Admissions
Refreshingly simple. Genuinely student-centered.
The only real question we're answering during admissions is: will this student thrive at Hillwood? Everything about the process is built around finding out.
How It Works
Three steps, no unnecessary hoops
01
Tour the campus
Call Director Eric Grantz at (415) 931-0400 to schedule a visit and see the classrooms, teachers, and students in action.
02
Spend time in a classroom
Your prospective student sits in with their potential teacher and future classmates — the real test of fit, not a formal interview.
03
Join the Hillwood family
Admissions are rolling, based on availability, so families can apply and enroll throughout the year rather than waiting on a single deadline.
Tuition & What's Included
$18,000 per year
Billed at $1,800 per month, tuition covers far more than the classroom:
- Hot lunch, daily
- Before- and after-school care, 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM
- Choral music instruction
- French language instruction
Uniforms are a separate, out-of-pocket expense (available through School Chic Uniforms).
How This Compares
San Francisco's private elementary schools average roughly $22,000–$26,000 a year, with some running well past $40,000 — before separate before- and after-care fees, which alone can rival Hillwood's entire tuition elsewhere.
Good to Know
Rolling admissions
We accept students throughout the year as spots become available — there's no single application deadline to plan around.
A full day, one price
Core classroom time runs 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM, with extended care from 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM already included — not billed separately the way it is at many other San Francisco schools.
About 4 students for every teacher
Multi-grade classrooms stay small on purpose, so your child gets time with a teacher, not just a seat in a room.
School year: September through June
We're closed in August between sessions — keep this in mind when scheduling a tour or planning your family's move into the new year.
Study on the go
Family trips with real cultural or educational value — or family emergencies — are never penalized. We'll prepare coursework in advance and arrange virtual class time as needed, so your child never falls behind.
The Tuition Question
Why $18,000 — and why it hasn't gone up
It's the question we hear most often on tours. The short answer: the number is a decision, not a discount.
We're not building a campus
Much of what drives tuition at independent schools isn't teaching — it's expansion. New buildings, larger facilities, bigger enrollment, and the capital campaigns that pay for them. Hillwood has been in the same Pacific Heights home since 1949, and intends to stay there. We're not trying to enroll more children than the public school down the street, or to build facilities that rival a small college. We're trying to teach well.
Small costs less to run — and stays steadier
A school this size carries fewer fixed costs, and has fewer places for them to compound. That is much of why our tuition hasn't climbed the way it has elsewhere: there is simply less pressure pushing it up each year.
Compare what you'd actually pay
A published tuition figure and what a family actually pays are rarely the same number. Financial aid, sibling rates, and discounts bring it down; separately billed before- and after-care pushes it back up. At Hillwood, $18,000 is the whole thing — the full day, 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM, with lunch, French, and choral music already in it.
A K–8 education shouldn't cost what a university does. We think a good one belongs within reach of families who aren't prepared to spend at that level — and keeping it there is a decision we make on purpose, every year.
Ready When You Are
Talk to Director Eric Grantz directly
Call, email, or send a note using the form — every tour request goes straight to the director, not a call center.
Request a Tour
Fill this out and we'll open it in your email client, addressed straight to the school office.