Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts Reviews

172 reviews

SOTA has definitely exceeded my expectations. My daughter is thriving both in class and through extra-curricular activities. I highly recommend this school to all parents who want their children to have a quality high school education.

Overall i believe its a good school where I was able to extend my knowledge of visual arts with great teachers that help me hone my skills. The academics is there but not as a main focus which i preferred because since i was younger i have wanted to pursue a career in art which this school greatly helped with.

Ruth Asawa School Of The Arts is a very special high school in San Francisco. It is the only public SFUSD high school that is audition based. Students who manage to get into the school are privileged with the ability to have access to so many art resources that are valuable for college and beyond. My best experience in SOTA has been being a part of the Conservatory Dance Department. I have learned so many crucial skills that included building my dance technique, style, and views. Not only have I learned about the art of dance, but I have also learned about myself as a person, who I aspire to be, and what I want for my future. Although the academics do tend to lack a tiny bit, this is a school that will prepare you for what you want in the future. Something that I would like to see change in the near future would be focusing on providing classes that would help for college. For example, bringing back psychology and more language classes offered besides Spanish. Overall, amazing school!

Review Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts

I enjoy Ruth Asawa School of the Arts. It is a great opportunity compared to other public schools because they value arts classes as much as academics and allow students to freely express their creativity. There are different departments ranging from vocal to theatre and half the day is dedicated to each student's arts.

For those interested in arts, Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts is an amazing school. This school provides so much attention to the arts, providing students with many opportunities to participate in shows and extra curricular activities.

All of my best experiences at Ruth Asawa SOTA have been within the Vocal Department. I've had unique opportunities in the performing arts and performed with established organizations. STEM is where SOTA is lacking, however. The school has one single AP science class, AP Environmental Science, which isn't very useful for the majority students. AP Calculus AB and AP Statistics are both offered, but they aren't always taught adequately and so students find it very difficult to pass the AP exams. There are a multitude of clubs and activities that students can participate in, but almost none are related to STEM. The arts are definitely SOTA's educational strength.

The school overall is pretty decent. There are some good teachers and some bad. The school itself is very colorful and has a nice atmosphere aside from the lack of windows. The different arts departments have their issues but overall they do teach their students a lot about the form they choose.

For the most part, I enjoyed this school. If you are passionate about the art you choose, I would thoroughly recommend attending. The students are amicable and kind, and the majority of the professors care about what they are teaching. A selection of teachers can be problematic, but if you avoid them it can be okay. Admin has been switched multiple times over the past few years but I have heard the most recent admin team is supportive and safe to all students. Overall, I would go into SOTA with an open mind, and be weary of the possibility of losing interest in your art.

My whole life, everyone wanted me to dance. Ever since I was little watching Bollywood actors dance in movies, I saw how talented they were and it made me want to be one of them. I would always play some of my favorite songs from Bollywood movies and dance to them. It always made me happy. When I am dancing I have the power to put smiles on people's faces.

I applied to Ruth Asawa School of the Arts because if I went there, I could take dance classes for free. When I opened the acceptance letter I felt so happy and honored that there was finally somewhere I could dance and perform. For my senior showcase I chose to choreograph and dance to the Bhangra Bollywood style of dance.

Being at Ruth Asawa School of the Arts has gave me the confidence and opportunity to be an amazing dancer. The school has also taught me that never be afraid to show your talents. At this school I made friends that have different interest in their arts and won't be scared to tell you about it.

I'm in the piano department and here I got to learn not only being a solo pianist but also a collaborative pianist. I got to work with other musicians on Piano Trios, duets, opera, and even more. The chamber music program I have now at SOTA provided me with the opportunity to love collaborating. Back when I was in my junior year of high school, I had my first duet and remembered that it was hard at first but rewarding. I learned how to listen to the violinist while he was playing, and we breathed together with the music, which allowed us to succeed. I want to continue this kind of collaboration in a more advanced music program because it is crucial to not only grow individually but play music with the people around you. Not only did I get to experience a rich culture within the music I was also able to study academics in the morning. Even if, fewer AP is offered we still are able to have great and fantastic teachers. Although we don't have a sports team, we are joined in the Academy!

This school offers fantastic opportunities to grow artistically. Most of the arts teachers are passionate, informed and caring. They take the time to go deep and make sure students leave feeling like they are prepared to work in their area of art. The general education teachers sometimes are a bit too lax. Administration tries to listen to the needs of students and provide chances for the students to voice what they need and problem solve best ways to achieve it

Highly recommend. Safe space for people to be who they are while doing what they love with the people they love.

(I'm in Theater) If your going because your really love your art discipline/department, you might really enjoy it. Some departments seem to have a great community. That being said the school is socially cliquey and filled with a lot of artists types (obviously). You won't get a traditional high school experience. I wish there were more class options. Not a fan of the schedule. If you make the most of your art block classes; you will learn a lot, work with great teachers, and have access to resources. If you don't pay attention, don't do assignments, and ditch then you won't. Academics are eh but I don't really care because I don't like them anyways.

It’s a school that really pushes you to pursue your passion in the arts and tries to do a lot to diversify the school but still needs some work. It also very different from a normal high school and gives the opportunity to try something very new.

Ruth Asawa comes with a very unique high school experience. Some may enjoy it, while others may loathe it. There is a certain culture that is very prevalent within the school and it’s students and staff. The teachers are kind, mostly, yet I feel as if because some hold themselves at a higher level for no reason, it pressures the students with more work than I had experienced before.

So hard to really pinpoint challenges sense my son is a 2022 graduate and did a year and a half of school online. We are in the orchestra department and love how from the beginning freshman play music with seniors. Students learn quickly with this technique. Hard to say is academics. My son and his last year really worked hard to bring up his grades and actually did well online but I’m not sure how much they were challenged during that year. The new principal has done an amazing job traversing the pandemic and really bringing equity and inclusion and diversity for front. My Son Is a really good kid. I guess the lack of that last star is for the kids that struggle when there’s not a lot of structure I think they would get lost. If your child is an rising LGBTQ human the school should be number one on your list. Great experience!

Ruth Asawa School of the Arts is an inclusive arts high school in San Francisco that encourages students to follow their passions and promote equality

Review Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts

I am a student in the musical theatre department at SOTA. I really enjoy being a student here. The arts programs are incredible and there are some good teachers.

A very diverse culture, offered many opportunities to help with the community. Often performed and advocated publicly. My department is Creative Writing and I want to be a journalist major.

I attended the school and transferred my third year. Would not recommend for your child. The way they handle sexual assault and drug abuse is a joke. If you do not get along with a teacher or student you are not allowed to transfer classes. BUT the college counselor is very good at what she does. If I could describe the admin it would be passive aggressive.

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