Bertrand D Hsu American & Chinese Bicultural Academy vs Yew Chung International School Silicon Valley
Bertrand D Hsu American & Chinese Bicultural Academy and Yew Chung International School Silicon Valley are both in San Francisco, about 50 km apart. Both schools offer Bespoke programmes, and Yew Chung International School Silicon Valley also offers EYFS, American and Singapore. Published annual fees are $3,250 - 14,000 at Bertrand D Hsu American & Chinese Bicultural Academy and $2,000 - 36,900 at Yew Chung International School Silicon Valley , which puts Yew Chung International School Silicon Valley roughly 126% higher. Bertrand D Hsu American & Chinese Bicultural Academy takes pupils from 3 to 14, and Yew Chung International School Silicon Valley from 2 to 14. Typical class sizes are 19 at Bertrand D Hsu American & Chinese Bicultural Academy and 8 at Yew Chung International School Silicon Valley .
EYFS (Early years foundation stage), American Curriculum, Singapore Curriculum, Bespoke Curriculum
Pupils
Pupils
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Pupils
245
Typical class size
Typical class size
19
Typical class size
8
Instruction language
Instruction language
English, Mandarin
Instruction language
English, Mandarin
Opened
Opened
2023
Opened
2002
Bus service
Bus service
No
Bus service
No
Essentials
Essentials
Location
Location
455 Arkansas St., San Francisco, CA 94107 (Potrero Hill neighborhood). The campus sits on Potrero Hill with views of downtown. It is two blocks from Jackson Park & Playground and Potrero Hill Rec Center and is next door to the public library.
Location
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Stages
Stages
K-8
Stages
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School type
School type
Non-profit private school
School type
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Pupil nationality mix
Pupil nationality mix
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Pupil nationality mix
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Additional learning support
Additional learning support
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Additional learning support
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Country affiliation
Country affiliation
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Country affiliation
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Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation
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Religious affiliation
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School day structure
School day structure
Our Daily Rhythms: Younger students have shorter classes and more recess; Older students get longer blocks; Mondays and Tuesdays are core academic days; Wednesdays and Fridays include arts, gardening, SEL (social and emotional learning), and cooking; Thursdays are reserved for field trips. Each semester includes irregular weeks; Summer session is built into the year with a lighter, more activity-based schedule.
School day structure
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Bus service details
Bus service details
School bus service to start next month (announcement dated November 18, 2025).
Bus service details
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Fees
Fees
Fee details
Fee details
Application fees
- No separate application fee amount is published. Families complete an inquiry form to receive an application and, upon an offer of admission, submit an enrollment agreement and pay an enrollment deposit (deposit amount not published).
Tuition — overview (monthly and annual)
- Tuition is published as a sliding scale charged per month. The published monthly range is USD 270 – USD 2,000 per month, shown as the equivalent annual range USD 3,250 – USD 24,000 per year. Tuition includes lunch, snacks, and year‑round (12‑month) programming including summer. Sliding‑scale levels are applied based on family need.
- No separate, published tuition broken down by individual grade or year‑group is provided; tuition is presented as the sliding monthly/yearly range rather than a per‑grade schedule.
Tuition — term / session detail
- The school operates year‑round; tuition is stated per month and per year (12‑month programming). There is no published term‑by‑term invoice schedule on record.
After‑school, extended care and enrichment fees
- Extended care and after‑school enrichment are available; published monthly pricing ranges from USD 122 – USD 365 per month.
- The published after‑school program pricing (open to BHA and non‑BHA students) is: - For BHA students: USD 365 / month (5 days/week) or USD 275 / month (3 days/week). - For non‑BHA students: USD 420 / month (5 days/week) or USD 315 / month (3 days/week).
Summer program fees
- Summer School + Camp (6 weeks: June 22 – July 31, 2026) published weekly tuition rates: - USD 395 per week for the full 6‑week session. - USD 415 per week for any 4‑week session. - USD 450 per week for week‑by‑week enrollment. - After‑school care during summer (3:30–6:00 pm) is published as USD 100 / week (full 6 weeks), USD 105 / week (any 4 weeks), or USD 115 / week (week‑by‑week). Healthy lunch and snacks are included in the summer program fees.
Boarding fees
- No boarding program is offered. The school is described as a full‑day, year‑round day school for TK–8 (no boarding fees apply).
Other costs and routine extras
- Lunches and snacks are included in published tuition.
- No published uniform fee or uniform purchase requirements are provided. No specific published charges for textbooks, materials, or regular incidental fees are published. Published optional/additional services include after‑school enrichment and extended care (fees listed above) and summer program fees.
- Tuition assistance and scholarships are available; an Academic Merit Scholarship and a Scholarship Fund (supported by donations) are referenced.
Refunds and cancellations
- No comprehensive general refund policy or standard tuition refund schedule is published. One specific published item: when families opt out of portions of the summer session, the corresponding tuition is treated as a tax‑deductible donation with a receipt provided rather than issued as a refundable credit.
Billing schedule and payment terms
- Tuition is quoted per month and per year; the school operates year‑round. Enrollment requires signing an enrollment agreement and payment of a deposit at acceptance; no published schedule of term invoicing, deposit amounts, payment deadlines, late‑payment penalties, or refund timelines is provided.
Fee payment options
- Donation pages show an online credit‑card donation form and an option to donate by check (payable to A2Z Exploration / mail address provided). Those donation payment channels are published for gifts and scholarship contributions. No explicit, published list of accepted payment methods for tuition (for example, credit card, ACH/bank transfer, wire, or check) is provided in the publicly posted fee information.
The school operates as a day school for TK–8; it runs a full-day program year-round.
Boarding arrangements
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Uniform requirement
Uniform requirement
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Uniform requirement
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Food options
Food options
Tuition includes two days of hot Asian lunches, two days of hot Western lunches, and one sandwich buffet day; monthly cooking days are held; snacks are provided. Students bring their own plates and utensils and wash them after meals.
Food options
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House system
House system
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House system
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Governance and ownership
Governance and ownership
The school is a nonprofit private school governed as a 501(c)(3) organization.
Governance and ownership
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Academics
Academics
Curriculum details
Curriculum details
Full-day, year-round private school for grades K-8. The bicultural program blends East and West, combining Chinese discipline and academic rigor with American creativity and independence. Language is one component; students are immersed in Chinese culture, including 5000 years of history, philosophy, poetry, and calligraphy, and are encouraged to continue learning and speaking Chinese outside the classroom. Core subjects include English, math, and Chinese, taught by dedicated subject teachers, with adjunct instructors in science, music, gardening, and art. Class sizes are capped under 20, and the daily schedule mixes quiet study with active time, arts, SEL, and field trips on a Potrero Hill campus.
Curriculum details
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Student teacher ratio
Student teacher ratio
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Student teacher ratio
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Exam results
Exam results
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Exam results
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Higher education progression
Higher education progression
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Higher education progression
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Gifted and talented
Gifted and talented
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Gifted and talented
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Academic calendar
Academic calendar
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Academic calendar
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Wellbeing & support
Wellbeing & support
Social & emotional learning
Social & emotional learning
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Social & emotional learning
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Special educational needs (SEN)
Special educational needs (SEN)
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Special educational needs (SEN)
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English as an additional language
English as an additional language
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English as an additional language
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Mental wellbeing
Mental wellbeing
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Mental wellbeing
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Safeguarding
Safeguarding
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Safeguarding
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Safeguarding policy
Safeguarding policy
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Safeguarding policy
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Facilities
Facilities
Facilities overview
Facilities overview
The school is a full-day, year-round private school for TK-8. It is located at 455 Arkansas St., San Francisco, CA 94107, in the Potrero Hill neighborhood. The campus includes a garden where gardening and cooking classes take place. The program features weekly field trips to parks, museums and workplaces and visits to Florence Fang Community Farm every three weeks, with an annual 3-day, 2-nights nature ranch retreat. There are hands-on science, arts, and physical education offerings, including automotive classes and music and visual arts programs, with technology-enabled learning for students.
Facilities overview
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Sports facilities
Sports facilities
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Sports facilities
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Academic facilities
Academic facilities
The school prioritizes English, Math, and Chinese, taught with hands-on learning and personalized support. English includes a daily school-wide reading class grouped by proficiency, with guidance from teachers and peers, and an AI-enabled platform to reinforce grammar and reading comprehension. Math is taught in Chinese for younger students, with an AI-based platform for self-paced learning and weekly teacher-led reviews; older students also participate in project-based and concept review math. Chinese is taught daily with Mandarin and Pinyin, and older students learn Chinese culture in English while younger students learn math and science in Chinese. The school organizes students into Lower (TK–2), Middle (3–5), and Upper (6–8) cohorts, and includes activities such as sentence diagramming, cursive handwriting, and a mix of traditional and modern learning approaches, with cell phones prohibited on campus and laptops allowed only during class time.
Academic facilities
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Extra curricular facilities
Extra curricular facilities
The school runs Summer School + Camp (TK-8) and Academic After School, with a Free Academic Assessment available. Community programs include open campus activities, on-site and neighborhood engagement, and weekly field trips, along with visits to Florence Fang Community Farm every three weeks and an annual retreat to a nature ranch. Visual arts, music (piano, singing, percussion, and Chinese instruments), and physical education are part of enrichment, with gardening and cooking classes teaching collaboration and responsibility. Technology literacy, programming and robotics are introduced to students starting in kindergarten, and after-school programs extend learning beyond the core day.
Extra curricular facilities
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Parent experience
Parent experience
History
History
The Grand Opening occurred in 2023; the school is a 501(c)(3) non-profit. The school operates as a full-day, year-round private school for grades TK–8 in San Francisco at 455 Arkansas St, near Potrero Hill. The founder and Head of School is Ann Hsu. The school blends Chinese and American educational traditions, merging language study with Chinese culture to foster bicultural understanding.
History
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Community
Community
The school functions as a community hub with programs open to the general public. Community offerings include Summer School + Camp (TK-8), Academic After School (TK-8), and Free Academic Assessment (3–10). On-campus activities include weekly field trips, arts, gardening, SEL, and cooking, with irregular weeks for retreats, service projects, and travel. The campus sits on Potrero Hill and features a yard that doubles as a gym and garden, with proximity to Jackson Park and the public library.
Community
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Parent teacher association
Parent teacher association
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Parent teacher association
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Extra-curricular
Extra-curricular
Academic & intellectual
Academic & intellectual
The school operates a full-day, year-round private program for TK–8. It blends East and West by combining Chinese academic rigor with American creativity and independence. Language is just one part of the program; students also study Chinese culture, philosophy, poetry, calligraphy, and more to motivate ongoing Chinese language learning and cultural engagement. Its guiding principles include Academic Rigor, Whole Child Development, Bicultural Worldview, Community Roots, Character Education, and Global Readiness.
Academic & intellectual
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Arts & creative
Arts & creative
The school hosts performances such as a Winter Recital that blends traditional Christmas carols with Chinese songs and poems. Chinese culture is integrated through calligraphy, poetry, and other cultural arts as part of the curriculum. The community posts show art and creative projects and student-led performances.
Arts & creative
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Cultural & language
Cultural & language
The school provides bilingual education in English and Mandarin and fosters a bicultural worldview. Mandarin language is taught as part of the program, and students are encouraged to continue learning and speaking Chinese. Chinese culture—5000 years of history, philosophy, poetry, and calligraphy—is taught to complement language learning. The school aims to help students experience Chinese culture outside the classroom.
Cultural & language
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Social & hobbies
Social & hobbies
Summer School + Camp is offered for TK–8. Academic After School is offered for TK–8. Free Academic Assessment is offered for grades 3–10. The programs are designed to engage students beyond the regular school day and support learning.
Social & hobbies
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Community & service
Community & service
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Community & service
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Leadership & professional
Leadership & professional
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Leadership & professional
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Lifestyle & wellbeing
Lifestyle & wellbeing
Morning exercise is part of the daily routine to build physical and mental strength. Garden and urban farming activities are part of the program. Field trips to landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge and Salesforce Tower are part of the learning experience. Hands-on activities include an automotive class and gardening to support practical, real-world learning.
Lifestyle & wellbeing
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Language provision
Language provision
Language provision
Language provision
The school teaches English and Chinese and includes Chinese language instruction within its curriculum. Summer School + Camp includes morning academics in math, English and Chinese.
Language provision
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Bilingual teaching
Bilingual teaching
The school provides English and Chinese language instruction as part of a bicultural program. It is the first and only American & Chinese bicultural K-8 full-day and year-round private academy.
Bilingual teaching
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Immersion programs
Immersion programs
Chinese immersion is integrated into the program, with references to Chinese immersion and Mandarin immersion on the site. The school promotes immersion as a key aspect of its bicultural approach.
Immersion programs
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Reputation
Reputation
Awards
Awards
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Awards
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Accreditations
Accreditations
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Accreditations
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Admissions
Admissions
Admissions
Admissions
1. INQUIRE & LEARN: Complete an Inquiry Form to receive an application. Attend a school tour or open houses. The admissions policy welcomes families regardless of cultural or socio-economic background.
2. APPLY & INTERVIEW: Upon receipt and review of your application, we will contact you for an in-person interview of both the student and the parent(s)/guardian(s).
3. NOTIFICATION & ENROLL: Upon an offer of admission, notify us of your acceptance by completing an enrollment agreement and paying the deposit.
APPLICATION DEADLINES: Rolling evaluation of Enrollment Application throughout the year, including interview; Admissions decision notification within one month of application submission; Enrollment Agreement Deadline: 2 weeks after admissions decision notification.
TUITION & FEES: $270-$2,000 per month ($3,250-$24,000 per year); Tuition includes lunch and snacks and 12-month programming through the summer; Sliding scale tuition based on family need; Extended care and after school enrichment activities are available for $122-$365 per month.