Hiba Academy Celebrates Grand Opening of New School in San Francisco

2026-09-19

Last week, Hiba Academy Bay Area — part of Wellington College Education (China) — cut the ribbon on its new campus in San Francisco. Joining the celebration were Zhang Jianmin, Consul General of the People's Republic of China in San Francisco; Peter Newman, British Deputy Consul General in San Francisco; Matt Dorsey, San Francisco District 6 Supervisor; Anne Taupier, Executive Director of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development; Sir Anthony Seldon, Founding Director of Wellington College Education; and Joy Qiao, Chair of Wellington College Education (China) — together they started a new chapter in nurturing San Francisco’s young learners.

"It was always our ambition to take Hiba Academy beyond China, for the purpose of building cultural bridges through bilingual education. One cannot ask for a better city than San Francisco for our first overseas campus. It has long been a bridge between East and West, a place where people from different cultures, backgrounds and perspectives come together to create something innovative."

— Joy Qiao

Chair of Wellington College Education (China)

Heritage

Bringing 160 Years of Tradition to San Francisco

Education is about more than sharing knowledge. It's about how children come to know themselves, understand others, and face the future in front of them. A new school isn't just a new building — it's an educational ideal answering the call of its time.

Located at 99 Rhode Island Street in San Francisco, Hiba Academy Bay Area welcomes students from PK3 through Grade 1 in its inaugural year. The school will grow to serve students from pre-kindergarten through Grade 5, with a total capacity of 470 students. The school carries forward more than 160 years of educational tradition from Wellington College in the UK, joined with the experience of running schools that Wellington College Education (China) has built since 2009 — all put into practice through Hiba's bilingual education philosophy, now taking root in a new cultural context.

None of that happens on its own. It takes a founding team willing to build something from scratch. Hiba's teachers — chosen through a demanding selection process — have studied at world-renowned universities and bring years of teaching experience from international and bilingual schools. They weave broad academic perspective and real professional depth into every lesson.

"It is extraordinary to help build this school from the ground up and create a learning environment where children develop academic excellence, cultural fluency, and the confidence to navigate an increasingly interconnected world. We are thrilled to begin this journey with the families who have placed their trust in us."

— Colette McWilliams

Founding Head of School

Hiba Academy Bay Area

Innovation

Teaching Designed for Tomorrow

This campus is more than two years in the making, and it’s built using the same design language found in every Wellington College Education (China) school. Innovative learning spaces spark curiosity. Dedicated music and art rooms cultivate creativity and encourage self-expression. A combined dance and PE studio supports physical and emotional development. Outdoor spaces make room for exploration and promote teamwork.

But the value of a space isn't just in how complete its facilities are; it's in whether it responds to how children develop and grow. Built around children's age and their bilingual learning needs, the environment supports independent thought, small-group inquiry and more. Learning naturally happens in every corner of the campus.

The curriculum echoes that same spirit of integration. It draws on the inquiry-based approach of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP). It encourages students to start from real questions and build connections across subjects through interdisciplinary exploration. At the same time, it borrows from Shanghai's approach to mathematics education, which emphasizes conceptual understanding, logical reasoning, and systematic practice. This helps students build a solid foundation and develop the ability to analyze and solve problems. Inquiry and practice reinforce each other, so children learn to ask good questions, support their arguments with evidence and express themselves clearly.

Additionally, the school treats student well-being as a foundation of learning, not an afterthought. Attention to emotion, respect for individual differences, and trust built through everyday interactions, are woven into daily school life. This helps children build the confidence to face challenges, get along with others, and take on new responsibilities appropriate to their age.

New Horizons

Language Learning That Connects the World

Hiba Academy Bay Area is Wellington College Education (China)'s first overseas school. It's also the first U.S. campus in the Wellington College Education family. This opening marks an important step in the Group's international growth, creating new opportunities for teachers and students to share resources and learn across cultures.

Drawing on the group's global network of schools and San Francisco's own diverse, outward-looking culture, Hiba Academy Bay Area aims to help students go beyond mastering two languages. The goal is a deeper understanding of the cultures behind those languages — exposure to different ways of thinking and different values that broaden students' horizons while sharpening their capacity for independent judgment.

Cultural understanding grows out of everyday exchange. By speaking, listening, and working together, students learn to respect differences, find common ground, and build trust. Over time, this shapes them into bridge-builders across cultures.

A new school carries hope for a generation. Hiba Academy Bay Area brings bilingual education and cultural understanding together, on new ground. As its students come to understand the world, they'll become the change they wish to see in it.