SFUSD Simplifies Enrollment Process for Families

San Francisco (August 21, 2024) - The enrollment process for San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) schools is set to become simpler for families starting with applications for the 25-26 school year, which will open in October 2024. 

The changes would reduce complexity and improve assignment outcomes for students who apply in the Main Round. There are two key changes to next year’s enrollment process: 

• Eliminate the multiple application rounds, and only have one Main Round application deadline, after which applicants get automatically placed onto waitlists for their top choice schools without having to re-apply. Late applicants would be assigned to a school with open space and allowed to join waitlists.
• Allow applicants to wait on several schools’ waitlists rather than having to pick just one waitlist choice.

“We’re excited about streamlining this process for families, reducing the amount of times parents need to apply, and making it easier for families to get a space at their preferred school,” said SFUSD Superintendent Dr. Matt Wayne. “This policy change demonstrates the district’s commitment to being responsive to the feedback of the community.” 

Results for applicants will improve significantly in the following ways:

• Families will get their “final” school assignment earlier: in this new process, hundreds of families could start receiving offers in April. More families would receive offers as soon as spaces are available, rather than waiting months for subsequent application deadlines.
• The process will become more predictable: families would automatically be on waiting lists for their top-choice schools, and they would know their place in line. This creates a clear and automated path to families to get into their desired schools, instead of the uncertainty associated with assignment runs. The change also decreases the amount of applications families have to submit and deadlines that they need to remember.
• The changes make our assignment system more equitable: Of the 1,750 Latinx, African American, Native American and Pacific Islander students who currently apply in the Main Round and are not assigned to their top-choice school, only 400 of them re-apply to secure their more-preferred SFUSD school. Automatically adding these students to waitlists ensures that more of them have the opportunity to attend their preferred schools. Furthermore, more students with IEPs would get their final school assignments in time to have essential transition meetings.

Community Response

SFUSD conducted community engagement before revising these policies, and community opinions of the changes were very favorable. Based on a trilingual (English, Spanish, and Chinese) online survey for families with young children, 15 community feedback sessions - including sessions in Spanish and Chinese - and a survey and optional meeting for principals, SFUSD staff heard from almost 900 community members. 

More than 70% of parents and principals agreed with the proposal to move to a single Main Round of enrollment with running wait lists, and more than 75% of parents and principals were in favor of allowing families to wait on multiple schools’ waitlists.

Though these changes will not begin to take effect until next year’s enrollment cycle opens in October, families and community members are encouraged to reach out to SFUSD staff at the Enrollment Center with any questions they have now. More information about these changes can be found on our website:sfusd.edu/enrollmentrounds. The Enrollment Center can be reached at enrollinschool@sfusd.edu, 415-241-6085, or in-person at 555 Franklin Street or 1520 Oakdale Avenue. EPC staff speak English, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, and Samoan. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm (the Oakdale office is only open on Tuesdays and Thursdays).

Resource Alignment Initiative

SFUSD is undergoing a process of aligning its limited resources with goals for student outcomes, which includes planning for school closures, mergers, or co-locations for the 2025-26 school year. A public announcement of the schools recommended for closure, merger, or co-location will take place on Sept. 18, 2024. SFUSD will ensure that the enrollment process for families for the 2025-26 school year is in close alignment with any changes to the district’s school portfolio.

###