Paper copies of the application can be picked up at 555 Franklin St, or 1520 Oakdale Avenue and at many San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) schools after the SFUSD Enrollment Fair in October. The same application is used for all grades from Transitional Kindergarten (TK) through 12th grade. You can also download the SFUSD General Enrollment Application. Only the last page (titled Application Form) must be printed and turned in.

To list more than fifteen schools on your application, include the Additional School Choices Form with your application or attach a separate sheet of paper.

The Educational Placement Center is located at 555 Franklin Street, Room 100, and has a permanent satellite location for enrollment at 1520 Oakdale Avenue.If you already have a child enrolled in an SFUSD school, you have the option to submitt your application at the EPC or at your child’s school. Elementary schools accept applications in the main office and middle schools generally collect them in the counseling office.

The San Francisco Unified School District uses the term tie-breaker to mean a preference “used to help place students in a requested school when the number of requests for a school is greater than the number of spaces available.” A tie-breaker is not a guarantee of placement in a particular school, but it gives the student who has a tie-breaker a higher priority than a student who does not.

Tie-breakers

When your older child’s school is selecting students, you get the sibling tie-breaker no matter where it is ranked on your list. After the selections are done for each school, the order of your choices is considered, and you are assigned to the school highest on your list of the ones which selected your child.

You get the sibling tie-breaker no matter where it is ranked on your list. After the selections are done for each school, the order of your choices is considered, and you are assigned to the school highest on your list of the ones which selected your child.

Parents of twins have the choice to link their applications together, so that the children will definitely be placed together in the same school, or to not link their applications, so that each child will be placed in a school as high as possible on your ranked list. In subsequent rounds of the application process, twins give each other the sibling tie-breaker.

Enrolling Twins in the SFUSD 

To apply for enrollment in the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), submit the standard enrollment application at the Educational Placement Center (EPC). Meet with a Special Education Placement Counselor to ensure that your child’s school assignment will meet your child’s needs. The SFUSD Enrollment Guide has more information about special education services and which schools offer which Special Day Classes (separate special education classrooms available at certain schools).

If a child requires special education services, an Individual Education Program (IEP) is developed by a team that includes parents or guardians, teachers, administrators, and special education providers, to specify what the school will do to address the child’s unique needs. If your child already has an IEP, then include a copy of it with your enrollment application.

Resources for Special Education in the SFUSD 

Email ambassadors@ppssf.org and specify which schools interest you. We will connect you with a Parent Ambassador from each school you request. PPS-SF Parent Ambassadors are public school parents who have volunteered to speak to other parents about their children’s schools.

info@ppssf.org as another option to connecting to parent ambassadors

The SFUSD website provides a current list of bus schedules per school. To receive transportation to school, you may submit a request for general education transportation services. There is no guarantee that services will be provided. Transportation for special education students can be arranged through their IEP, which is their Individualized Education Program.

There are many public transportation options as well, as most schools are within a five-minute walk from a bus stop, and many students qualify for free Muni bus passes.

School Bus Schedules

Alternatives to Yellow Bus Transportation

Free Muni for Youth Program

Although your chances for receiving a preferred assignment are better if you apply on time in the first round, you can join the process in the next round. Take your SFUSD General Enrollment Application and the necessary documents to the Educational Placement Center (EPC). Rank your preferred schools on your application, and include the Additional School Choice Form in case your preferred schools have no openings. If your initial assignment is not one you prefer, then participate in the remaining rounds of the enrollment process.

You might also consider applying to charter schools, which are public schools as well, but each school has its own enrollment process. Contact the schools directly to apply.

Your assignment letter will have detailed instructions about how to register. You will need to do so in person at your assigned school. Be sure to visit during regular school hours. Take the following documents with you:

1. The school assignment letter from the SFUSD

2. A copy of your original application (provided by the EPC or school when you applied)

3. A photo ID

4. Your child’s birth certificate

If you do not register by the deadline in early April, your seat may be reassigned to another child in Round 2. Note that schools are closed during Spring Break, which usually falls between the time the letters are mailed and when registration is due.

How to Register

Note: Looking through SFUSD website I could not find information about a documents needed for registration. Changing/deleting: Your assignment letter will have detailed instructions about how to register. If you do not register by the deadline in early April, your seat may be reassigned to another child in Round 2. Note that schools are closed during Spring Break, which usually falls between the time the letters are mailed and when registration is due.

We generally recommend that you register at your Round 1 assigned school. It does not impact you negatively in the subsequent rounds if you register, and might offer you some peace of mind to have a place held.

If you are not able to get one of your Round 2 requested schools, you will not be given another offer.

If you are not able to get one of your Round 2 requested schools, you will not be given another offer. --> If you are not able to get one of your Round 2 requested schools, you will not be given another offer and or loose your spot at SFUSD

The appeals process is different, and it is limited to those who face special circumstances. There are two types of appeals:

1. Medical Appeal: for a student whose own serious medical condition cannot be accommodated appropriately at the assigned school.

2. Family Hardship Appeal: for a student whose family faces a unique hardship within the household.

Decisions are made by a committee, and their decision is final. Your application should include as much documentation as you can provide to make a compelling case for your unique situation.

You may appeal for placement into one school. Submit your application and paperwork for the appeal together with your Round 2 application by the Round 2 deadline in April. Even though you may only appeal for one school, include any options you would prefer over your initial assignment in your Round 2 application.

Placement Appeals

After the four rounds of the regular SFUSD enrollment process, there is a No Transfer Period for enrolled SFUSD students. You can apply by mid-November to transfer at the start of the spring semester or by mid-January in the regular enrollment process for the following school year.

SFUSD Spring Transfer Process 

When you arrive in San Francisco, go to the SFUSD Educational Placement Center (EPC) at 555 Franklin Street. An EPC counselor will work with you to place your child in a school that has immediate openings available.

If you would like to apply for placement in a school that does not have any openings at the time, you can submit a Spring Transfer application by mid-November, or an application for the following school year at any time after late October.

Key Dates

What You Need to Apply

San Francisco is a choice district, so you are not automatically assigned to your neighborhood school. When you arrive in San Francisco, go to the SFUSD Educational Placement Center (EPC) at 555 Franklin Street. An EPC counselor will work with you to place your child in a school that has openings for the coming school year.

If you would like to apply for placement in a school that does not have any openings at the time, you can submit a Wait Pool application for one school that you would prefer.

Open enrollement for new San Francisco families opens up usually at the beginning of July

Key Dates

What You Need to Apply

Every home address in San Francisco is assigned to an attendance area for an elementary school Students who live within the attendance area benefit from the attendance area tie-breaker. Students who add their attendance area benefit from the attendance area tie-breaker.

When your attendance area school is selecting students, you get the attendance area tie-breaker no matter where that school is ranked on your list. After the selections are done for each school, the order of your choices is considered, and you are assigned to the school highest on your list of the ones which selected your child.

You do not have to rank your attendance area school first in order to get the attendance area tie-breaker. You should rank your choices in the order you truly prefer them. 

Transitional Kindergarten (TK) is an additional year of kindergarten that helps children transition from preschool to an additional year between preschool and kindergten that helps children transition from preschool to kindergarten. Children who were born between September 2 and December 2 are eligible for TK for the school year during which they turn 5 years old.

Transitional Kindergarten in the SFUSD

Dual Language Immersion Pathway (Cantonese, Korean, Mandarin, Spanish)

1. Students are English learners who speak the pathway language at home, students who are already bilingual in English and the pathway language, and student who are proficient in English.

2. Goals are academic competency, as well as proficiency and literacy, in both English and the pathway language.

3. To demonstrate proficiency, students who indicate a language other than English on the home language survey are assessed in Spanish.

Dual Language Biliteracy Pathway (Cantonese, Spanish)

1. Students are English learners who are native speakers of Cantonese or Spanish.

2. Goals are academic competency, as well as proficiency and literacy, in both English and the pathway language.

3. To demonstrate proficiency, students who indicate a language other than English on the home language survey are assessed in Spanish.

World Language Pathway (Filipino, Italian, Japanese)

1. All students are eligible, including English learners.

2. Goals are full proficiency in English and real-world competency in a second language.

3. Program is also known as FLES (Foreign Language in the Elementary School).

   Languages Other Than English in the SFUSD: Preschool and Elementary School 

Starting kindergarten is exciting for children, but they can feel nervous about the upcoming changes. Read our tips for navigating this transition.

Getting Ready for Kindergarten 

Students who are attending an elementary school that is assigned to feed into a particular middle school benefit from the feeder school tie-breaker.

When your feeder school is selecting students, you get the feeder school tie-breaker no matter where it is ranked on your list. After the selections are done for each school, the order of your choices is considered, and you are assigned to the school highest on your list with most tie brakers.

You do not have to rank your feeder school first in order to get the feeder school tie-breaker. You should rank your choices in the order you truly prefer them.

The new middle school feeder pattern assignment policy, adopted by the Board of Education on June 14, 2011, has been put on hold. Current SFUSD 5th grade families must still fill out an application and submit it at your elementary school or at the EPC. You will NOT be automatically placed at your feeder school.

If you list your feeder school on your application, you will receive the tie-breaker for your feeder school, no matter how you rank it.

Starting in the 6th grade, the elementary school Dual Language Immersion and Dual Language Biliteracy Pathways merge into the Secondary Dual Language Pathway for each language, so the program is for students who are already proficient in the pathway language. Students take two academic courses in the pathway language. The goal is to become bilingual and biliterate at a high level and to attain native-like proficiency by the end of high school. In middle school the program is offered in Cantonese/Mandarin, Korean, Mandarin, or Spanish.The Secondary World Language Pathway is for all students. Instruction in the elective language class is mainly in the target language. The curriculum includes lessons on culture and reinforces concepts students learn in math, science, and social studies, so that students develop academic, literacy, and social skills in the second language. The languages offered at various SFUSD middle schools are Japanese, Mandarin, and Spanish.

Languages Other Than English in the SFUSD: Middle School and High School 

Parents and their children can feel overwhelmed by the many changes that go along with starting middle school. Read our tips for navigating this transition.

Getting Ready for Middle School

The Secondary Dual Language Pathway is for students who are already proficient in the pathway language. Students take two academic courses in the pathway language. The goal is to become bilingual and biliterate at a high level and to attain native-like proficiency. In high school the program is offered in Cantonese/Mandarin, Mandarin, or Spanish.

The Secondary World Language Pathway is for all students. Instruction in the elective language class is mainly in the target language. The curriculum includes lessons on culture and reinforces concepts students learn in math, science, and social studies, so that students develop academic, literacy, and social skills in the second language. The languages offered at various SFUSD high schools are Filipino, French, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Mandarin, and Spanish.

Languages Other Than English in the SFUSD: Middle School and High School 

The deadline to apply for Lowell High School for 9th grade is in mid-December. There is only one chance to apply to Lowell for 9th grade. If you miss that deadline, then you can apply for 10th grade by submitting an application by mid-June of 9th grade, for the following school year. In order to qualify, your child must take four of the following subjects in every semester of high school: English, Laboratory Sciences, Social Studies, Mathematics, and Foreign Language. Note that only one course per subject area will be considered.

The Ruth Asawa School of the Arts (SOTA) no longer has a second round application process. Submit your SFUSD application to the EPC or to your current school by mid-January. Submit the SOTA application to SOTA by the school deadline. 

Note: SOTA: for 10th grade only if spots are available.