West Portal Lutheran Church and School sits on Sloat Boulevard on the southwestern edge of San Francisco, where a Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod congregation has gathered since 1948 and run a kindergarten through eighth-grade school since 1951. Today the congregation and its school share the Sloat Campus at 200 Sloat Boulevard, while younger Wildcats attend classes at the Sunset Campus at 3101 Moraga Street. The school, which marked its 75th anniversary in 2026, is the most visible expression of the church's ministry to the surrounding West Portal and Sunset neighborhoods.

From the Empire Theatre to Sloat Boulevard

The congregation's first worship service took place on July 11, 1943, when Pastor Haake led a service at the Empire Theatre on West Portal Avenue. Five years later, in 1948, the church and its parsonage were dedicated at 200 Sloat Boulevard, the address the congregation still occupies. The site became the foundation for everything that followed, including the school that opened its doors three years later.

The church's teaching role is woven into its identity. From the start, daily Christian instruction in God's Word, study of Luther's Small Catechism, and the baptism and confirmation of children have been central. West Portal Lutheran School is a ministry of West Portal Lutheran Church. Associate Pastor Rev. Jacob Swenson writes the school's annual welcome letter to new families, addressing them as members of the wider congregation.

A School That Became the Heart of the Congregation

West Portal Lutheran School began in 1951 with 59 children in four classrooms. Enrollment grew quickly enough that Haake Hall was dedicated at the Sloat Campus in 1957, by which time the school had reached 300 students. In 1974, the church purchased a building and education wing at 37th Avenue and Moraga Street to handle further growth. Eight years later, in 1982, Janssen Hall was added at the Sloat Campus to expand middle school classrooms.

After the older Moraga Street buildings were torn down, the current Sunset Campus at 3101 Moraga Street was completed to house kindergarten through third grade, freeing the Sloat Campus for grades four through eight. The school today enrolls 381 students with 24 full-time and four part-time faculty members, and the average teaching experience among them is 22 years. An alumni roster of more than 4,000 graduates (branded the Wildcats) has been sending students on to selective San Francisco high schools for decades.

Two Campuses Across the West Side of the City

The Sloat Campus at 200 Sloat Boulevard is the older of the two and home to grades four through eight. It also houses the church itself, the Stechholz Music Room where the Sanctuary Choir rehearses, and the church office (415-661-0242). The Sunset Campus at 3101 Moraga Street is dedicated to the youngest learners, kindergarten through third grade, and hosts the Lamb's Choir plus the Joy Chimes handbell choir.

School hours run from 8:25 a.m. to dismissal between 2:45 and 3:15 p.m., depending on grade level. Drop-off begins at 8:00 a.m., and supervised extended care is available from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. for an additional fee. Families can choose unlimited early-morning care, unlimited after-school care, or both, with drop-in rates of three dollars per half-hour for occasional needs.

Five Outcomes Shaping Every Grade

West Portal Lutheran's Schoolwide Learner Outcomes describe the graduate the school is aiming to form. Every student is expected to grow as a Christ-Follower, a Creative and Critical Thinker, a Communicator, a Collaborator, and a Caring Citizen. The detailed rubrics spell out what that looks like at successive grade levels: a kindergartner who can identify the Gospel message of salvation, a fifth grader who can resolve conflicts respectfully, an eighth grader who can integrate ideas and information in new ways.

Four values sit underneath those outcomes. Love, from 1 Corinthians 13, is the foundation for how the community engages others. Grace, from Romans 5, says that people are accepted in Christ despite their imperfections. Integrity, from Psalm 26, drives honesty and a clear moral compass rooted in Scripture. Respect, from Philippians 2, calls the community to count others more significant than itself. Faculty and families alike are asked to walk together "in oneness of spirit and purpose."

A Curriculum Built on California's Standards and Luther's Small Catechism

The academic program follows California State Standards in English language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, and world languages, while adding religious instruction based on the Enduring Faith curriculum and Luther's Small Catechism. Math instruction uses Saxon Math across grade levels. Reading in the early years leans on Heggerty for phonics, and grades three through eight add novel studies. Science runs through Nancy Larson Science in kindergarten through fifth grade and Savvas for grades six through eight. Social studies uses Little Social Studies Thinkers in K-3, Miller Education California State History in 4-5, and History Alive from TCI in middle school.

World language begins in fourth grade with exploratory classes in both Mandarin and Spanish. Starting in sixth grade, students choose one language as their focus through eighth grade. Most students at West Portal speak, read, and write in more than one language by the time they graduate, and seventh and eighth graders continue practicing over the summer with assigned grammar review, music, films, and Duolingo.

Social-emotional learning is woven throughout the day using the Friendzy curriculum in lower grades and Habitudes in middle school. The school assesses academic growth three times a year with NWEA's MAP Growth test in reading, language, math, and science. Music, art, physical education, and a design-innovation-and-technology program round out the weekly schedule, and students in grades four through eight may also join handbells, chimes, or orchestra.

Choirs, Chimes and Singing in Sunday Worship

Music is one of the most visible bridges between the school and the church. Every grade-level class takes a turn singing in worship services at West Portal Lutheran Church during the school year, and families are encouraged to mark those Saturdays and Sundays on the calendar as special days together. Associate Pastor Jacob Swenson explains that singing teaches the Christian faith, reinforces it, and gives students a way to thank and praise God publicly.

Students can also join the Lamb's Choir at the Sunset Campus (grades 2-3), the WPL School Orchestra (grades 4-8), and a sequence of handbell and chime choirs at the Sloat Campus that begins in third grade and runs through eighth. The Music Ministry of the church and school seeks to "enhance the worship experiences of the church and school, to engage the congregation in worship, and to support evangelism and education ministries in the church, school, and community." After-school private lessons in piano, flute, violin, and recorder are available through the West Portal Lutheran Music Academy for an additional fee.

Adults can join the Sanctuary Choir, which sings on Sunday mornings and leads music for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, and Reformation services. Rehearsals take place Sunday mornings in the Stechholz Music Room at the Sloat Campus.

Athletics, Field Trips and the Coloma Outdoors

West Portal Lutheran competes in the CYO Athletics League, fielding teams in girls' volleyball, co-ed cross country, boys' basketball, girls' basketball, boys' volleyball, and co-ed track and field. The athletic program is intentionally tied to faith and character: coaches are expected to model and integrate Christian values, and the school emphasizes integrity, teamwork, discipline, and community alongside wins and losses. Seasonal clinics in volleyball and basketball extend the program for students who want more time on the court.

Beyond the playing fields, every grade enjoys a signature trip. Local class field trips take students to Bay Area Discovery Museum, CuriOdyssey, the California Academy of Sciences, the De Young, the San Francisco Zoo, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Sanchez Adobe, The Tech Interactive, and the Exploratorium. Fourth graders spend three days and two nights at Coloma, the site of the 1848 gold discovery, baking cornbread, panning for gold, and learning California history outdoors. Sixth graders head to Alliance Redwoods in Occidental for a four-day outdoor education program with environmental science classes, challenge courses, and campfire nights. Eighth graders travel with World Strides to Washington, D.C., and Colonial Williamsburg, visiting the U.S. Capitol, the Washington Monument, Monticello, Mount Vernon, the Museum of the Bible, and Arlington Cemetery.

Leadership opportunities begin early. The Student Council plans the annual Trunk or Treat and National Lutheran Schools Week celebrations. Student Ambassadors welcome new families and represent the school's values in the wider community. An eighth-grade leadership retreat at the start of the year introduces the class to the school's vision and bonds the group before high school applications begin. Seventh and eighth graders also travel to Concordia University Irvine each year for the Lutheran Elementary School Tournament, where they compete against other LCMS schools in nearly twenty events ranging from science and chess to robotics, visual arts, and basketball.

The People Behind the Programs

Rev. Jacob Swenson serves as Associate Pastor of West Portal Lutheran Church and writes the school's annual worship-singing letter. Amy Kao is the Church Music Director, overseeing the music ministry that ties the church and school together. Sherise Lee leads the school as Principal, with Sherilyn Jew serving as Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum Director. Together with the church's called workers, they guide a faculty of two dozen full-time teachers across two campuses.

The Parent Teacher League (PTL) provides the second layer of support. Led by President Vernice Louie, with Vice President Michelle Cheng, treasurers Rosana Mak and Ivy Wu, and secretary Veronika Tan, the PTL funds classroom supplies, a charter bus for STEM field trips, new gymnasium padding, lunch tables, uniforms, classroom parties, enrichment programs, and special assemblies. Two general meetings a year bring parents together for dinner, childcare, and guest speakers on parenting and family life.

How to Visit, Apply and Join

Personalized tours are available from September through May. Sunset Campus tours run on Tuesdays and Thursdays, while Sloat Campus tours run on Fridays. Virtual tours of both campuses are available online for families who want a first look before scheduling a visit. Open houses are scheduled throughout the admissions season for both campuses and across grade levels, and Kindergarten Visit Days are held several times a year to introduce prospective families to the educational program and culture.

Applications for the 2027-2028 school year opened on September 11, 2026, with a priority deadline of December 18, 2026 and a regular deadline of March 5, 2027. Kindergarten applicants complete a 20- to 30-minute readiness assessment; applicants for grades 1 through 8 spend a Shadow Day with their prospective class after a recommendation form, birth certificate, recent report card, and standardized test scores are submitted. Active members of West Portal Lutheran Church and siblings of currently enrolled students receive priority, but families do not need to be Lutheran or Christian to apply.

Tuition, Aid and the Parent Teacher League

Tuition for the 2026-2027 academic year is $12,957 for the community rate and $10,365 for active members of West Portal Lutheran Church, plus $1,115 in school fees. The active member rate applies to families with at least one communicant parent who has been a confirmed member of the congregation for at least a year, whose children are baptized, and whose children attend Sunday School, Catechism, and worship regularly.

Need-based tuition assistance is available through the church and school accountant, and the school partners with The BASIC Fund to help families apply for outside scholarships first. Families can also direct support through online giving, eScrip, Shutterfly, magazine sales, Office Depot purchases, Sloat Garden Center's Growing Up Green event, employer matching gifts, and planned giving options including bequests, charitable gift annuities, and charitable remainder trusts. The school's largest annual fundraiser is the Christmas Faire, a campus-wide celebration that includes student singing, a silent auction, jump houses, carnival games, food, and a bake sale.

At its core, West Portal Lutheran continues to hold together what its founders began in 1943: a congregation on Sloat Boulevard that worships, teaches, and forms children together in the Lutheran tradition.