It was established in 1982 and is part of the San Francisco Unified School District.

For many years, Ruth Asawa, sculptor and advocate for arts in education, as well as others had campaigned to start a public high school in San Francisco devoted to the arts, with the ultimate goal of such a school to be located in the arts corridor in the heart of San Francisco's Civic Center.

[3] In 2005 a new public high school, the Academy of Arts and Sciences, was started and shares the McAteer campus with SOTA.

[4] Now called The Academy - San Francisco @ McAteer, it admits students through the normal high school admissions process.

Acceptance into the school is based on an audition process for the approximately 175 spots available for incoming Freshmen.