San Francisco (Oct. 27, 2022) - Today, the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), University of California San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco City leaders, and community members celebrated the launch of development activities at the new SFUSD Mission Bay School site. Envisioned nearly 25 years ago, the school is a central component of the 1998 Mission Bay Redevelopment Plan, and was developed through an extensive public process that concluded earlier this year.
“Watching a new neighborhood take shape before our eyes is an amazing experience, and we are privileged to have the opportunity to bring a new, state-of-the-art school to San Francisco,” SFUSD Superintendent Dr. Matt Wayne said. “This new school increases educational access to San Francisco families in an area that has undergone tremendous growth over the last several years — and much more growth is expected to come. The school will be at the heart of a burgeoning neighborhood with close connections to the biotech industry, public health, higher education, green spaces, and more.”
Located in one of San Francisco's fastest growing neighborhoods, the new campus’s main program is a PK - 5 elementary school for 550 students; the fourth floor will also include STEM-focused Mission Bay Hub where SFUSD high school students can engage in workforce readiness and career programs; and a Professional Learning Resource center that offers professional development opportunities for teachers and staff.
"The Mission Bay neighborhood is growing quickly, with 30% of homes in the area designated as affordable housing units. It's really important that we continue to prioritize education where we are building housing, so I want to thank the SF Board of Education and SFUSD for highlighting this growing neighborhood that has many families in need of good school options," said Mayor London N. Breed. "Mission Bay School is the first new school in SFUSD in over 10 years; we need to be doing more to ensure every kid in San Francisco has equal opportunities and access to quality learning."
This is a rare opportunity for SFUSD to design a 21st century school from the ground up intentionally designed to nurture student creativity, provide the latest teaching and learning technologies, and foster independent learning and thinking.
“The Mission Bay Hub for high school students complements the SF Board of Education’s recently adopted Vision, Values, Goals, and Guardrails to prioritize strategies and policies that advance student outcomes. As part of this work, the Board has set a long-term goal for SFUSD to increase the percentage of high school 12th graders who are college- and career-ready,” SF Board of Education President Jenny Lam said. “This new school further strengthens our commitment to provide a high-quality education to each and every student in our district, and to equip each with the tools that will support them thrive.”
With over 6,000 units of new housing and hundreds of SFUSD students, Mission Bay is part of a major housing growth and population increase that San Francisco will continue to see on the eastern side of the City over the next decade. SFUSD anticipates 700 additional K-12 students in the Mission Bay neighborhood alone, once all planned housing construction in the neighborhood concludes.
“This is truly an exciting day for families in Mission Bay. I want to thank all the community members that have spent years advocating for this school, and to also commend the San Francisco Unified School District for an amazing push towards the prioritization of STEM-focused education. The school’s focus on these crucial fields reflects the incredible career opportunities found here in Mission Bay,” said District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey. “Looking towards our future, Mission Bay and District 6 is slated for so much new development, and families will finally have the opportunity to attend a good school close to their homes.”
“Mission Bay is one of San Francisco’s fastest growing neighborhoods, but doesn’t have a public school,” said Assemblymember Matt Haney. “That is finally going to change. Residents organized for years to get a desperately needed public school built in the heart of Mission Bay and this dream is becoming a reality. With a new public school, Mission Bay will continue to grow as a thriving family friendly, kid friendly neighborhood, and this site will also provide hands-on educational opportunities to students from across the city.”
The vision for a school in Mission Bay has been in the works since 1998, when a parcel was included in the Mission Bay South Redevelopment Plan for a future school. That parcel is currently owned by UC San Francisco (UCSF), and will formally transfer to SFUSD later this year.
"UCSF enthusiastically welcomes SFUSD to the neighborhood," said Renee Navarro, MD, PharmD, Vice Chancellor of Diversity and Outreach at UC San Francisco and professor of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Care. "Through our Center for Science Education and Outreach (CSEO), we're proud of our work supporting STEM education in the school district for the past two decades. We see the establishment of this school as a continuation of CSEO’s long standing efforts to provide programs and services that lead to student academic success, increased college-going rates, and exploration of various STEM careers for the underrepresented students and public schools we serve. We look forward to deepening our work together with the opening of this innovative and exciting new school."
SFUSD is working with design-build team McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. and DLR Group to deliver the new school project, which is anticipated to open in August of 2025. In November, the contractor will mobilize on site to install temporary site facilities and stormwater control measures. This will be followed by the removal of existing parking lot pavement and utilities, in preparation for site grading and soil improvement to reduce soil settlement and hold the future building.
Learn more about the new Mission Bay School project here.
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