Note that San Francisco Unified says it’s going to create its own K-8 Mandarin immersion school, which parents have long advocated for. Read about that here.
San Francisco Chronicle, 8-26-2025
The San Francisco school board Tuesday unanimously rejected a parent-led effort to open a Mandarin immersion charter school in the city, angering families tired of waiting for the district to meet the demand for Chinese language programs.
The petition for the Dragon Gate Academy, according to district staff, failed to adhere to legal standards outlined by federal and state laws relating to qualified teachers and raised questions about how the school would address the needs of English learners and students with special needs.
In addition, district officials said the charter would have a negative financial and educational impact on city schools, siphoning students and state funding when the district is at risk of fiscal insolvency, which is a reason cited under state law to deny the charter.
Please read more here.
Also the San Francisco Standard has this:
SFUSD rejects Mandarin-immersion charter school proposal
Brian Hollinger, a leader of the parent coalition behind Dragon Gate Academy, said the group will appeal to the state. “We are not dead yet.”
https://sfstandard.com/2025/08/26/dragon-gate-charter-vote/
And local public radio station KQED has this:
San Francisco’s school board unanimously rejected a petition on Tuesday to open a kindergarten-through-eighth-grade Mandarin Immersion school in the city next fall, citing concerns with the parent-led effort’s educational model and the new school’s financial impact on the cash-strapped district.
After two hours of debate, the board voted 7-0 to deny the charter, following the recommendation of San Francisco Unified School District staff, which said they didn’t believe the plan was “workable.”
In addition to concerns about the educational model and feasibility of the plan, staff also wrote in a report earlier this month that the school could siphon away funding the district can’t stand to lose.
Mandarin Immersion Parents Council 
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