Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts

I thank God, Buddha, the universe or whatever you believe in that I got to experience this school.
I can’t even think about how my life would turn out without this place.
Quirky teachers and a ghetto a** campus made this school the place to be.
Yes, this school is very very WHITE but I made many friends as a minority. You could seriously be whatever you want at this school. I was bullied in middle school because I was «different» or whatever the stupid reasons people get bullied but got to SOTA and graduated as class President! The environment is stressful yes, but it really taught me how to balance a book as they say. In between rehearsals, study groups, and actual homework time flies!

My only concern when my daughter said she wanted to attend SOTA was the academics.
I have been pleasantly surprised by the quality especially from her honors english teachers. All her teachers use school loop and provide lots of feedback. Her math teacher regularly emailed the parents to tell them what they should be studying for the upcoming test and she hung out during rehearsals of Spam-​a-​lot to tutor the kids during breaks. The arts have turned out to be even better than expected and the kids are amazingly supportive of each other.

These kids are too talented. We saw Spam a lot and my socks were blown off!!!

SOTA is an amazing school! If your child can handle a lot of freedom, knows not to hang around with the wrong people, and is responsible, I strongly recommend this school.
The teachers are extremely dedicated, I went to school at Hoover and Buena Vista, both good schools, but at SOTA, I learned what it means to really have dedicated teachers. I strongly suggest you apply for honors/​AP courses.
The arts are of course amazing! TRY OUT FOR THE MUSICALS!!!
Something that is not talked about here is the AMAZING MOCK TRIAL TEAM! SOTA’s only team, coached by dedicated real attorneys/​and law professors! An amazing bonus to the school!
Sort of like a private school «feel», but large classes and broken, loveable, campus!

I can’t speak to the school itself or to the performances that they apparently host, but SOTA’s track is one of the great unknown running locations in San Francisco. It’s hidden away up in the hills above Glen Canyon Park (another secret gem) and offers a soft run on the knees, clean air for your lungs, and a nice elevated view for your eyes. You obviously can’t run during school hours, but early mornings and weekends usually work out fine.
Two warnings. First, the gates are sometimes locked. If that’s the case and school isn’t in session, you’re either out of luck or left to MacGyver your way in (**at your own risk**). Second, because it does touch Glen Canyon Park, there are sometimes wild animals out and about, including COYOTES. I’ve only heard them and always during early morning or late afternoon runs, but they were close enough that it’s definitely something to be aware of.

A great place to be

AMAZING performance of Seussical the Musical. We went twice because my 4 year old LOVED it and to tell you the truth I did too!
Great, PUBLIC Arts Education up the street from our house.
«Anything’s Possible»…
Now my girl is obsessed with musical theatre.

SOTA-​the best bang for your buck for a wide variety of performances, from theatre to dance to poetry. And a truly great education, not all teachers are amazing, but not all teachers are amazing when you’re paying $ 30,000/year either, so, truly best bang for your buck here too. And SOTA, thus far in my son’s education, seems to have some truly amazing teachers, dedicated above and beyond.

In a city that seems to lack in theater events, I’d recommend to see a SOTA theater musical as an alternative from the downtown theater scene. I went to a Sunday afternoon show for $ 10 and all concessions were a dollar.
I must say I was impressed. The performers were talented and charming — and could really sing!
I will return to see another show.

I saw Beauty and the Beast also and was very impressed. This is not your typical high school musical.
San Franciscans should be proud to have a school such as this and support their productions. You don’t need to know a kid who goes here to watch some stars in the making.
There is a young girl who sounded like Julie Andrews and some other very talented kids. Now my five year old daughter wants to go there.

I watched Beauty & the Beast (Broadway form) for today’s matinée @ 2pm! Twas fun and kooky and very strange… even quirker if the fact that I never saw the actual movie. I saw clips of it back then though =-|.
The seats are HARD as nails!!! And the theatre/​school IS very much out of your way — located in the top of the mountains in the Twin Peaks neighborhood.

class o’ 91. hah. even before the font blvd days. suck it, trebek!

Representing class of OH FIVE! I’m so happy I went to this school instead of Washington HIgh school. Arts, dance, theater, music, a lively place to grow and thrive creatively. Of course SOTA isn’t perfect, but you tell which high school is nowadays. I’m the last class at the Font Campus, so I started my freshmen yr there and ended my 4^th year at McAteer. I love you SOTA PPL, I make an effort to go back and see a show (especially the wonderful dance concert) every year. If you gotta kid who’s creative send him/​her here. PEACE!

Are you serious? No one has written a review about SOTA? Come on SOTA alum, represent! Well, if I have to be the one, well then I’ll be the one.
The SOTA that I remember is long gone. I’m talking about the Font Boulevard campus. Tucked away behind San Francisco State, it was an asbestos-​laden, oasis. It had a laid back vibe (which I’m sure it still has… with the aid of some… herbs) and the people were awesome. That’s really what makes SOTA so great, the people. Some of the teachers I remember are no longer teaching (perhaps that’s a good thing), but they were still great for some flava if not for the actual education. It was here that I learned the fine art of bullshitting and it was here that I became a better artist. SOTA is good times.