Announcement Details
Announcement Message
Dear SFUSD families,
On Tuesday, October 13, the San Francisco Board of Education approved a resolution directing SFUSD to develop a neighborhood-based student assignment system for elementary schools, replacing our current lottery-based enrollment system.
What this means for you now
Nothing changes yet. The new system will take effect in October 2027 for students enrolling for the 2028-29 school year. Today, I am writing to share why we are moving in this direction and how you can help shape the details.
Why we are making this change
For years, many of you have told us that the process of enrolling your child in school feels unpredictable, unreliable, and complicated. Where your child goes to school should not come down to luck.
Under the proposed policy, every family would be assigned to a neighborhood elementary school based on their home address, regardless of when they apply. Citywide specialized programs, like language and K-8 schools, will still be available for families to choose. Based on our analysis, we may also redesign and expand the types of citywide schools available to serve the needs of our diverse students.
Our shared goal is a strong SFUSD school close to every child's home. While I know families may disagree on how to reach this goal, we share the collective belief that all San Francisco families deserve a strong neighborhood school. In our family survey, you told us what that means: a school that is safe, that teaches reading and math with rigor, and that has stable staffing, so every student has trusted adults they can count on.
I know many of you favored other approaches. I chose this direction because the current system has not worked equally for everyone. Many families who do not feel confident in their neighborhood school choose to go elsewhere, which leaves those schools with fewer students and fewer resources. At the same time, not all families have had equal access to school choice. The current system often favors families with the time, language access, and resources to navigate a complicated process. That is why I see this decision as a call to action. The real impact on students’ experiences will come from how we implement the new policy, including how we equitably resource our schools.
These are our commitments to you
- Certainty: a guaranteed seat close to home, including for families who apply late.
- Choice: citywide programs that stay open to all families, with options to choose a program that’s right for your child
- Confidence: a neighborhood school that is safe, academically rigorous, and staffed by trusted adults who stay.
I know some of you are not sure we will follow through on investing in the school near you. That concern is fair. I am asking you to help us get this right and to hold us accountable.
How you can help shape the plan
Last Tuesday’s action sets the direction. It is not the final policy, and it will only work if families help shape it. In the next few months, we will hold community engagement sessions in multiple languages, in your schools and neighborhoods, so we can design policy details to make it work for all families. Together, we will work out the details, including:
- Which schools serve which addresses (attendance areas)
- How we decide who gets a seat in citywide schools when there are more applications than spaces available (tiebreakers)
- Transportation
- Language pathways
- Special education placement
The Board is expected to review a draft policy in March 2027, with a final vote scheduled for April 13, 2027.
I believe equity and excellence can and should coexist. Our goal is a district where every student can activate their fullest potential, and where our public schools are the greatest equalizer of opportunity San Francisco has to offer. We will get there by building this together.
Sincerely,
Dr. Maria Su
SFUSD Superintendent