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SFUSD opens Willie L. Brown Junior Middle School with STEM focus, expanded supports
Summary
San Francisco Unified School District unveiled final preparations for Willie L. Brown Junior Middle School, a STEM‑focused, three‑story campus in Bayview with health and wellness services, Chromebooks for every student and an inclusion model supporting roughly 20% of students with IEPs.
The San Francisco Unified School District presented final preparations Aug. 11 for Willie L. Brown Junior Middle School, which opens to students on Aug. 17.
Deputy Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero and Principal Demetrius Hobson described the three‑story STEM facility in Bayview as designed around Vision 2025 priorities: personalized learning pathways, integrated STEM and social‑emotional supports. Hobson said the school enrolled 215 students as of the morning of Aug. 11 and had about 33 families still on a wait list.
The district said the new campus will assign each student a Chromebook and use a cloud‑based personalized learning platform; teachers have received training in the district’s myCS digital initiative. Hobson said the school will offer extended class periods, an extended school year, integrated design weeks and project‑based exhibitions to involve families and community reviewers.
The school’s staffing model includes two math, two science, two ELA and two social‑science teachers, three inclusion teachers and three paraeducators. Hobson said about 20 percent of the incoming student population — roughly 38 students — have individualized education programs and will be supported in general‑education classrooms through a co‑teaching and cluster model.
Health and wellness services will be co‑located on campus: a wellness coordinator, a nurse and a community health outreach worker provided through district partnerships, and the district highlighted a relationship with the Department of Public Health.
Guerrero and Hobson described partnerships with Stanford University for self‑affirmation practices and with community organizations for before‑ and after‑school programming. The district said it was still raising about $40,000 for additional student and family programming tied to technology and health elements but that basic STEM and science lab equipment was purchased for opening.
Hobson invited volunteers and gave a school phone number (+1 (415) 642‑8901) and an address (2055 Silver Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94124) for community members seeking to help or learn more. The district scheduled a donors’ ribbon‑cutting ceremony Aug. 14 and a full opening on Aug. 17.
Board members welcomed the presentation, asked for follow‑up data on staff demographics, and congratulated the principal and project team. "We are extremely excited to accept any volunteers, beginning with volunteers who have brooms," Hobson said, describing last‑minute site cleanup ahead of the opening.
The presentation closed with the superintendent praising the school team and urging community word‑of‑mouth to build enrollment and support.
