Garfield Elementary School

420 Filbert Street

School District

San Francisco Unified
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:14
Type

public

School Map for San Francisco Unified School District

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on October 31, 2022

Great school! My kids enjoy coming to school everyday and that says a lot. They have a great Chinese Immersion Program. Teachers here do an excellent job teaching the kids. The class sizes are not too big so all the kids know each other. Parents and teachers work closely together. It is on top of a pretty steep hill but its worth the hike up. Beautiful view of the city and Coit Tower!
Submitted by parent on March 20, 2022

Absolutely adore this school! My daughter loves her teacher and the closeknit community. There is also a lot of personal and hands-on care provided by the teachers and administrators. The chinese immersion program is organized and well executed. My daughter has transformed from resisting speaking cantonese to loving to converse and even watching Chinese sitcoms. In addition to the academic curriculum, I am most happy with the school's mission and inclusiveness to respect and care for each student's differences. I always feel that my daughter's academic growth, well being, and safety are the school's priority. They do CARE! At the beginning, I did have to get used to the early starting time but that made it so easy to drop off before work. There is also no traffic nor parking issues at that time. Highly recommend!
Submitted by parent on February 11, 2020

We were attracted to this school because it was in our neighborhood and offered our daughter the opportunity to learn a second language, Cantonese. We couldn't be happier with the school, the principle, the teachers, and the community! The teachers are passionate about teaching and communicate proactively with parents. The small class sizes allow students to get the individual support they need. We love the principal who sets a very positive tone by modeling acceptance and respect for all students, teachers and parents. She truly cares about and gets to know each and every student. We are also fortunate to have a family liaison specialist, social worker, and literacy specialist on campus to support students. Our favorite thing about Garfield is the community! There is an incredible diversity of cultures and backgrounds represented at the school. And the very active Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) brings together families to build community and raise funds to enrich the lives of our students. This school is truly a hidden gem!
Submitted by parent on October 09, 2019

A friend first piqued my curiosity about Garfield when she called it a hidden gem. Over the next year, as we prepared to enter the kindergarten enrollment lottery, we researched dozens of elementary schools with diverse programs and toured multiple schools. Garfield ended up our #1 choice. We went through ALL the rounds of the lottery, and finally, during the second week of school, we got in off the wait pool!My son is now in second grade in the Cantonese immersion program. Our principal and teachers are dedicated and enthusiastic, and we love Garfield's small size and warm community. Although there are three pathways - general education, Cantonese immersion, and autism focus special education - it is clearly one unified school.We've also discovered what an amazing neighborhood Garfield is located in. Garfield is located right by Coit tower, on a fairly quiet residential street. Within a couple blocks walk is the North Beach library, Joe DiMaggio playground, the North Beach pool, the cute shops along Grant, and a great assortment of restaurants. It's become a routine for us to pick up our son, hang out at the library a bit for some reading and homework, then either play at the playground or go swimming before heading home.To top it all off, we are super excited for the re-opening of our fully renovated state of the art campus for the coming school year!
Submitted by parent on October 08, 2019

We love Garfield! I now have 2 kids at Garfield and we love the small, tight-knit community there. Teachers seem committed to providing a fun, safe learning environment for all kids. Our principal is EXCELLENT! She is a wonderful leader, a thoughtful communicator to parents and kids alike, and is invested in making Garfield the best school it can be. The staff's enthusiasm for the school and kids is infectious, and as a parent it encourages me to be an active participant in helping Garfield excel. The early start time is a great fit for working parents, and they provide after school programs on site. We are so glad this little gem is in our neighborhood!
Submitted by parent on May 20, 2019

I moved my kids from a private school to Garfield several years back, and we have no regrets. I feel that the school size, it’s committed teaching staff, and focused leadership are it’s biggest asset. Also, the kids are great!!! My children’s friends have so many widely different life experiences that it has been part of their education as well. I look forward to the Garfield campus being re-opened (after a full renovation) in 2020!
Submitted by parent on January 24, 2016

School continues to get better and better. Knowledgable and experienced teachers. Enthusiastic leader enjoying his second year as Principal. Very involved PTO! All working together to make Garfield a better school each year.
Submitted by parent on December 10, 2015

This is our first year at Garfield and so far, it's been beyond our expectations! It's a small, cozy, diverse school (about 240 students) on top of a hill, right beneath the Coit Tower, and has a gorgeous view of the Golden Gate Bridge. The principal is amazing - Mr. Owens pours his heart and soul in making this school better everyday. He truly cares about his students and staff. His endless enthusiasm and energy are greatly appreciated. The onsite afterschool program ran by CYC is wonderful as well. The hours are perfect for working parents(1:50-5:45pm) and the activities are endless. My daughter gets exposed to so many quality hands-on, critical thinking activities, on top of what she learns at school. Thank you Garfield for being a wonderful school for our family! We cannot wait until our younger child joins the Mighty Dragons in a few years!
Submitted by parent on December 08, 2015

I am new to Garfield, and am coming from a private immersion experience (PKS) that was FANTASTIC. We had the option to stay at PKS, but despite loving it, we chose Garfield. In addition to the financial benefits (we can afford a trip to China now!), I love the size, the parents, the teachers, aftercare clubs, walking to/from school, grabbing dinner in NB after school, and going to school w/neighbors. When we got in to the imm. prog., I sent a msg to PPS to connect me w/parents there, & had 2 parent emails w/in 24hrs. The parent participation is AMAZING. The parents I spoke with were "my people," & I felt connected immediately. Yes, there are also Cantonese speaking families there to whom I cannot SPEAK, but I love that- more people for my child to hear the language from! That's immersion! I want to go on, but this character limit won't let me... I'm only giving 4 stars, just b/c I think this school has not reached its pinnacle yet- but it's already great. PS: For you immersion parents, though this is a new immersion program- they were a biliteracy school before, so they're experienced in language learning, and they did all of their homework when they designed the new program.UPDATE: After spending three years watching this school climb, I have changed my review to 5 stars.
Submitted by parent on December 08, 2015

The teachers and staff go above and beyond for the school, students, and parents. My son always come home after school telling me about what he learned or what he did during school. When there's no school, he would say, "awwwww". The kids are so sweet and parents are so nice and willing to help.
Submitted by other on December 04, 2015

We are new to Garfield, but have not been disappointed. There is a wonderful sense of community and well-being there - students and staff feel valued and are genuinely connected to each other. The principal, Jason Owens, is engaged, approachable and fights tirelessly for students and staff. Garfield is small enough that is feels cozy and large enough that we are always meeting new faces. The Chinese immersion program is an additional "cherry on top" to an already great school, and the campus is nestled on beautiful Telegraph Hill, with fresh air and gorgeous views. Downsides are the hill (steepest in SF, but we are all fit because of it!), the early start time (7:50 is brutal for those late-sleepers, but the 1:50 dismissal is fantastic), a more old-school approach from some of the Chinese staff (we are getting used to it, and it the plus side is that Garfield kids are largely well-behaved!), and lack of funding because it is public (though an enthusiastic PTO brings quality arts programming, etc. to all grades). Overall, we love this school!
Submitted by parent on March 04, 2015

My son is in 5th grade. He has been to Argonne, Jose Ortega, Gratten, George Peabody and Garfield. This school is at the top of Telegraph Hill below Coit Tower. Modern school with caring teachers and approachable principal. Easy going PTO, when you see a great school like Clarendon and they raise $400K a year for the kids. Where do you think they get this $$? They get it from crunching and squeezing all parents, at all times. Can be a little uncomfortable when money is a little tight. Garfield easy going with still a great after school program. Principal had been helpful and knowledgeable about helping my son for middle school. Cons: It's in the far northeast corner of SF, far from anybody. It's in North Beach, so parking can be a little funky. Little school yard. Pros: It's in North Beach, I take advantage of the neighborhood for great eats and atmosphere. All the kids seems to know one other and play well with each other. Very happy to be here, even though it take about 30 minutes from the Richmond District to get here.
Submitted by parent on October 20, 2014

Garfield is an AMAZING school located on Telegraph Hill in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco. We love Garfield because the teachers are dedicated, talented and engaging; the principal is warm and fun; and the community is diverse and involved. I have three boys who have attended Garfield in each grade, Kindergarten through 5th. We have had a wonderful experience and I highly recommend this school to anyone. Why pay for private school when you can get highly qualified teachers, small class sizes and a quality education at this outstanding public school!!
Submitted by parent on September 24, 2014

Garfield is a wonderful tight knit community of students, parents, teachers and staff. Before our daughter started kindergarten, we had a number of the basic concerns and questions that I expect are common to parents with kids starting elementary school. We were very happy to find that Garfield is a small enough school that from the youngest students to the oldest kids know and look out for each other. The general education and Chinese immersion tracks are both great and the teachers in the two programs work together to promote a common school spirit and identity as the Garfield Mighty Dragons. Our daughter settled right into Garfield and got down to the business of learning, growing and having fun!
Submitted by parent on September 16, 2014

My daughter is in the first grade Cantonese immersion class. Though we only speak English and I can't help her study, I am glad she has this opportunity to learn another language. She loves learning Chinese. Most importantly, I find that the teachers are excited and empowered, the principal is a fearless leader, the PTO is active and involved, and the kids are happy. It seems to be a secret how wonderful this school is, but I wanted to share with other parents considering sending their child to Garfield.
Submitted by parent on September 26, 2013

Garfield Elementary school is a gem and is located right beneath Coit Tower! Great principal and very supportive teachers. We are glad we chose this school for our child!
Submitted by teacher on September 26, 2013

Garfield is an amazing school. The principal, teachers, and staff are all very dedicated to education and helping the kids realize their full potential. The community and families are supportive and helpful. The kids are respectful and have such wonderful bonds with one another. This school is safe and caring!
Submitted by parent on November 25, 2012

Our son is a kindergartener in the Chinese immersion program, and he is so happy at Garfield! We are amazed at how he is just thriving here, but really it's no wonder given the community at Garfield. The teachers and principal are incredibly dedicated to the children. There seems to be a great deal of individualized attention on the teachers parts inside the classrooms and on the principal's part in the community space. We always see the principal out and about mingling among the children, and she seems to know every one of them personally. The after-school program is also incredible! It is lead by a group of very dynamic teachers who keep the kids stimulated with various activities, including field trips, art projects, language and other clubs, theme days- complete with costumes and always some form of dancing, and low-cost group lessons including piano and karate. The school itself is a sweet intimate campus at the foot of Coit tower. Overall all we just get a sense that the experience for our son is akin to him having a big supportive school "family", and this has lead to him excelling in academics as well as building social confidence. Couldn't dream of a better scenario.