SF Schools Get Free PFAS-Free Turf Fields
Fourteen under-resourced schools are receiving $1.9 million in new or upgraded fields at no cost to them.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Landscaping
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Fourteen San Francisco public schools in under-resourced neighborhoods are getting new or upgraded turf fields at no cost to the schools. The $1.9 million program, led by Playing for Keeps Foundation and America SCORES Bay Area, is replacing asphalt yards and upgrading existing fields.
Why it matters
For students at these schools, a usable field means more room to play, practice and compete after the bell, in neighborhoods where open space is scarce. The project is already partly built out, with six schools finished and eight more in progress, so the change is arriving now rather than in some future phase.
The $1.9 million program covers 14 schools with more than 100,000 square feet of new or upgraded field space, and six fields are already complete while eight remain in progress. The projected reach is more than 4,000 students a year for a decade, though the source does not break down costs by school or give finish dates for the fields still under construction.
The players
Playing for Keeps Foundation
The nonprofit leading the turf field program with America SCORES Bay Area.
America SCORES Bay Area
The Bay Area youth program co-leading the project to bring new fields to San Francisco schools.
The details
The fields use synthetic turf made without crumb-rubber infill and without per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and turf was chosen for durability and lower maintenance. Some schools are swapping asphalt yards for turf, while others are having existing fields upgraded. Playing for Keeps Foundation and America SCORES Bay Area lead the project, and the schools receive the fields at no cost.
Timeline
Six school fields are already complete, and eight more are in progress.
The fields are estimated to serve students annually over the next decade.
Across the Bay
The program chooses turf made without crumb-rubber infill or PFAS, the two ingredients most often questioned in older synthetic fields. Its choice places San Francisco's school fields on that narrower formulation rather than on conventional rubber-infill turf.
If your child attends one of the 14 schools, expect the asphalt yard or old field to be replaced or upgraded at no cost to the school. Students will have a more durable, lower-maintenance surface for after-school play and team practice.
The takeaway
Turf fields are arriving at schools that have long lacked usable outdoor space, and this program uses a formulation without crumb-rubber infill or PFAS. Parents and students at participating schools can watch for the remaining eight fields to finish over the coming months.
Further reading
For more on how outdoor surfaces are being reshaped across the city, see Landscaping.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Local News Matters.
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