Economic Diversity at UHS

How University’s unintentional bias toward independent middle schools impacts its economic demographics—and what the school is doing to fix it.

Article published in April 2019 in The Devil’s Advocate (high school newspaper)

UHS is arguably quite diverse. Half of UHS’s student body is self-identified people of color. The school hosts the annual Riot Conference (created by students) and offers workshops during MLK and Community Day. Jewish Club, BSU, Conservative Club, Spectra, AAPI, and dozens of other clubs demonstrate just how varied the UHS perspective is. Yet sometimes we forget the diversity ‘elephant’ in the room—economic.

As of 2019, 24% of the UHS student body receives some form of financial aid, and the average tuition cost for these families is $15,791. However, this leaves 76%—more than three-quarters of the student body—paying the full price of $46,960, plus extra fees. Meanwhile, the median household income for Bay Area families in 2015 was just above $90k, with 47% of the population making less than $75k per year (data from Bay Area census and SFCED). Paying nearly $50k per year for a child’s high school tuition is out of reach for most Bay Area families. This begs the question—how can UHS reflect the true economic diversity of the Bay Area if only a small percentage of its students are on financial aid?

I was blessed to have a great middle school experience at Rooftop, a small, arts-focused public school nestled in Twin Peaks. The bulk of my classmates went on to attend Lowell or the nearby SOTA, while a few students, including me, also looked at private schools. But UHS was off the radar for me until well into the admissions process, and the school’s ‘wealthy kid’ reputation preceded it. Even after receiving my acceptance letter, I was afraid to tell my Rooftop friends, thinking they’d tease me for choosing the ‘rich school.’ Luqmaan Shaikh, who went to the public Marina Middle School, had a similar experience. “If it weren’t for Summerbridge, I wouldn’t have known about or applied to UHS,” Luqmaan explained. “I probably would have gone to Lowell or Galileo.”

Even after receiving my acceptance letter, I was afraid to tell my Rooftop friends, thinking they’d tease me for choosing the ‘rich school.’

It’s not a coincidence that nearly 90% of UHS students come from private or parochial middle schools—University isn’t a household name in the SFUSD. Private high schools seem disconnected from public middle schools, and a big reason for this was a shift in the mid-2000s. Nate Lundy, director of UHS admissions, described an unofficial policy understood by the SFUSD that discouraged independent high schools from reaching out. “It was perceived that schools like UHS were creaming the top of the public schools, which really wasn’t the case. We were just educating them about an option,” Nate explained. “If the SFUSD could prevent us from talking with eighth-graders, then they could send the high-achieving students to public high schools like Lowell or Washington.”

UHS Admissions is well aware that public school students don’t get the same access as private schools. Programs such as SMART, Summerbridge, AimHigh, Breakthrough, and Next Generation Scholars seek to close that gap, and Nate is grateful: “We’ve relied a lot on our relationships with these access organizations to provide us with economically diverse applicants.” Yet, there is still a tangible information divide. “With private middle school students, chances are they have a guidance counselor, good test prep, recommendations, schedules—in short, a lot of access that public school kids don’t get,” Nate explained.

Consciously or unconsciously, UHS draws primarily from wealthier independent schools for its applicant pool. Of course, the behind-the-scenes admissions process is incredibly complicated.  Tuition doesn’t cover the true cost of educating a student, the UHS endowment is finite, and it’s fiscally easier to target families with the means to pay. “If there’s one thing I would want for UHS, it’s to get an unlimited budget to support every qualified student,” Nate said. But this process unintentionally feeds into the cycle of wealth privilege that is all too common in America’s education system (and amplified by recent headlines). Students already possessing the tools and support networks to ‘succeed’ in life are enticed to UHS, while under-resourced students coming from more modest backgrounds tend not to apply, due to both lacks of information and stigma.

This process unintentionally feeds into the cycle of wealth privilege that is all too common in America’s education system (and amplified by recent headlines).

Approximately 20% of the incoming class of 2023 will receive financial aid. This is lower than previous years, but, according to Nate, for good reason: “This year, there were very compelling applicants that showed greater need,” he explained. The admissions department made the conscious decision to offer more to specific students, rather than spread the funds more thinly. However, 20% is still disappointingly low. Though it is rarely discussed, wealth impacts UHS in a very real way. Having a more economically diverse student body means a greater range of perspectives and, ultimately, a better learning environment for all.

If UHS is working toward its stated value of “diversity of backgrounds, beliefs, experiences, and perspectives,” here are some suggestions. Have UHS representatives (including student reps) push for opportunities to speak at public middle schools. Coordinate with other independent high schools and have challenging conversations around accessibility, awareness, and reducing ‘rich school’ stigma. Strategize how to reach SFUSD students more effectively through flyers and brochures, high school fairs, breakout sessions, and personal relationships with counselors. “It’s not an easy process to visit public middle schools, because there’s still a little awkwardness,” Nate explained. “But I firmly believe in going to every pathway to reach families. Everyone deserves the right to an excellent education like University. We’re fighting a battle we can win.”