Yu (Alice Fong) Elementary

Alice Fong Yu Elementary School, located in the Inner Sunset neighborhood of San Francisco, holds the distinction of being the first public Mandarin Chinese immersion school in the United States. Established in 1996, the school follows a rigorous academic model where students spend a significant portion of their day learning core subjects in Mandarin, aiming to foster both bilingualism and biliteracy by the time they reach the fifth grade. The school is named in honor of Alice Fong Yu, a pioneering Chinese American educator and community leader, reflecting its commitment to cultural heritage and academic excellence.

The school is highly regarded for its strong sense of community and its emphasis on global citizenship. Because of its specialized curriculum, it draws students from across the San Francisco Unified School District, creating a diverse learning environment. Beyond language acquisition, the school balances its bilingual instruction with a robust traditional curriculum, consistently performing well in district and state academic assessments. Its programs are designed not only to achieve linguistic fluency but also to cultivate an appreciation for Chinese culture and history among its student body.