San Francisco, CA (March 18, 2022) - The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) is preparing to enroll students for the next school year. The Educational Placement Center, which oversees student assignments for the district, will be mailing letters to more than 14,000 students today, March 18, 2022, primarily incoming transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, 6th grade and 9th grade students. Letters will reach homes and be available in ParentVue on Monday, March 21.
More than 57% of students who applied for Kindergarten or TK, 6th grade, or 9th grade will receive an assignment to their first choice school, and more than 88% will receive one of their top three choices. Families have until April 8, 2022 to accept or decline the assignment. Families can do this online, and can see instructions and learn how to get support and participate in workshops at sfusd.edu/mainround.
SFUSD received a similar number of applications to last year. The District received 14,127 applications for the 2022-23 school year, compared to 13,917 for the 2021-22 school year. More highlights are available at sfusd.edu/highlights in the “Annual Enrollment Highlights.”
“We are excited that over 14,000 families have submitted applications for next year,” said Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews. “We have 123 different PreKindergarten through 12th grade public schools that offer an array of academic, world language, arts, and wellness programs. There is a school for every child in San Francisco and we are excited to welcome new families.”
One key increase was in transitional kindergarten (TK) applications -- an additional 228 compared to last year -- due to more four-year-olds being eligible for TK under California’s new Universal TK program. We added 9 new TK classrooms across the city to welcome these new students - parents can read more about the new programs at sfusd.edu/tk.
“SFUSD staff worked very hard to reach families so they know when, where, and how to apply,” stated Lauren Koehler, Executive Director of the Educational Placement Center. “We opened a new enrollment office in the Bayview to serve families in that area. We organized five in-person workshops in multiple languages in neighborhoods with many low-income families or families who don’t speak English. At these in-person events, we helped over 400 families fill out and submit their applications. School staff partnered closely with their families so that any student moving onto elementary, middle, and high schools next year applied on time.”
More of these “transitional grade” students applied on time this year: 96% of them compared to 94% last year. The district’s focal families also had much greater participation in the Main Round this year.
In addition to helping families one-on-one, SFUSD increased its marketing efforts to reach more families in different ways. Staff organized a virtual enrollment fair, 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 February 4, 2022. Families who have yet to apply for a school for their student for next year can apply for Round 2 by May 2 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. 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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