Inner Fire SF

Have you ever seen a microschool?

Probably not, and for good reason. Microschools serve between 5 and 20 students, typically in mixed-age classes run by teacher-administrators, and using community parks as outdoor spaces. No public school district will ever build one.

There are many good arguments against microschools:

- Specialization is limited (no gym, science lab, dedicated drama teacher etc.)
Teacher/admin profiles are rare (few people want to do both, and on a teacher salary)

- Mixed age learners have different needs (you can’t teach the same thing to everyone)

- Having kids out in public is a liability risk (it’s safer to keep them in one space)

- Managing many small schools at scale is impractical (fewer, larger institutions are easier)

Why would anyone want a microschool? Because, when done right, they are education magic.

The power of microschooling comes from the foundational belief that small class sizes are the #1 driver of student outcomes. This has been shown consistently in study after study. Specialized staff and facilities are nice, but not if they require larger class sizes to cover the cost, especially in elementary years. Microschools run as lean as they can so they can keep class sizes small–and this unlocks a whole new model for education.

Imagine a class with 8 students and 2 teachers.

How is academic teaching different? Not only do students get more attention, you can actually individualized the assignments and level the work bespoke to each student. Acceleration for faster students, more time to review and ensure comprehension for those who need it. Mixed age groups are not a problem, because each student gets what they need.

What about the school culture? You can give students freedom and autonomy without risking chaos, which lets them build their confidence and develop social-emotional skills through lived experience. Teachers spend less energy on classroom management and grading, more goes into planning and delivering great lessons. Less stress and less rigidity means more joy and humanity–that’s what we need to get back into our classrooms.

This is the promise of microschools. Is it hard to pull off? Yes, very hard. Is it worth it? Absolutely.

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Curious to learn more? Check out our blog: https://innerfiresf.com/blog

Send a message to learn more

Interested in learning more about our school? Come join our open house tonight!

July 16, 2025
6:00p-7:30p
2130B Harrison Street
San Francisco

Does a camp focused on chess, math, and outdoor games meet your child’s interests? If so we have some spots for the week of August 4-August 8 with flexible enrollment from just 1 day to the entire week. Learn more and register here: https://omella.com/th283

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Inner Fire Academy 2024-25 Overview & Enrollment Build A Lifetime Love Of LearningInner Fire is a micro-school for gifted and neurodivergent 5-12 year olds. We take only 8 students per class and tailor our courses to fit each learner’s ability and interest, so it’s easy to be fully engaged.Our mission is to make s...

Tip of the Month: Handling Low Confidence

When your child says "I'm bad at this", how do you respond?

The immediate impulse is often to counter: "no you're not, look at all this great work you did", or a similar attempt to convince them of the opposite.

But this can backfire if they insist that they really are bad. Now the energy and attention is focused on that idea, with them reaffirming the negative. And what they say is what sticks--not what others say to them.

Instead of trying to convince them otherwise, we recommend a different approach: "It's not about being good or bad at it". The point of math/writing/art/sports/life is to do it, whether or not you're 'good'.

Removing judgment of outcome from the activity promotes openness and confidence, as well as resilience: we show up and try regardless of whether we're "good", it's just what we do.

Confidence is not the belief that you'll succeed, it's the knowledge that you'll be okay either way.

What are your favorite activities to build confidence?

There's a fair amount of debate around teacher-led vs. student-led learning. For us the key is striking the right balance of the two.

Here's a story from our blog that shows how we find that balance:

The 80-50-20 Method — Inner Fire Academy How to teach new skills in an engaging, confidence-building way that will stick.

With the school year about to start, a look back at why we're here and what drives us to do what we do:

Why Start A MicroSchool? — Inner Fire Academy My personal story

Inner Fire is partnering with Engaging Math Circles (EMC) to offer 3 summer math circles July-August. I got to experience EMC's math teaching firsthand and it's fantastic--I'm excited for Inner Fire to be able to offer it this summer.

We'll be offering three different 5-week options, running July 11-August 13:

- Tuesdays 5:00-6:00pm -- Competition Math. Stretch your brain by cracking unique and challenging problems.

- Thursdays 5:00-6:00pm -- Fun Math. Stay sharp with interactive math games and playfully themed exercises.

- Sundays 1:30-2:45pm -- Math Explorations. Discover fundamental math concepts and patterns collaboratively.

Each program will be hosted at Inner Fire (2130b Harrison St). The cost is $150 for the 5-week period ($30 per class), with a 20% discount if registering for multiple classes. Register here:

In Person Programs EMC excited to launch an in person option offerings partnering with local and unique educational organizations. Please reach out to us if you are interested to partner with us.

Newest addition to our classroom space! (That boxy black thing on the left.)

Check out our meetup page: https://www.meetup.com/chess-games-inner-fire/events

We're running a series of free chess & math games events all throughout summer!

Send a message to learn more

Love this so much

“I used to say: ‘I like to watch TikTok, or YouTube.’ But I don’t really like to describe myself that way anymore. Because if you think about it, that’s not really something you do. It’s just something that pulls you in. It made me feel connected. Like, I know this person. But I really didn’t know them at all. And I’d sit at home getting sucked into this endless void of whatever I was watching. Windows closed, AC on. My dad would say: ‘Go outside and do something, it builds character.’ Most of the time he’d only say it because he wanted me to take out the trash, or go on an errand with him. So for a long time I didn’t think it meant anything. But it really does, if you think about it. Because every time you do something, it adds to who you are. You learn from life. Recently I joined a group called The Veggie Nuggets. There’s seven of us: me, my friends, a couple neighbors. We made a mural. We made a garden over by 69th and the bridge. We lobbied a little bit at the capital for climate change, because it’s kinda a disaster. I had to develop a certain mindset when I did those things. I had to affirm to something. I had to be motivated. And that’s a real thing-- motivation. It’s a trait. And now it’s part of my character.”