HOW TO APPLY
5 steps to joining the Dahlia community
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Complete an Application
Admissions are on a rolling basis. When you apply, tell us the earliest date you’d like your child to begin — this keeps your application active for the year ahead, even if a seat isn’t open the moment you apply.
Visit Our School:
Parent Tour and
Student Playdate
Touring is one of the best ways to feel whether Dahlia is right for your family. You’ll walk through our classrooms, quietly observe a real morning in session, hear about each environment, and ask anything on your mind. Tours are for adults (babies in arms always welcome). Friday mornings, 8:00–9:00 AM — see our Events page for upcoming dates and to register.
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After your tour, we schedule a day for your child to come and be a part of the Dahlia Elementary classroom.
Interview
Every family completes a new admissions interview for each child applying. Invitations go out after we receive your application — interviews are by invitation only. We ask parents to join their child for this conversation: a chance for your child to experience the school firsthand, and for us to get to know your family. Think of it as the start of a partnership, not a test.
Decisions & Deadlines
We make decisions on an ongoing, rolling basis as space becomes available — and we encourage families to apply as early as possible, since most customized tuition budgets are allocated during this window. Many applicants receive decisions as early as the fall before the school year begins.
Welcome to the Family
Once accepted, you’ll sign your enrollment agreement and step into a parent community that shows up — for each other, for the school, for the next family walking through the door.
TUITION OVERVIEW
Taller (Elementary), Kindergarten at age ~5 by September 1
Academic Day (3 PM pickup, Mon–Fri)
Extended Day (5:30 PM Mon–Thu / 4:30 PM Fri)
Annual Tuition Range
$0 – $30,000
Annual Tuition Range
$0 – $36,000
What tuition includes:
• Drop-off: 8:00–8:30 AM Monday–Thursday, 9:00 AM Friday
• A 7.5% fee applies to monthly tuition payment plans (waived for customized-tuition families)
• Tuition figures reflect a 10-month school year
• Tuition includes: healthy plant-based daily lunch and snacks, books and educational materials, all school supplies, uniforms, technology (iPads/laptops and accessories), outdoor education, field trips, lab fees, yearbooks, and athletic uniforms
• Daily drop-in extended care may be available for $35/day (scholarship rates apply), often including enrichment like gardening, knitting, art, chess, dance, music, tea time, sports, and STEM
• Scholarships and customized tuition are available — see the Financial Aid & Customized Tuition page
The Dahlia School of San Francisco Elementary is a member of the Wildflower Network of schools, in San Francisco, CA. Wildflower is an ecosystem of decentralized Montessori micro-schools that support children, teachers, and parents. Wildflower aspires to give all children and families the opportunity to choose high-quality, beautiful learning environments as they follow life’s unfolding journey.
The Dahlia School of San Francisco Elementary is a non-profit organization and does not discriminate by race, color, national or ethnic origin, creed, religion, sex, disability, age, marital status, sexual orientation, or status with regard to public assistance. Furthermore, The Dahlia School of San Francisco Elementary admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletics and other school-administered programs.