Resources for Families - Family Transition Guide

The following schools meet SFUSD's criteria for closing or merging. 

Elementary and TK-8 schools that have fewer than 260 students and are in the lowest 50% of our composite scores. 

• El Dorado Elementary 
• Harvey Milk Civil Rights Elementary
• Jean Parker Elementary
• Malcolm X Academy
• Redding Elementary
• San Francisco Community Alternative
• San Francisco Public Montessori
• Spring Valley Elementary
• Sutro Elementary
• Visitacion Valley Elementary
• Yick Wo Elementary

High schools with fewer than 400 students that are not alternative schools 

• June Jordan School for Equity
• The Academy - SF @McAteer

Middle schools are not being considered for closure right now because the facilities are at 90% capacity. 

A school closure is when a school no longer continues to operate, and all of the students are assigned to multiple welcoming schools. A school merger is when all of the students at a closing school are enrolled in one welcoming school, and the two communities merge. 

The district has established the following criteria for for schools to be considered for closure or merger.

1) Elementary and TK-8 schools that have fewer than 260 students and are in the lowest 50% of our composite scores
Or
2) High schools with fewer than 400 students that are not alternative schools 

Middle schools are not being considered for closure right now because the facilities are at 90% capacity. 

After careful consideration, the superintendent will share the final recommendation for 2025-26 school closures or mergers in November 2024. This allows SFUSD to ensure a thorough review of all aspects of the plan. This includes ensuring that: 1) our fiscal analysis is strong and our transition plan and support systems are in place; 2) data from the equity audit is integrated into the recommendation; and 3) we meaningfully consult with city, school, and community leaders.​

The Board of Education will vote on a whole portfolio (not individual schools) in December 2024. 

The schools that meet the criteria for closure and merger will be hardest hit by the budget reductions that are necessary to eliminate our structural deficit and retain local control of the district. Closing or merging these schools isn't guaranteed, but, educationally, it will be very difficult to justify keeping them open because their low enrollment and low resources will mean deep cuts to the staff and services we know are necessary for a strong and supportive learning environment.

Most importantly, we want students to be able to remain with their friends and communities and come together. To do that, we have developed the following three guidelines for selecting a welcome school: 

1) Merge schools where possible and aim to assign students to no more than two welcoming schools

2) The welcome schools(s) are within a 10-minute driving distance from the closing school 

3) The welcoming school(s) can accommodate each student’s language program and/or special education services

The reality is that while our circumstances have been changing for years, our district has not. 

SFUSD has maintained 106 schools since 2017, while enrollment has declined by 4,293 students. In our current number of schools, we have the capacity to serve more than 14,000 more students than we have now. 

In the past, we have resisted closing schools as our enrollment declined. As a result, our schools have gotten emptier. At this time, our resources are spread too thin, creating inequities experienced by our students and their families. 

Specific issues driving the need for change include:

• Enrollment has declined and will continue to decline. Over the past three decades, SFUSD enrollment has decreased from its high in 1967 serving 93,000 students. SFUSD’s enrollment has decreased by over 4,000 students since the school year 2012-13. Demographic trends such as declining birth rates indicate that SFUSD will lose 4,600 additional students by 2032.
• We’ve had persistent problems staffing classrooms and filling vacant positions. For example:
  21% of vacant classroom teacher positions were not yet filled on August 12, 2023–just before the school year started. 
• 15% of classrooms were staffed by substitute teachers or teachers on special assignment in 2022-23 and 2023-24. 
• 25% staffing deficit in Custodial Services for the past year. 
• 25% vacant positions in Student Nutrition Services over the past year. 
• 50% vacant positions in heating and ventilation shop
• Many of our facilities are in poor condition. SFUSD’s consistent capital investment has made a big difference in the condition of our schools. However, a large number of buildings remain in “poor” condition. SFUSD would need at least $6 billion to upgrade all school sites.
• Under-enrollment is distributed across all of our schools. Under-enrollment is not concentrated in specific schools; rather, it is spread across all schools. Addressing the most severe outliers exclusively will do little to mitigate the underutilized campuses across the whole system.

By having fewer schools, we can concentrate our resources on enhancing educational programs, teacher support, and student services. This strategic shift aims to give every student the tools they need to succeed in college and careers. 

In large urban districts across the nation, school district leaders are facing the same challenge of needing to create a new school portfolio.

In an environment of declining enrollment and associated revenue, closing schools is necessary to concentrate district resources to create strong and supportive learning environments for students and teachers. No other feasible option exists at the moment. Decreasing enrollment is mainly due to lower birth rates and people moving out of San Francisco, not families choosing private or charter schools, so increasing enrollment isn't a viable strategy to keep schools open. SFUSD does not expect an increase of funding from the state, city, or any other source that will provide an option to maintain the current number of schools and create strong and supportive learning environments. 

SFUSD is pursuing multiple change efforts simultaneously to build a stable, sustainable, more equitable school system. The Resource Alignment Initiative includes five focus areas: Facilities Master Plan, School Staffing Model, Central Office Reorganization, Districtwide Programs, New School Portfolio. The goal of the Resource Alignment Initiative is to resolve several challenges SFUSD faces: We have spread under-enrollment across the district. SFUSD is struggling to staff classrooms. Many school sites are in poor physical condition. The District’s finances are impacted by declining enrollment. The District is projected to have a structural deficit of ~$85M in 2025-26 in the Unrestricted General Fund. 

Last May, the California Department of Education issued a negative certification of our budget report and increased state oversight. In response, the district was required to submit a plan showing how to balance our budget by the end of the 2025-26 school year. This plan included $113M in reductions for 2025-26, including eliminating over 500 positions from the district. If we do not follow through on making these reductions, a state takeover is possible. We need to do everything we can to maintain local control. 

If SFUSD fails to address its financial challenges adequately, our school district will fall into state receivership. This means that the state of California will take over the district’s governance and its financial, operational, and programmatic decisions for years to come. This would strip parents and school site communities of their important voice and ability to shape their children’s educational experience. It will further deplete resources directed to our schools, erode our collective decision-making power, and likely compound educational disparities for our most vulnerable students.

Districts are funded by enrollment and get a certain amount of money per student. As our enrollment goes down, we receive less revenue. Our enrollment has declined by 4,000 students over the past seven years. This means the district receives approximately $80 million less in revenue than it would if it were still fully enrolled. Yet the district has not adjusted our expenditures or the number of schools we have to reflect this decline in enrollment. 

By closing schools, SFUSD anticipates a small amount of savings in basic staff that will be reduced due to operating fewer schools and these savings will contribute to our planned reductions of $100+ million for 2025-26. However, closing schools is not a cost-cutting measure. Closing schools is an educational decision, not a financial one. Closing schools will concentrate our resources so we can fully enroll and fully resourced schools for strong learning environments. We recommend closures regardless of the amount of money they will save because they will help protect important services like counseling, giving students a better chance to succeed.

Our Budget Stabilization plan outlines how we will cut costs to balance our budget. It includes cuts to the central office, staff reductions, a new staffing model, and cuts to other expenses.

The District operates 121 properties, serving close to 50,000 students. Even as some schools close or consolidate through the Resource Alignment Initiative, a bond is necessary to repair the many buildings that will remain open. Bond's FAQs.

Keeping school communities together is a priority for us. In most cases, two school communities are merging and the students from the school that closes will have one welcoming school where all students wil go. In some cases, a closing school will have two welcoming schools because all the students from a closing school couldn't fit into one welcoming school. In that case, families will be assigned to a welcoming school based on either their program or a mini lottery. Assuming buildings meet regulations for adding the projected number of classrooms, students from a closing school are guaranteed a spot in a welcoming school.

Families with students in closing schools will have the option to: 
1) accept the welcoming school assignment or 
2) choose not to accept the welcome school assignment and SUBMIT an ENROLLMENT APPLICATION during the enrollment window October 19 -January 31. Students in closing schools who submit an enrollment application will have priority placement at a new campus.

October is when our enrollment season begins for incoming transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, sixth, and ninth-grade students. However, applications are not due until the end of January. 

Families who will apply for PK, elementary school, middle school, or high school for the 2025-26 school year can come to the Enrollment Fair to learn about the application process, meet school principals and other representatives, and access the resources provided by SFUSD and other city agencies and community organizations.

Date: Saturday, October 19, 2024
Time: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Location: Balboa High School (1000 Cayuga Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94112)
Click here for more details

We have made the strategic decision to base elementary zones on the new portfolio, where changes will be made in the number of schools and language pathways. For us to be able to create zones, the school portfolio must be complete; our ability to guarantee students a placement in a zone depends on the schools that will be in that zone. Zones are extremely sensitive to the number of classrooms in each part of the city. When the portfolio is completed, we will start to model zones, which we can then take to the public for review. 

For 25-26, we will use the current assignment system with modified attendance areas for elementary schools. 

The current plan is to switch to the new assignment system for Elementary School in 26-27, though this will only apply to grades K-5. We do not yet have a plan to change TK assignments, middle school assignments, or high school assignments. 

Middle Schools currently have a feeder pattern where specific elementary schools feed into each middle school. These feeder patterns may need to be adjusted after the portfolio is determined. There is no current feeder pattern for elementary and high schools, and creating these system elements will need to be determined after the new elementary school assignment policy is established.

The 13 schools that meet the criteria for closure or merger have received a message directly from the district with information about the next steps. We will meet with these schools multiple times to share what happens to their budget next year and our initial thinking about the school's future, including why a closure or merger could result in a better educational experience for students.

To prepare for the transition to SFUSD’s new school portfolio in fall 2025, our top priority is to support our community through the transition. We want students, families, and employees from both closing and welcoming schools to feel they belong in their new school. We understand this change can be difficult, as the new environment, employees, and students may feel unfamiliar. Our goal is to provide the support and resources needed to help everyone build new connections and feel welcome.

To assist with this, we have created a resource guide for families and staff. These guides include important contact information, checklists, timelines, and other helpful resources. It is designed to help school communities affected by closures navigate this process smoothly. SFUSD is committed to minimizing disruptions for families, prioritizing placement for those affected by closures, and honoring the history of our school communities. SFUSD staff have planned activities, events, and meetings that will respect existing relationships and traditions and help everyone get familiar with their new school. These events can be adjusted to meet the needs of each school and will include input from students, families, and employees. 

We have also reassigned central office staff to support school sites and central office departments like the Enrollment Center and Human Resources to help answer questions and process requests. 

SFUSD will use all of its communications channels to send important information about school closures and mergers to families and staff including this website, newsletters, emails, videos, and social media posts. For major announcements, all SFUSD families and staff will receive both an email and a text message in their language of preference.

SFUSD's primary financial goals are to eliminate deficit spending and retain local control. To do that, the district will reduce spending, which will affect the staffing and service levels at all schools. Schools that are most under enrolled, will experience the most reductions. For those schools, merging with another school will limit those reductions.

Focus Area 1 of the Resource Alignment Initiative focuses on creating a school staffing model so that each school is staffed based on each school’s enrollment and student characteristics. A consistent staffing model will make staffing and funding for schools more predictable and reliable. The model provides the strongest and most supportive learning environments when schools are fully enrolled. The new staffing model will be fully implemented in SY 24-25. 

Yes, digital and physical records will follow students to their new school.

We are committed to maintaining program continuity for students who participate in a language program at a potentially closing schools. 

The afterschool team is working diligently to develop plans to ensure continued after school programming for students. We cannot confirm assignment at this time and will ensure this topic is reviewed and discussed at future family meetings. 

Students will follow the bell schedule of the welcoming school. 

Our Human Resources and Labor Relations teams will work with union partners to figure out the steps, timelines, and how this process will affect staff jobs. Once agreements are made, Human Resources will share information about what happens next for staff affected by closures, mergers, and co-locations, as well as timelines for all staff.

Each welcoming school has lots of unique aspects that make it great and you will have a chance to learn about it when a final recommendation is approved by the board of education. In general, fully-enrolled and fully-resourced schools have stronger and more supportive learning environments including qualified teachers who can deliver rigorous academic content, grade-level peers to learn with, fewer teacher vacancies, and better access to counselors, social workers, and paraeducators.

Central Office staff will work with each affected and welcoming school to develop activities, events, and meetings that will honor their school communities while also building new relationships and a sense of belonging at a new school. If school communities are interested in discussing school names or mascots during this process, we will support the discussion. We will engage each affected school community so that families, students, and staff will have the opportunity to share hopes and concerns, identify transition needs, and become familiar with the transition resources. 

The Enrollment Center has analyzed student enrollment data and the school facility to determine that there is appropriate capacity at welcoming sites.

Class sizes in all of SFUSD's schools are dictated by the teacher contract (Grades TK-3: 22 students, Grades 4-5: 30 students, Grades 6-12: 25-35, but it varies depending on the subject). We do not plan to change these class size maximums and when staffing schools, we always seek to have fully enrolled classes. 

Focus Area 1 of the Resource Alignment Initiative focuses on creating a school staffing model so that each school is staffed based on each school’s enrollment and student characteristics. A consistent staffing model will make staffing and funding for schools more predictable and reliable. The model provides the strongest and most supportive learning environments when schools are fully enrolled. 

If school sites are closed, the initial focus of the Facilities Department will be on preparing school sites that will be expanding to accommodate increased student enrollment. This work to prepare schools that will be welcoming more students will be the primary focus of the Facilities Department through the Fall of 2025. After that point the Facilities department will shift its focus to activating school sites that have closed.

Facilities staff has been conducting interviews with SFUSD programs, departments, and City partners to identify real estate needs that align with SFUSD’s mission and allow for expanded community impacts. At closed sites, the first priority is to find opportunities that will allow for expanded impact, program efficiencies, and cost savings for SFUSD programs. If there are vacant sites once all of SFUSD’s needs have been met, we will consider City Partnership opportunities.

Starting in the Fall/Winter of 2025, outdoor spaces at closed sites will be activated for community use and will follow the shared schoolyards model. In addition, building interiors will be available for short-term rentals through the Facilities Use Permit process once they have been cleared out of the items from the school operations.

Closed sites will continue to receive custodial services and security monitoring. Data from the Facilities Condition Assessments and work orders will provide insights into capital replacement needs at closed sites but the allocation of these limited resources will be prioritized at operating school sites.

Each school community will design an appropriate series of activities for the Spring. 

Central Office staff will work with each affected and welcoming school to develop activities, events, and meetings that will honor their school communities while also building new relationships and a sense of belonging at a new school. We will engage each affected school community so that families, students, and staff will have the opportunity to share hopes and concerns, identify transition needs, and become familiar with the transition resources.

This is a decision that the closing school community will make in a process facilitated by SFUSD staff. 

Central Office staff will work with each affected and welcoming school to develop activities, events, and meetings that will honor their school communities while also building new relationships and a sense of belonging at a new school. We will engage each affected school community so that families, students, and staff will have the opportunity to share hopes and concerns, identify transition needs, and become familiar with the transition resources.

This is a decision that the closing school community will make in a process facilitated by SFUSD staff. 

Central Office staff will work with each affected and welcoming school to develop activities, events, and meetings that will honor their school communities while also building new relationships and a sense of belonging at a new school. We will engage each affected school community so that families, students, and staff will have the opportunity to share hopes and concerns, identify transition needs, and become familiar with the transition resources.