Tiebreakers

1. Sibling A sibling of a student who is enrolled in and will be attending the school.
2. PreK/TK Attendance Area PreK or TK students who live in the attendance area of the school requested; and are enrolled in an SFUSD PreK or TK in the same attendance area of the requested school.
3. Test Score Area (CTIP1) Students who live in areas of the city with the lowest average test scores.
4. Attendance Area Elementary school students who live in the attendance area of the elementary school requested
5. No tiebreakers Students who do not have a tie-breaker.

1. Sibling A sibling of a student who is enrolled in and will be attending the school.
2. PreK/TK Citywide Incoming TK or kindergarten applicants who are already enrolled in PreK or TK at the Citywide school to which they are applying.
3. Test Score Area (CTIP1) Students who live in areas of the city with the lowest average test scores.
4. No tiebreakers Students who do not have a tiebreaker.

1. Language Pathway Sibling Students who are enrolled in and want to continue in a multilingual language pathway; and they have a sibling who is enrolled in and will be attending the same program.
2. Language Pathway Students who are enrolled in and want to continue in a multilingual language pathway.
3. Sibling A sibling of a student who is enrolled in and will be attending the school.
4. Test Score Area (CTIP1) Students who live in areas of the city with the lowest average test scores.
5. No tie-breakers Students who do not have a tiebreaker.

Middle School Tiebreakers

1. Sibling A sibling of a student who is enrolled in and will be attending the school.
2. Middle School Feeder Incoming 6th-grade students enrolled in an elementary school that is identified as a feeder for the requested middle school.
3. Bayview Elementary School to All Middle Schools Incoming sixth-grade students who attended Carver, Drew, Harte or Malcolm X elementary schools from grades K through 5 and apply to any SFUSD middle school.
4. Test Score Area (CTIP1) Students who live in areas of the city with the lowest average test scores.
5. No tiebreakers Students who do not have a tiebreaker.

1. Language Pathway Sibling Students who are enrolled in and want to continue in a multilingual language pathway; and they have a sibling who is enrolled in and will be attending the same program.
2. Language Pathway Students who are enrolled in and want to continue in a multilingual language pathway.
3. Sibling A sibling of a student who is currently enrolled in and will be attending the same school.
4. Middle School Feeder Incoming 6th-grade students enrolled in an elementary school that is identified as a feeder for the requested middle school.
5. Test Score Area (CTIP1) Students who live in areas of the city with the lowest average test scores.
6. No tie-breakers Students who do not have a tiebreaker.

1. Sibling A sibling of a student who is currently enrolled in and will be attending the same school.
2. Bayview Students enrolled in Carver, Drew, Harte, or Malcolm X elementary schools who apply to Willie Brown Middle School.
3. 94124 Students living in 94124 who apply to Willie Brown Middle School.
4. Test Score Area (CTIP1) Students who live in areas of the city with the lowest average test scores.
5. No tie-breakers Students who do not have a tiebreaker.

1. Sibling A sibling of a student who is enrolled in and will be attending the school.
2. Willie Brown Middle School Students applying to 9th grade who attended Willie Brown Middle School in 6th, 7th and 8th grades. This applies to all high schools requested except Ruth Asawa and Lowell, which have different enrollment policies.
3. Test Score Area (CTIP1) Students who live in areas of the city with the lowest average test scores.
4. No tiebreakers Students who do not have a tiebreaker.

How are siblings defined by SFUSD?

Students who live at the same address and have the same parent/guardian are considered siblings.

How does the sibling tiebreaker preference work?

Applying siblings can be assigned to their enrolled sibling’s school if the enrolled sibling will still be attending during the upcoming school year, and if space is available. If placement in the enrolled sibling’s school is desired, we strongly recommend that you list the enrolled sibling’s school on the application form as your first choice. If you do not list the enrolled sibling’s school as the first choice, there is a possibility that the student will be placed in a different school. We also recommend that you list other schools also in the event there is a lack of space in the older sibling’s school.

The purpose of the sibling priority is to assist families with multiple children to enroll their children in a school together, but placement is dependent on space being available at the requested school in the applying sibling's grade and program. We encourage you to list additional schools in the event that space is unavailable in the older sibling’s school or program.

The sibling tiebreaker will apply to any student who requests their sibling's school, regardless of the two siblings' respective ages. I.e. the applying sibling is eligible for the tiebreaker to their enrolled student's school, regardless of whether they are younger or older.

Siblings who are applying for school at the same time for different grade levels cannot be guaranteed placement into the same school. There is a possibility that new siblings applying for school may be assigned to different schools based on space availability. Some families, in fact, choose to have the siblings attend different schools. There is no way we will know you desire to keep siblings together if different schools are listed in a different order of preference.

How do I apply for twins and multiples?

For the purpose of SFUSD student assignment, twins are defined as siblings who are applying for the same grade in the same school year. Twins can include students who do not share the same birthdate, but are regardless enrolled in the same grade. The same applies for other multiples of siblings born in the same year, e.g. triplets.

If placement into the same school is desired for twins, triplets and multiples, each application should indicate the same school choices in the same order.

The parent/guardian must also indicate on the enrollment application that they wish to have their twins or multiples placed in the same school. There is a checkbox on the paper application, and a dropdown in the online application: "Do you wish to have your twins, triplets or multiples placed in the same school?"

What happens if I check the “Yes” box on the enrollment application to have my twins assigned together?

If you check the “yes” box, indicating that you want your twins to be assigned together, then the student assignment process will treat them as linked students during the assignment process. The siblings will be in the same position among the list of applicants, and have the same odds as each other of getting assigned to each of their choices. The assignment process will seek to assign both siblings to the same school if space allows. If there is not space for both twins at a specific school, then neither twin will be assigned there. If neither twin receives an assignment to any of their requested schools, then both twins will be assigned to the school closest to home with two openings.

What happens if I don’t check the “Yes” box on the enrollment application to have my twins assigned together?

If you do not check the “yes” box indicating that you want your twins assigned together, they will go into the assignment process as individual students. There will be a possibility that they may be assigned to different schools during the assignment process.

What are my options if the twins are separated?

After the Main Round of school assignments are shared in March, if your twins did not end up assigned to the same school, speak with an Enrollment Counselor to understand your options. 

Beginning with applications for the 2025-26 school year, Main Round applicants will automatically be added to waitlists for up to their top 5 choices. There is no Round 2, but Main Round applicants and new applicants can submit applications during the Spring to change their waitlist choices or join new waitlists. (Up to 5 choices.) As seats become available during the Spring and Summer, the Enrollment Center will send offers to students on the waitlists to fill those seats.

When making those waitlists initially after the Main Round of student assignment, SFUSD will take into account cases where one sibling got assigned to a school, but the other sibling who listed that school among their top 5 choices did not. We will take the Sibling tiebreaker into account retroactively, to move the other sibling applicant high up the waitlist, with other applicants who qualified for the Sibling tiebreaker. In most cases, this will put twins in a favorable position to end up at the same school. 

I want my twins assigned together, but I am concerned about getting a lower choice school, what are my options?

Parents of twins and multiples must make a decision regarding how they want the twins’ assignment to work. Linking them together will ensure that they will be assigned together, but the trade-off will be that they both may be assigned to a lower choice or non-choice school.

Having twins treated separately in the process may result in, but not guaranteed of, one or the other twin receiving an offer to a higher choice school.

My twins are in a non-transitional grade (not TK, K, 6th or 9th) but I would like to transfer them both to another school. What are my options?

Applying for and receiving an assignment into a school and program in a non-transitional grade is only limited to available openings since students presently attending are expected to promote to the next grade.

It is recommended that parents of twins who want to transfer to another school or program check the “yes” box on the enrollment application so that the twins will only transfer if there are two seats available. Otherwise, there is a risk that one twin may be assigned and the other not. Once a twin receives a new assignment, they relinquish the former placement and there may be no opportunity to return.

What is an attendance area?

Elementary attendance areas are geographic borders drawn around elementary schools throughout the district. Middle and high schools do not have attendance areas/geographical borders.

How does my attendance area affect school placement?

We create attendance areas so there can be a system of helping you get placement in your attendance area school if you wish. You are not required to choose your attendance area school, nor can you be guaranteed a placement at your attendance area school. Middle school students get an initial placement offer based on the elementary school they attend, regardless of where they live. If middle school students decide to choose different schools, they will get an attendance area tie-breaker based on where they live.

Does every elementary school have an attendance area?

No. City-wide schools and city-wide programs do not have an attendance area. To find your attendance area school, click here.

How will the PreK/TK Attendance Area tie-breaker work?

The PreK/TK Attendance Area tiebreaker applies for PreK or TK students who live in the attendance area of their requested school; AND are enrolled in an SFUSD preK or TK in the same attendance area. This tiebreaker can apply for current PreK students applying to TK or Kindergarten; and for current TK students applying to Kindergarten.

What does ‘citywide’ mean?

City-wide means there is no attendance area, and as a result city-wide schools and programs do not provide a tie-breaker for students who live near the school.

Which schools are citywide?

To find your City-Wide school, click here. 

What are examples of citywide programs?

Newcomer programs are one example. These serve students who have recently arrived in the US and help them learn English. All elementary language programs are considered city-wide, because they are available only at a limited number of schools, and have a separate enrollment capacity. K-8 schools and the SF Public Montessori School are also citywide schools.