The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) is set to open a new kindergarten through eighth-grade Mandarin immersion school in fall 2027, an initiative announced by Superintendent Maria Su on Wednesday. This decision comes in response to an increasing demand for more multilingual classroom options from families in the community.
“San Francisco is an international city, and we need to do all that we can to produce global citizens,” Su commented during an interview with KQED.
However, the announcement was brief and lacked specific details regarding the new school’s location, student capacity, and enrollment process. It arrives at a time when the district grapples with declining enrollment numbers and a significant budget deficit, which could potentially lead to school consolidations. Additionally, the school board is preparing to vote on a parent-led proposal for a new K–8 Mandarin immersion charter school that could further divert funding from SFUSD if approved.
Professor Emeritus Bruce Fuller from UC Berkeley’s education department suggested that the timing of the announcements for both the new school and the charter school proposal is linked to the district’s financial constraints. “I’ve seen a similar dynamic where there’s budget concerns by the school board, there’s sort of recalcitrance around, ‘This is going to be challenging to do. What do we find the teachers?’” he noted.
Currently, SFUSD only has 66 seats available per grade across two elementary schools for students interested in Mandarin immersion. These programs are offered at Starr King Elementary School and Jose Ortega Elementary, which have been operational since 2006 and 2007, respectively. As of now, over 80 families are on the waitlist for kindergarten at Jose Ortega, with both campuses maintaining long waitlists through fifth grade.
Su emphasized that the district’s public schools have not sufficiently met the demand for Chinese bilingual education. While private options have increased in recent years, SFUSD has not introduced a new Mandarin immersion program since the 2007–08 school year. During this period, several independent schools have launched Cantonese dual immersion tracks, and existing private Mandarin immersion schools have expanded their capacities.
For example, the Presidio Knolls School graduated its first class of eighth graders in 2021, and the Chinese American International School relocated to a newer campus last fall to accommodate more students.
As the new school project develops, the district intends to focus first on expanding pathways to train and hire qualified teachers. Some of SFUSD’s existing Mandarin immersion classrooms have faced challenges in maintaining full-time teachers, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle in May.
To tackle this issue, the district is partnering with San Francisco State University and the associations of Asian American Administrators and Chinese Teachers to develop new training programs and enhance certification opportunities for bilingual educators.
“This work will begin with a focus on building out the teacher pipeline first before specifics of the school are established,” stated SFUSD spokesperson Laura Dudnick in an email.
Liana Szeto has been appointed to lead the school’s development as a special advisor to Superintendent Su. Szeto previously founded the nation’s first Chinese Immersion public school, Alice Fong Yu K–8, in San Francisco and retired this spring after three decades as its principal.
“I cannot think of someone better to lead this work,” Su remarked.
Board of Education President Phil Kim has expressed support for the new Mandarin immersion school, which he believes aligns with the district’s goal of expanding multilingual education.
“Families have been asking for expanded offerings for immersion programs, and so this very well could be an opportunity for families to choose SFUSD, knowing the great history that we have with our multilingual pathways,” he said.
Despite this, it remains uncertain how the new school announcement could impact the already-existing parent-led efforts. A vote is scheduled for July 29 regarding the Dragon Gate Academy, a proposed K–8 Mandarin immersion charter school aimed at providing tuition-free access to Mandarin immersion programs. Its website articulates the parents’ frustrations with overcrowded systems and long commutes.
“Dragon Gate Academy is our answer — a school where kids learn Mandarin and English side by side, celebrating our city’s vibrant heritage and preparing them for a boundless future,” the site states.
Professor Fuller highlighted that SFUSD’s announcement could provide the school board with justification to deny the charter application. He theorized that board members might say, “Well, we’re going to serve that excess demand for dual language immersion … maybe we’ll look at the charter applications later.”
Historically, school districts are often apprehensive about approving new charter schools when facing declining enrollments and budget constraints, given that public school funding relies on student numbers. If students opt for charter schools instead of remaining in SFUSD, the district risks losing substantial funding.
“Certainly, this initiation of two new schools gives the board a rationale to deny the charter application,” Fuller opined.
In California, school boards hold the power to deny charter applications if they believe those schools would harm the district’s finances or if they find the educational program inadequate. However, Board President Kim maintains that the focus is on constructing a sustainable and flourishing school system within SFUSD, stating, “we’re willing to partner with whomever to make sure that it happens.”
As discussions unfold, the school board is poised to deliberate on the Dragon Gate Academy’s application in late July.
image source from：kqed
