As public schools flounder, private Chinese bilingual schools are booming

Chris Livaccari thought he had seen the rise and fall of Chinese-language instruction in the U.S. over the three decades since he began studying Mandarin. But San Francisco never disappointed him.

Livaccari, principal of Presidio Knolls School in SoMa, a private immersion facility offering Mandarin programs for preschool to eighth grade, said the student body has increased from 300 to 400 over the past five years.

“Nationwide, interest in Mandarin as a language has declined very sharply, mostly because of the U.S.-China relationship,” Livaccari said. “But we’re still seeing strong demand and strong enrollment for our program.”

The public school system in San Francisco, a city often mocked for having more dogs than kids, is struggling with declining applications and impending closures. However, private schools with Chinese immersion programs are booming, and new ones are opening to accommodate the demand.

Mandarin, the official language of mainland China and Taiwan, was a popular option for American students starting in the early 2000s, when China rose as a superpower and President Barack Obama encouraged Americans to study there and learn the language. As tension between the two countries rose during the Covid pandemic, the growth of U.S. Mandarin programs slowed.

San Francisco is a notable exception. Because of the city’s sizable Chinese community, its historical connections to the country, and the preponderance of affluent families interested in multilingual education, expensive immersion schools are more popular than ever.