Chinese American International School (CAIS) is well known in San Francisco for its Mandarin program (preschool thru 8th grade). A new program, the World Language program in 6th thru 8th grades accepts non-Mandarin speakers; these can be students who speak no Chinese or who speak Cantonese, as the Chinese lessons are leveled.
CAIS recently moved to a new campus, the former Mercy High School, and now has substantial space, including a 455-seat theater, two art studios with kilns, two music rooms, and two libraries. The gym includes a full sized basketball court and can be split in half for multiple PE classes. The school has a large deck on the second floor for each classroom, each with a view of the campus. There is a dedicated playground for preschool through 1st grade and another area with soccer pitch, outdoor basketball court, wall ball court, and play structure for students in 2nd thru 8th grade.
Due to its location near Stonestown, parking is plentiful, and the school operates a rolling drop off and pick up.
Academics
CAIS is best known for its Mandarin immersion program. In preschool, the full day is Chinese, except for art class. In kindergarten through 5th grade, the days are rotated so that every other day is solely in Chinese and every other day solely in English. In middle school (6th thru 8th grade), 35% of the week is in Chinese and 65% in English.
Non-speakers of Mandarin can start CAIS in preschool, kindergarten, or 6th thru 8th grade. The middle school entrants join CAIS’s World Language Program, which is the same 35% in Chinese, but at their own level; the 65% of the week in English is mixed with continuing CAIS students. The students in the World Language Program have their own classroom and teacher for Chinese time; enrollment is currently 9 students, so has room to grow.
Middle school has four 75-minute blocks per day. They start the day in advisories with 10 to 12 kids each; advisory includes social emotional learning and executive function topics. Students also have a study hall period, when they can request help. Students use Chromebooks starting in 4th grade for English language arts. Beginning in middle school, the students take home the Chromebooks for homework, which is about 1 hour per day. Middle school has moved to competency based assessments, rather than percentage achievements translated into letter grades. The school has no math tracks; all students take Algebra I in 8th grade. Science includes labs and data analysis. In Design class, students use 3D printers and laser cutters to create their projects.
The student teacher ratio starts in preschool in the 2’s class with 3 teachers for 16 students, then 2 teachers per 18 to 19 students in the 3’s and 4’s classes. In elementary school (K thru 5th grade), there are 1-2 teachers for classes of 15 to 20 students, with 3 to 4 classes per grade. In middle school (6th thru 8th grade), there is 1 teacher per 24 students and 2 classes per grade.
Enrichment Classes
CAIS has a growing drama program that takes full advantage of their 455-seat theater. In addition, a musical instrument program begins in 1st grade, and art begins in preschool. By middle school, the theater club stages shows, and the musical ensemble performs periodically.
Sports teams practice in the large gym and compete in the independent school conference. Competitive sports include cross country, volleyball, and basketball in 3rd thru 8th grade.
School travel occurs in 5th, 7th, and 8th grade. The 5th grade trip is a homestay program for 3 weeks to Taiwan, followed by a visit from their Taiwan host kids to their homes for 2 weeks. In 7th grade, students visit Guilin, China, and in 8th grade, they complete a service trip to Yunnan, China.
Types of Students Served
CAIS accepts non-Mandarin speakers at preschool (preK2, preK3, preK4), kindergarten, and 6th thru 8th grade. The cutoff for kindergarten (and preschoolers) is September 1st.
The school employs a student service team with two full time Chinese learning specialists, two full time English learning specialists, and two counselors. Accommodations include priority seating and small group lessons.
Graduates
CAIS graduates generally attend private high schools; over 90% attend the independent and Catholic schools in and near San Francisco, a couple attend boarding school, and the remainder attend Lowell, RASOTA, peninsula public schools, and other SFUSD high schools.
Tuition and Financial Aid
CAIS has the following tuition rates: $42,600 for kindergarten thru 8th grade and $39,600 for preschool. The school offers need-based financial aid, which is described in detail on the website.
Role of a K-12 Consultant
A consultant can help you craft your school list to be sure of a balanced list offering a match of services with the student and parent’s interests. A consultant can also review all admissions materials, in particular student and parent essays, to help focus them to each school’s admissions goals. A consultant can directly work with your child to brainstorm, draft, and edit their own essays. The consultant can provide feedback on whether the essays read as genuine and how to shine during the application process.
Want more input on K-12 schools?
Vicky consults with families to help select, apply to, and communicate with public and private schools in the San Francisco Bay Area. Vicky maintains a principle of non-judgment. Hourly, VIP, and Season packages include a discussion to review school options, applications, essays, and key decisions. Vicky offers a limited number of packages each year to assure her availability.
Vicky’s own children have attended both public and private schools, and have received both accommodations and curriculum changes; her elder is in high school, and her younger in middle school. New clients can email to learn more about her services, or see her website to learn about her packages.
Comments