers and students. This approach helps secure the child’s emotional wellbeing and leads to more successful learning. Feeling supported, seen, and heard are so important in creating the nurturing and empowering environment that helps children grow and flourish. There will be a lot of empathy, respect, and hugs!