The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) announced plans to establish a new Mandarin immersion public school serving kindergarten through eighth grade, with the goal of opening in fall 2027. The initiative aims to expand access to bilingual education as demand for Mandarin-language programs continues to exceed available seats across the district.

District officials said families have consistently expressed strong interest in Mandarin immersion opportunities, particularly since current public options have remained limited for nearly two decades.

San Francisco’s existing Mandarin immersion programs are offered at only two elementary schools: Starr King Elementary School, established in 2006, and Jose Ortega Elementary School, which began its program in 2007. Together, the two schools provide approximately 66 seats per grade.

Demand significantly exceeds capacity. For the 2025–26 school year alone, more than 80 families were placed on the kindergarten waitlist at Jose Ortega Elementary. Similar waitlists persist across multiple grade levels districtwide. SFUSD has not opened a new Mandarin immersion school since the 2007–08 academic year.

While public offerings have remained unchanged, Mandarin and Chinese-language programs in the private and independent school sectors have expanded. Presidio Knolls School graduated its first eighth-grade class in 2021, and Chinese American International School relocated to a new campus last year to accommodate increased enrollment. These developments reflect sustained interest in Chinese language education throughout the city.

According to the district, the new Mandarin immersion school remains in the early planning stage. Details regarding campus location, enrollment size, and admissions procedures have not yet been finalized and will be determined through further assessment.

SFUSD officials emphasized that strengthening the teacher workforce is a priority before finalizing school design. Some existing immersion classrooms have experienced staffing challenges, highlighting the need for a stable pipeline of qualified bilingual educators.

To address this need, the district is partnering with San Francisco State University and professional education organizations to expand teacher preparation programs, certification pathways, and long-term recruitment efforts for Mandarin-speaking instructors.

The district also announced that Liana Szeto, founder of Alice Fong Yu K–8 School—one of the nation’s first public Chinese immersion schools—will serve as a special advisor for the project. Szeto led the school for more than 30 years before retiring earlier this year.

SFUSD officials stated that the planned school is part of the district’s broader commitment to multilingual education and to providing students with opportunities to develop language proficiency, cultural understanding, and global competence.

Additional information about the new Mandarin immersion school will be released as planning progresses.