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Elementary School San Francisco & Silicon Valley (Grades K-5)

We are proud to be one of the best Bay Area private elementary schools with campuses in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. We are San Francisco's ONLY PreK - Grade 8 International Baccalaureate (IB) World School.  

Students at La Scuola love school. They are joyful, engaged citizens of the world. That is the magic of La Scuola. The campus is uniquely beautiful and intentionally designed to beckon students' curiosity and tinkering; the grown ups love their questions and are always willing to "follow the inquiry’'; the colors and sounds in the classrooms and hallways bring the spirit of the school to life. There is light and joy everywhere. And always lots of hugs.

Elementary school is a journey. It begins with learning letters and numbers in Kindergarten and ends with writing opinion essays in Italian and English in Grade 5.  A camaraderie is formed between teachers and students, based on the trust they earn from one another and the community agreements that even the youngest students can recite: respect, empathy, collaboration, and responsibility.  At La Scuola, we care about our students being independent learners and confident thinkers who will be prepared for the rigorous academics that await them, but we care just as much that they be engaged, happy people who can adapt seamlessly to wherever their lives take them.

A Week in the Life of a La Scuola Kindergartener

Our Elementary education is rooted in the International Baccalaureate™ Primary Years Program (IB-PYP), a proven, rigorous curriculum that fosters inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring young people who develop a life-long joy of learning. The IB-PYP helps students develop the skills, knowledge, and attitudes that they need to excel not only academically but also in their personal lives. This framework is used by over 5,000 schools in the world to create a curriculum that facilitates broad student inquiry while ensuring that fundamental skills and concepts recur across subjects in order for students to make meaningful connections. To encompass academic, social, personal, and physical learning, this approach requires extensive collaborative planning by teaching teams. Our membership in this global community also connects La Scuola to schools in more than 150 countries around the world, opening up our students to people from diverse religious, cultural, and economic backgrounds and helping them to develop a deep respect for humanity and the world in which they live.

At La Scuola, the Reggio approach to learning does not end in preschool.  The IB framework and Reggio approach are integrated so teachers can collaborate with children to inquire, reflect, and explore their own questions throughout elementary and middle school. As a result, our students develop confidence in their ability to learn, think for themselves, express their opinions—often in multiple languages—and respect the opinions of others.

La Scuola is the only school in San Francisco accredited as an International Baccalaureate Primary and Middle Years Program (age 3-14).  Our graduates may continue their IB diploma studies in high school, which often earns them college credit, but thrive in any high school environment.

Elementary School Langauge Class
Elementary students painting
Elementary Students Makers Space

Learn More about Elementary School

Apply for Elementary School

La Scuola is enrolling Grade K - 5 students into the Elementary School Program for the 2024-2025 school year. To apply, please complete our application form, in Ravenna. You can always reach out to our Admissions team at 415-551-0000 x 412, or complete our inquiry form.

Apply Now