After-school program · Since 1988

Helping San Francisco's students get back on track.

Free tutoring, homework help, and mentoring for K–12 students in the Fillmore. Built on an interfaith partnership that has lasted more than thirty years.

Afternoon light through tall arched windows falling on an open book and a desk
Established
1988
Grades
K–12
Tuition
Free
Where
Fillmore, SF
The program

Support that meets each student where they are.

We work with the whole child after the school day ends, in a calm place with people who know them well.

01

One-on-one tutoring

Help matched to each student's own classes: remedial, grade level, or enrichment.

02

Homework help

A quiet place and a patient guide, so students finish the day's work with someone in their corner.

03

Mentoring

Mentors who show up week after week and build real trust over time.

04

Test preparation

Practice and strategy to raise scores on standardized tests.

05

Character & community

More than grades. Students find a community that expects their best and helps them reach it.

By the numbers

Nearly forty years of tutoring.

2,000+young people served
1988founded, still running
K–12every grade supported
Heritage

Rooted in the Fillmore since 1852.

Third Baptist Church of San Francisco, with its tall bell tower and cross

Back on Track grew out of Third Baptist Church, founded in 1852 and the oldest African American Baptist church west of the Mississippi. The church sits on the corner of McAllister and Pierce, in a neighborhood once called the "Harlem of the West."

Rev. Dr. Amos C. Brown started the program in 1988, together with Temple Emanu-El, a San Francisco synagogue. He led Third Baptist from 1976 to 2025, and he built the program on one belief: lift a child's learning and you lift a whole community. Rev. Dr. Devon Jerome Crawford now leads the church as its 18th senior pastor, and the program carries on under his ministry.

1852
Third Baptist Church beginsIt has served the community for more than 170 years.
1976
Rev. Dr. Amos C. BrownPastor, Freedom Rider, and student of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
1988
Back on Track beginsAn interfaith effort to keep students learning after school.
2025
Rev. Dr. Devon Jerome CrawfordBecomes the 18th senior pastor and carries the work forward.
Enroll

Ready to enroll a student?

Back on Track welcomes students from every background. All they need is the desire to learn. Reach out to the church office and we will walk you through enrollment.

Visit
1399 McAllister Street
San Francisco, CA 94115