Frequently Asked Questions

Any child who turns 5 before September 1, 2025 can apply to the kindergarten program at Presidio Hill School. Children who turn 5 after September 1, 2025 and by the end of the school year can apply for our transitional kindergarten program. Over the last several years, many families have opted to wait to send their child to kindergarten if their child turns five in the summer and, as a result, we often have a group of children enrolled in TK who could technically enroll in kindergarten but are better suited for our transitional kindergarten. It is not uncommon for Presidio Hill to recommend our TK program for children with summer birthdays.

The transitional kindergarten (TK) is designed for children who are ready to transition to a bigger elementary school setting and the academic and social challenges of kindergarten, yet who will be too young for first grade the following year. Rather than doing a third year in preschool, some families opt for a transitional kindergarten year at Presidio Hill School. Children turning 5 years old during the 2025–2026 school year are eligible for our TK program. The transitional kindergarten has its own classroom with 10-12 children and two teachers. We look for readiness in areas of social maturity and academic development. Eligible applicants for the TK class often exhibit mature academic abilities that make them almost ready for kindergarten, such as experience working with numbers and letters, and being comfortable with drawing and using scissors. TK students are not necessarily expected to perform at levels comparable to the children in our kindergarten class, as we assess the developmental level of each child and work with him or her accordingly. Some children may benefit from an additional year of preschool even if they are age-eligible for TK.

The school building is open from 7:45 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. with extended care options before and after the school day. The school day begins and ends at different times, depending on grade level, as follows:

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday

9:00 a.m. – 2:45 p.m. for Kindergarten & TK
8:30 a.m. – 2:55 p.m. for Grades 1–2
8:30 a.m. – 3:05 p.m. for Grade 3
8:30 a.m. – 3:10 p.m. for Grades 4–5
8:45 a.m. – 3:35 p.m. for Grades 6, 7, 8

Wednesday - early dismissal day

9:00 a.m. – 1:45 p.m. for Kindergarten & TK
8:30 a.m. – 1:55 p.m. for Grades 1–2
8:30 a.m. – 2:05 p.m. for Grade 3
8:30 a.m. – 2:10 p.m. for Grades 4–5
8:45 a.m. – 2:35 p.m. for Grades 6, 7, 8

Children are welcome to arrive beginning at 7:45 a.m. and play on the yard with staff supervision until the school day begins. For an additional cost, students can attend the after-school program, which begins immediately after dismissal until 6:00 p.m. We offer packages based on unlimited or more limited use. The after-school drop-in rate is $4 for every 15 minutes. Families paying a flexible tuition amount will have the program prorated based on the percentage of tuition they pay.

Our students eat lunch outdoors every day. Teachers help facilitate lunch groups so that students have an opportunity to eat with a variety of classmates and allergies can be carefully managed. In 3rd-8th grades, students eat outside in the nearby Presidio. Presidio Hill School partners with ChoiceLunch five days a week for optional meal delivery service.

Intramural sports are often organized by parents/guardians in Lower School.

6th - 8th grade students participate in a co-ed league offering cross-country and volleyball in the fall, basketball in the winter, and futsal (indoor soccer) in the spring.

5th grade students are welcome to join cross-country in the fall.

Service learning is embedded in the curriculum, and teachers find many ways for students to volunteer in the community. Our students go on field trips about once a month. Sixth graders spend two nights in Point Reyes with their classmates, seventh grade visits the Yosemite Institute for three days, and eighth grade travels to places in California for one week. Many other grades go on camping trips at different times during the year.

2024-2025 tuition ranges from $500 - $41,300 for grades TK–2 and $500 - $42,400 for grades 3–8. The Board of Trustees sets the high end of tuition each January for the following year, and it increases every year. New families also pay a one-time new student enrollment fee of $2,000 which is also prorated to the flexible tuition level. Visit Affording Presidio Hill School for more flexible tuition information.

All families pay a 10% deposit to hold their child’s place at Presidio Hill; this deposit and the accompanying enrollment contract is due in March. The deposit is applied toward the following year’s tuition and is non-refundable. Families also pay a one-time new student enrollment fee of $2,000. Families receiving flexible tuition pay a reduced enrollment fee that is based on their tuition contribution. Families are expected to pay the remaining tuition in one, two or 10 installments. The one-pay plan requires payment in full on May 15th. The two-installment plan requires paying 60% of the remaining tuition by May 15 and the remaining 40% by December 31. The 10-installment plan charges a 1.5% fee and requires monthly electronic funds transfers beginning in June and ending in March.

There is  a one-time new student enrollment fee of $2000. This fee is prorated for flexible tuition families. Most costs, such as books, field trips and materials, are built into your child's tuition. After-school programming and athletics carry additional fees. Starting in fourth grade, families are expected to purchase a short list of supplies over the summer. Every family is asked to contribute to the Annual Fund, with 100% parent and faculty/staff participation as the goal. A donation of any amount is considered a sign of support for our school community.

There are so many ways to participate in our school community. Parents help in classrooms, monitor drop-off in the mornings, plan and organize events, spread the word about Presidio Hill through community outreach, help in the library, drive on field trips, serve as mentor families to new families entering the school, cook with classes and join committees. We offer many ways to become involved outside the school day and expect our parents to participate as much as possible in our school community.

All families are asked to contribute a “Day in the Life” of their son/daughter by annually volunteering 24 hours of service to the school. This commitment sends a strong message of support and partnership to our students and serves as a model of giving to the communities in which we participate.

In September, all families are invited to celebrate at our Fall Gathering. This is a time to get to know the teachers, staff and other families in the school. We also offer a new parent orientation, an autumn social gathering for parents, and a parent education/back-to-school night in the fall. We invite grandparents and special friends to visit campus in November, have an all school performance, Follies, in mid-December and in March we hold our annual school community celebration. May Festival is celebrated off-campus the first Sunday in May.

Yes. We accept applications for any grade that has available space. In Transitional Kindergarten, we offer one section of up to 12 students. In Kindergarten–grade 4 we offer one section of up to 22 students per grade. In grade 5 we offer one section of up to 24 students. At the Middle School level, beginning in sixth grade and through seventh and eighth, we increase enrollment to two sections per grade of 16 students, with a maximum of 32 students at each grade level.

PHS Shared Bus Program: PHS partners with Katherine Delmar Burke School (KDBS) for a paid bus service with a few different routes that drop students off in the mornings at Presidio Hill School. The PHS drop-off is one block from school. Information about the bus routes and the fees can be found here. 

If your family receives a flexible tuition discount, there may be funds available to help support your child/ren’s participation in this transportation program. Please contact the Director of Admission and Flexible Tuition if you are interested in considering having your child/ren participate in this shared bus program at a discounted rate.

Public Transportation: There are several dependable MUNI lines that have routes in
proximity to PHS and service this area frequently. They are as follows:

• #1 California – travels east and west along California Street. Three block walk to PHS.
• #2 Clement – travels east and west. Check with MUNI for specific route.
• #4 Sutter – travels east and west. Check with MUNI for specific route.
• #38 Geary – travels east and west along Geary Street. Twenty-minute walk to PHS.
• #43 Masonic – travels north and south. Six block walk to PHS.
• #33 Ashbury – travels cross-town from Potrero Hill through the Mission District and Haight-Ashbury to Sacramento Street. Two block walk to PHS.

Many Middle School students (and some students in younger grades) regularly take the bus home or to after-school activities. Check with MUNI for the specifics of any of these suggested lines. Call 673-MUNI or go to MUNI’s on-line site at 511.org.

Developing the life skills that come with taking public transportation is strongly encouraged for our Middle School students. All students who leave campus without a parent/guardian are required to sign out with a curbside attendant or at the Front Desk.

MUNI offers free/reduced-rate youth passes (loaded onto Clipper Cards) for eligible
families, available to youth ages 5 to 18. There is an application to complete. Visit
http://www.sfmta.com for more information.