Our Mission
The mission of Creative Arts Charter School is to provide Kindergarten to 8th-grade students of San Francisco with an innovative, high-quality education that focuses on an arts-integrated, hands-on curriculum, with the overall goal of giving our students a lifetime appreciation of learning and the development of their unique talents and abilities.

Past, Present, Future
CACS was founded in 1994 by a small group of families and teachers who shared a vision of an arts-rich, hands-on curriculum based on the best educational research and progressive teaching practices. They had seen other schools' attempts to innovate falter when faced with bureaucratic obstacles and resistance to change. But they persevered in a national climate that alternately supported and rejected innovation in individual school settings. And today our students benefit from a challenging academic environment that includes dedicated dance, visual arts, and music teachers.

Initially focused on Kindergarten through 3rd grade, the school's scope was extended through the 8th grade in 1997. Creative Arts' first graduates, the Class of 2002, enrolled in a range of high schools throughout San Francisco. Building on our success, the Board of Directors voted in 2012, with the support of the staff and community, to expand the student body to 432 by 2016. To reach this goal, the school will admit two Kindergarten classes each year, as well as an additional sixth grade class in 2014 and 2016. By 2016, each grade will contain two classes of students.

Creative Arts continues to evolve in breadth and scale. Originally run almost exclusively by our Board and a long list of volunteers, the school now benefits from an administrative team that includes the acting director, business manager, coordinator of educational support, director of arts programming and resource development, and coordinator of community engagement. We currently employ 14 classroom teachers; music, dance, and visual arts instructors; a PE teacher, and a literacy specialist for the early grades.

CACS is required to apply to the San Francisco Board of Education for charter renewal every five years. At our most recent renewal in March of 2009, the school received a unanimous vote of approval. We look forward to continuing our success and renewing the charter again in 2014.

For a summary of last year, please see our School Accountability Report Card.