A: Enrollment applications are available at all school sites, child development centers and the Educational Placement Center (EPC) after November 7, 2009. Since SFUSD is a total choice system, families may list up to 7 choices of schools or programs and will have the best opportunity to receive an assignment into one of their choice schools if they submit an application before January 8, 2010. Younger siblings may submit applications and required documents at the older sibling’s school. New students must submit an enrollment application with all required documents to the Educational Placement Center (555 Franklin Street, Room 100).
Q: What else needs to be completed before receiving a school assignment?
A: If you or your child speaks a language other than English, your child will need to take a language proficiency test in English and possibly in their primary language. You may schedule an appointment for your child when submitting
your application at the EPC or by calling 241-6085. Counseling about available program options and services will follow the assessment of your child so that you can choose appropriate programs. The assessment and counseling must occur prior to receiving a school assignment. Assessments may also be required for students requesting placement into Dual Language Immersion or Biliteracy Pathways.
Q: Is there an advantage to applying early?
A: No, but there is an advantage to applying on-time. All applications turned in by January 8, 2010 will be considered on-time applications and will be treated equally. On-time applicants have a greater chance of receiving an offer to a school of their choice.
Q: How many schools should I list on the enrollment application and in what order?
A: Parents/guardians should put down the highest number of school choices (up to a maximum of seven) that they believe would suit their child’s educational needs. Parents/guardians should list their choices in order of preference, with one (1) being the first choice and seven (7) being the seventh choice. Families have a better chance of receiving a requested school assignment if they list multiple school choices on their enrollment application. If spaces are not available at the schools requested on the application, students will be assigned to a school selected by SFUSD. There is no disadvantage to listing 7 schools. Parents who do not list up to 7 choices run a higher risk of getting assigned to a school they did not request.
Q: If I have a child already enrolled in one of the schools that I request, will I be given a preference for my second child to be assigned to that school?
A: Younger siblings can receive a priority to a school that his/her older sibling is
currently attending and will continue to attend in the 2010-11 school year if their parent/ guardian turns in the enrollment application by January 8, 2010 and lists the older sibling’s school as a first choice. Older siblings do not receive priority placement at younger siblings’ schools.
Q: Will my child be guaranteed placement in the school nearest to my home?
A: No. If there are enough spaces at a school to accommodate all students who want to attend, all applicants will receive assignment offers. If there are not enough spaces at a school to accommodate all students who want to attend, there is no guarantee that a student from the attendance area will receive an assignment offer. For schools with attendance areas, applicants from the attendance area will be assigned before nonattendance area students as long as there is space available and attendance area students contribute to diversity as defined by the diversity index lottery. Applications from non-attendance area students are only considered when applicants from the attendance area no longer contribute to diversity. There is no attendance area advantage for assignments to alternative schools. Where an applicant lives does not affect his or her chances of receiving an offer of assignment to an alternative school.
Q: My child is a fifth grade student in a K-8 school. Do I have to turn in an enrollment application if he or she wants to stay there for middle school?
A: No. Fifth grade students in K-8 schools who are not requesting a transfer do not have to turn in an enrollment application.
Q: How can I apply if I my child wants to attend the School of the Arts ("SOTA") or Lowell High School?
A: Lowell and SOTA have additional application requirements and deadlines.
Students applying to Lowell High School and/or SOTA are also encouraged to apply to other SFUSD high schools.
• Lowell: 9th grade applicants to Lowell must turn in to EPC the Lowell High School application and a general SFUSD application form by December 11, 2009 and take the CST/STAR in 7th grade or the Lowell admission test in January 2010. The Lowell Admissions Policy is available at the EPC or on the District’s website at www.sfusd.edu.
• School of the Arts: SOTA applicants must turn in to EPC the SOTA application and a general SFUSD enrollment application, and contact SOTA at (415) 695-5700 to schedule an audition to take place in either January or March. SOTA applicants must turn in their general enrollment application by January 8, 2010 to participate in Round One.
For additional information, please refer to page 29 of the Enrollment Guide or the specific application forms and instructions for these two schools available at EPC or www.sfusd.edu.
Q: What must I do if I am interested in having my child attend a charter school?
A: Families and students interested in applying to charter schools should contact the charter school(s) directly for information regarding their application procedures. Charter school applications are handled through a different process than the general enrollment process for SFUSD’s other schools. Students may apply to charter schools and SFUSD schools but should not list charter schools among their school choices when completing SFUSD’s enrollment application.
Q: What happens if my child does not get assigned to any of the schools that I have listed on the enrollment application?
A: Your child will be assigned to a non-requested school, taking into account your home address, your language program preferences, or any special needs your child may have. If you applied on-time and are unhappy with your school of assignment, you have several options that are described below.
Q: What do I do if I am unhappy with my school of assignment? Can I appeal for a different school? Can I be put in a waiting pool for a school?
A: If you applied on-time and are unhappy with your school of assignment, you can:
• Attend an informational counseling session. Information counseling sessions will be held throughout the City immediately following Round One. The dates and locations of these informational counseling sessions are on page 38 of this Enrollment Guide. During the informational counseling sessions, families will learn more about schools with available space and staff will help them choose new requests from the list of schools with space.
• Request an assignment to a school that has openings. If you choose schools with openings, your requests will be included as part of a priority group in Round Two.
• Request to be placed in the waiting pool for one school. Each student can be placed in only one waiting pool.
• Turn in an appeal. A Family Hardship Appeal Committee and a Medical Appeals Panel will consider appeals from applicants who request an alternate assignment based on documented conditions that meet SFUSD guidelines. If your appeal is granted, EPC will make an appropriate school placement. More information on the guidelines for appeals is on page 40 of this Enrollment Guide.
See page 38 of the Enrollment Guide for more information on options for Round 1 Participants.
Q: What if I miss the Round 1 assignment and am enrolling after January 8, 2010 (deadline for Round 1)?
A: You can still submit an enrollment application and receive a school assignment.
Bring all required documents to the Educational Placement Center.
