San Francisco (March 21, 2023) - The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) is preparing to enroll students for next school year. The Educational Placement Center, which oversees student assignments for the district, mailed letters to more than 14,000 students on Friday, March 17, 2023, primarily incoming transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, 6th grade and 9th grade students. Letters will reach homes this week and are available in ParentVue as of Monday, March 20.
More than 60% of students who applied for Kindergarten or TK, 6th grade, or 9th grade will receive an assignment to their first choice school, and 81% will receive one of their top three choices. Families have until April 7, 2023 to accept or decline the assignment. Families can accept or decline online or by contacting the Educational Placement Center, and can find instructions at sfusd.edu/mainround. Many schools are having parent meetings or are offering tours for families to learn more about the assigned school; families can sign up for tours at sfusd.edu/tours.
SFUSD received a very similar number of applications this year compared to last year. The district received 14,080 applications for the 2023-24 school year, compared to 14,127 for the 2022-23 school year. More highlights are available at sfusd.edu/highlights.
One key increase was in transitional kindergarten (TK) applications -- an additional 337 compared to last year -- as more 4-year-olds become eligible for TK under California’s new Universal TK program.
“We are excited that more TK families applied to San Francisco public schools this year than last year,” said SFUSD Superintendent Dr. Matt Wayne. “We appreciate partnering with the City and the valiant efforts of our staff to outreach and support families with filling out their applications. I am looking forward to welcoming these new families to our wonderful elementary schools.”
SFUSD staff have transformed their approach to outreach to ensure that families know when, where, and how to apply through various methods:
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Including enrollment fairs, staff organized more than 70 virtual and in-person events, attended by more than 6,000 families.
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Staff coordinated closely with the City’s Department of Early Childhood, libraries, Head Start Centers, and Children’s Council to provide individualized support to families in childcare settings all over town.
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Staff created a centralized sign-up sheet for school tours that helped more than 10,000 families visit SFUSD schools as they completed their applications.
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School staff -- teachers, counselors, and office staff -- worked closely with their families so that any current SFUSD student moving onto elementary, middle, and high schools next year applied on time.
Because of these efforts, 95% of “transitional grade” students applied on time this year for Kinder, 6th, and 9th grades, and the district’s focal families also had much greater participation in the Main Round this year than in past years.
In addition to one-on-one family support, the team placed newspaper, radio, and social media ads, handed out fliers at local community centers, and mailed families a copy of the application. SFUSD partnered with Frequence, a company that donated services through SFUSD’s nonprofit fundraising partner, Spark* SF Public Schools, to garner in-kind digital marketing services.
The Main Round period for submitting applications ended on Feb. 3, 2023. Families who have not yet submitted an application for next year can apply for Round 2 by April 21 by going online to sfusd.edu/apply or by contacting the Educational Placement Center (EPC). The EPC can be reached at enrollinschool@sfusd.edu, 415-241-6085, or in-person at 555 Franklin Street or 1520 Oakdale Avenue (Oakdale is open Tuesday and Thursday). Educational Placement Center staff members are ready to help families find a school that meets their needs. They speak English, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, and Samoan. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.
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