Foster City — Brewer Island for families buying in SF Bay Area
Strong #1. Best combination of school quality, real home value at budget, and family lifestyle.
Foster City — Brewer Island is pick 1 in our SF Bay Area family home-search sample report, with a Brewer Island -> Bowditch Middle -> Aragon High school pipeline.
Pick 1
94404
Brewer Island -> Bowditch Middle -> Aragon High
30-45 min to SF by car (no Caltrain/BART). 15 min to PA. 12 min to SFO.
Foster City — Brewer Island schools: elementary, middle, and high pipeline
Brewer Island
GreatSchools 8/10 · Niche A — top 8% CA
NCES 063492005404 · 357 students · grades K-5 · 9% free/reduced lunch
Top 8% in California, uniformly positive parent reviews, very engaged PTA. The local rumor that 'Foster City schools are weak’ doesn’t actually apply to this school — Brewer Island is genuinely strong.
Bowditch Middle
GreatSchools 8/10 · Niche A (3.3 stars, mixed)
NCES 063492005902 · 908 students · grades 6-8 · 7% free/reduced lunch
Parent reviews are split — about half mention bullying or admin response gaps, about half disagree. Worth visiting in person. Less severe than Belmont’s Ralston Middle (2.7 stars).
Aragon High
GreatSchools 10/10/10 · Niche A+ — US News #87 CA
Aragon’s class of 2024 sent kids to Princeton, Yale, MIT, Stanford, Duke, Penn, Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, Harvey Mudd, Olin, Williams, USC, Notre Dame — plus all 9 UCs. 689 AP exams taken with 94% scoring 3+. 20 AP classes + 5 honors. US News #87 in CA.
Part of San Mateo-Foster City.
Foster City — Brewer Island home prices and recent sold comps
- 1298 Ribbon St sold for $1,757,600 on Mar 17, 2026; 4/3, 2,160, $814/sqft. Verify listing
- 275 Puffin Ct sold for $1,950,000 on Mar 19, 2026; 3+, 1,979, $985/sqft. Verify listing
- 950 Gull Ave sold for $2,360,000 on Mar 16, 2026; 4/3, 2,250, $1,049/sqft. Verify listing
- 247 Pelican Ct sold for $1,920,000 on Recent; 4/2, 1,780, $1,079/sqft. Verify listing
Ribbon St; Puffin Ct; Pelican Ct; Marlin Ave; Sandpiper area
Higher Gull Ave blocks (premium $2.3M+)
Pros and cons of Foster City — Brewer Island for families
- Best Q1 2026 budget fit — multiple 4bd sales in $1.76-2.0M
- Brewer Island Elementary top 8% CA
- Aragon HS: Princeton/Yale/MIT/Stanford in 2024 class
- Flat, walkable, bike-friendly — kids can bike to school
- Lowest $/sqft of any zone
- 8 min to Burlingame Ave — keep current social network
- Bowditch Middle has mixed parent reviews
- SF commute is car-dependent
- Suburban planned-community feel
- Near highways and SFO — some noise
Foster City — Brewer Island climate normals, FEMA flood zone, seismic hazard, crime, air quality, and insurance reality
58.7°F annual mean (51°F low / 67°F high), 19.6 in precipitation per year (SAN FRANCISCO INTL AP, 7 mi away).
Station USW00023234 on NCEIFEMA flood zone X — area of minimal flood hazard. Flood insurance is optional but available.
View on FEMA Flood Map Service CenterHigh earthquake hazard — peak ground acceleration 0.78g at the 2%-in-50-year design level (USGS NSHM E2014B).
View on USGS Hazard MapLatest AQI 29 (Good) driven by O3 at the Redwood City reporting area on 2026-05-02.
View on AirNowReliably sunny — bay side, steady sunshine year-round.
Foster City — Brewer Island demographics from Census ACS (ACS 5-year 2023)
$182,417
$1,682,700
66%
35,950
ZIP 94404 · San Mateo County · Census tract 06081608100 · Full Census Reporter profile
The schools, demographics, and flood-zone data on this page come from public federal datasets — verifiable independently:
Foster City — Brewer Island family home-search questions
How are the schools in Foster City — Brewer Island?
Elementary (Brewer Island): Top 8% in California, uniformly positive parent reviews, very engaged PTA. The local rumor that 'Foster City schools are weak’ doesn’t actually apply to this school — Brewer Island is genuinely strong. Middle (Bowditch Middle): Parent reviews are split — about half mention bullying or admin response gaps, about half disagree. Worth visiting in person. Less severe than Belmont’s Ralston Middle (2.7 stars). High (Aragon High): Aragon’s class of 2024 sent kids to Princeton, Yale, MIT, Stanford, Duke, Penn, Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, Harvey Mudd, Olin, Williams, USC, Notre Dame — plus all 9 UCs. 689 AP exams taken with 94% scoring 3+. 20 AP classes + 5 honors. US News #87 in CA.
What does a home cost in Foster City — Brewer Island?
Recent sold comps in Foster City — Brewer Island include 1298 Ribbon St at $1,757,600 (Mar 17, 2026, 4/3, 2,160, $814). Plus 3 other verified sold comps in the section above.
What's the commute from Foster City — Brewer Island?
30-45 min to SF by car (no Caltrain/BART). 15 min to PA. 12 min to SFO.
What's the earthquake risk in Foster City — Brewer Island?
High earthquake hazard — peak ground acceleration 0.78g at the 2%-in-50-year design level (USGS NSHM E2014B).
Compare Foster City — Brewer Island against the rest of the short list.
Emerald Hills — Roy Cloud K-8
Strong #2. Best K-8 environment + great budget fit. The high school AP gap is the long-term consideration.
Pick 3Albany
Strong #3 if the smaller house works. Cleanest schools-plus-budget combination in the search.
Pick 4Belmont / Cipriani
Best HS but middle school problem is real. Private-school workaround raises true cost significantly.
Pick 5Millbrae / Green Hills
Best schools profile, smallest house. Safest middle school pick if that’s the dominant priority.