Visit Us
Come see it for yourself.
A great way to understand Brightworks is to watch it in person. Watch a kindergartner explain their project to a visitor. Watch older students debug a design together in the eucalyptus light. Watch what happens when 70 students who know each other well spend a Friday afternoon in a national park.
We offer weekend open houses for families who can't get away during the week, and weekday tours during the school day for those who want to see Brightworks in full swing. We'd love to have you at either one.
Join a Tour or Open House → admissions@sfbrightworks.org · (415) 701-8700
Thank you for your interest!
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at admissions@sfbrightworks.org
To receive updates about Brightworks, alongside the other schools you’re considering, create your profile in Ravenna and mark “exploring” for Brightworks.
Explore Brightworks
Our school building
A 1902 Coast Artillery barracks, restored and reimagined as a place for making, thinking, and building. Light-filled studios, a woodshop, and open workspaces designed for the full range of Arc work — from quiet research to loud construction.
Our campus
The Presidio National Park is not where we go for field trips. It is where we go on Tuesdays. And Wednesdays. And every Friday without exception. One thousand five hundred acres of redwood, bay, and shoreline — one of the only K–12 schools campus inside a U.S. national park.
Our playground
There is no manufactured play structure here! Students climb trees, build forts, navigate trails, and invent their own games in a landscape that changes with every season. Unstructured outdoor time is not a break from learning at Brightworks. It is where some of the most important learning happens.
Spaces for hands on learning
Our spaces are built for the full range of making. Students design and print three-dimensional objects, cut and join real materials with real tools, and build structures large enough to climb.
This is not a maker corner or an enrichment add-on — it is the center of the curriculum. The Arc moves through these spaces every term: what begins as an idea in a Declaration becomes a physical thing that stands, holds weight, and gets presented to an audience.
Working with tools, materials, and scale teaches precision, iteration, and the particular confidence that comes from building something that either works or doesn't.
Parent-to-Parent Q&A Session
We know that prospective families might have questions that only current Brightworks parents would be able to answer. This parent-only Q&A session will be hosted by a handful of our current families from elementary, middle, and high school. Join them to get your questions answered about what life at Brightworks for a family looks like from the ground!
Campus Tour
Families are welcome to join us for a tour of the Brightworks campus. There will be opportunities to ask questions and peek into the spaces. This tour is available to families with students of all ages. Looking forward to showing you the space!
Virtual Elementary Family Information Session
Join us on Zoom to get an overview of the K-5 elementary experience, hear from staff and parents, and ask questions about the unique play- and project-based experience at our school.
CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER - Campus Tour
UPDATE: Due to weather and flooding issues in our building, we are cancelling this tour. We appreciate your understanding!
Families are welcome to join us for a tour of the Brightworks campus. There will be opportunities to ask questions and peek into the spaces. This tour is available to families with students of all ages. Looking forward to showing you the space!
Early Years Family Tour
We’re thrilled to invite interested early years families to visit our new home in the Presidio, get a sense of who we are, and get a peek at the early years program.
Middle School Virtual Information Session
Join us on Zoom to get an overview of the middle school experience, hear from staff and parents, and ask questions about the unique project-based and engagement-driven experience at our school.
Elementary Family Tour
We’re excited to invite interested families of elementary students to visit our new home in the Presidio, get a sense of who we are, and get a peek at the elementary school program.
High School Shadow Day
We look forward to hosting prospective high school students in-person at Brightworks this fall! Interested students will learn more about the program, tour the campus, and spend the morning with the current students in class.
There will be a separate virtual information session for prospective high school parents.
Middle School Family Tour
Join us to learn more about project based learning, our focus on relationship and community, and how we support each middle schooler through these tumultuous, exciting years. These morning tours will allow interested families to visit our new home in the Presidio, get a sense of who we are, and get a peek at the middle school program.
Middle School Family Tour
Join us to learn more about project based learning, our focus on relationship and community, and how we support each middle schooler through these tumultuous, exciting years. These morning tours will allow interested families to visit our new home in the Presidio, get a sense of who we are, and get a peek at the middle school program.
High School Shadow Day
We look forward to hosting prospective high school students in-person at Brightworks this fall! Interested students will learn more about the program, tour the campus, and spend the morning with the current students in class.
There will be a separate virtual information session for prospective high school parents.
High School Family Info Session
The families of prospective Brightworks high schoolers are invited to join us for a virtual information session to learn more about the program and ask questions of our staff.
High School Shadow Day
We look forward to hosting prospective high school students in-person at Brightworks this fall! Interested students will learn more about the program, tour the campus, and spend the morning with the current students in class.
There will be a separate virtual information session for prospective high school parents.
Elementary Family Tour
We’re excited to invite interested families of elementary students to visit our new home in the Presidio, get a sense of who we are, and get a peek at the elementary school program.
Early Years Family Tour
We’re thrilled to invite interested early years families to visit our new home in the Presidio, get a sense of who we are, and get a peek at the early years program.
Middle School Family Tour
Join us to learn more about project based learning, our focus on relationship and community, and how we support each middle schooler through these tumultuous, exciting years. These morning tours will allow interested families to visit our new home in the Presidio, get a sense of who we are, and get a peek at the middle school program.
Early Years Family Tour
We’re thrilled to invite interested early years families to visit our new home in the Presidio, get a sense of who we are, and get a peek at the early years program.
Early Years Family Tour
We’re thrilled to invite interested early years families to visit our new home in the Presidio, get a sense of who we are, and get a peek at the early years program.
Early Years Family Tour
We’re thrilled to invite interested early years families to visit our new home in the Presidio, get a sense of who we are, and get a peek at the early years program.
Elementary School Virtual Info Session
Come chat with us about elementary school and learn more about our pedagogical approach, what a day looks like in action, and how the Brightworks experience differs for each age group while still remaining true to project-based and engagement-first learning.
Parent to Parent Information Session
We know that prospective families might have questions that only current Brightworks parents would be able to answer. We’re excited to offer a parent-only Q&A session with a handful of our current families from elementary, middle, and high school. Join them to get your questions answered about what life at Brightworks for a family looks like from the ground!
Upper School Virtual Information Session
Learn more at this information about the middle and high school approaches at Brightworks and how our upper school students level up in their engagement, project-based interests, and dive deep into their passions.
Elementary School Virtual Info Session
What does Brightworks look like for an elementary school student? We’ll share more about the pedagogical approach, what a day looks like in action, and how the Brightworks experience differs for each age group while still remaining true to project-based and engagement-first learning. Join us!
Upper School Virtual Information Session
Interested in middle or high school for your student? Join us on Zoom to learn more about how our pedagogical approach to engagement-driven and project-based learning levels up for our upper school students.
Elementary School Virtual Info Session
Join us to learn about the elementary program! The admissions team and current families will share more about the pedagogical approach, what a day looks like in action, and how the Brightworks experience differs for each age group while still remaining true to project-based and engagement-first learning.
Brightworks 101 Open House
Curious about life at Brightworks? Want to know more before you apply for the 2020/2021 school year? Come visit us at a Brightworks 101 open house, where you will be able to see the school, hear more about our unique type of education, and meet Brightworks students, parents, and staff. This is an event for parents with kids of all ages. Kids 9+ are welcome to join us.
Parent Ed Night: Authentic Assessment
You don’t know what you don’t know until you make something. Join Gever Tulley and the Brightworks gang as we reflect on the power of low stakes failure, reflection, and iteration to inspire intrinsic motivation in students. This cycle of making something, testing and reflecting is the engine that powers authentic assessment. We will discuss the ways we try to capture and share this process with our families and community.
Maker Marketplace
Come to our Maker Marketplace where local makers, artists, and crafters including brightworks students, sell their handmade goods. PLUS there are snacks, drinks & activities! Buy local and help support the next generation of makers. Proceeds will be donated to the tuition assistance fund at Brightworks
Brightworks 101 Open House
Curious about life at Brightworks? Want to know more before you apply for the 2020/2021 school year? Come visit us at a Brightworks 101 open house, where you will be able to see the school, hear more about our unique type of education, and meet Brightworks students, parents, and staff. This is an event for parents with kids of all ages. Kids 9+ are welcome to join us.
High School Shadow Day
High school at Brightworks is a unique experience that combines academic learning, real-world experiences, collaborative project management, and pursuit of passion. We invite prospective ninth grade students for the 2019/2020 school year to join us for a shadow morning to meet current students, collaborators, and staff, and get a feel for the learning that happens in our space.
