Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is there an advantage to applying early?

A: There is an advantage to applying on-time. All applications turned in by January 9, 2009 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 children’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 attend in the 2009-10 school year if their parent/ guardian turns in the enrollment application by January 9, 2009 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 non-attendance area students as long as there is space available and attendance area students contribute to diversity as defined by the Student Assignment System. 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 my child wants to attend the School of the Arts (SOTA) or Lowell High School?

A: Lowell and SOTA have additional application requirements. 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 the Lowell High School application and a general SFUSD application form by December 12, 2008 and take the CST/STAR test in 7th grade or the Lowell admission test in January 2009. The Lowell Admissions Policy is available upon request at the EPC at 555 Franklin St., Room 100 or on this Website.

• SOTA: SOTA applicants must turn in the SOTA application and a general SFUSD enrollment application, and schedule an audition to take place in either January or March. SOTA applicants must turn in their general enrollment application by January 9, 2009 to participate in Round One.

Please refer to the specific application forms and instructions for these two schools for additional information.

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 and any language programs or other 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 can 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. For the dates and locations of these informational counseling sessions, please please click here. 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., 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. Click here for more information on options for Round One participants.