Apply to SFUSD Schools

Timeline

The Main Round application window for the 2025-26 school year is October 18, 2024 through January 31, 2025. Submit your application by January 31, 2025 to give your student the best chance possible of getting into your preferred schools. View the important dates in the enrollment timeline here.

Submit your application

Select one of the following ways to submit your SY 2025-26 application. 

1. Create or use your ParentVUE account to apply online. Visit sfusd.edu/onlineapp to get started.
2. Complete a paper application in an Enrollment Center office. 
3. Download, fill out, and email a PDF application to enrollinschool@sfusd.edu. English | Español | 中文 | Tagalog | العربي | Tiếng Việt | Gagana Sāmoa

Required documents

All new applicants must provide copies of their required documents when the application is submitted. 

• Parent or guardian picture ID
• Proof of address in San Francisco
• Proof of birth for the student

Current SFUSD students only need to provide a copy of the Parent or Guardian ID when the application is submitted.

New students can enroll into any SFUSD school that has an open seat and no Spring Transfer requests. Enroll your student today by speaking with an Enrollment Counselor in the office.

New applicants must gather their required documents before enrolling. Complete the application for new students either online (sfusd.edu/onlineapp) or in an Enrollment Center office.

IMPORTANT: Ruth Asawa School of the Arts (SOTA) and Lowell High School have different application processes and deadlines. The deadline to apply to Lowell High School General Education, or to Ruth Asawa SOTA for 2024-25 has passed, and those schools are not available for current year enrollment.

Students who are enrolled in SFUSD can submit a Spring Transfer application, to request a January transfer to one different school. There are no school transfers permitted during the Fall semester. 

Visit sfusd.edu/springtransfer for more information, and complete the online or PDF application to apply. The Spring Transfer application deadline is November 8, 2024.

The PreKindergarten (PK) Program serves children ages 2 years and 9 months to 5 years old. We offer both full-time and school-day options, and both subsidized and tuition-based enrollment slots. Our PK program can be found throughout San Francisco either in Early Education Schools, which solely specialize in offering PK and TK, or in Elementary Schools that offer PK up to 8th grade. 

Learn about how to enroll in a PreKindergarten program.

Transitional Kindergarten (TK) is for students who will be turning age 5 between September 2, 2025 and September 1, 2026 for the 2025-26 school year (see Age Requirements). TK is offered at select SFUSD Early Education Schools and elementary schools. Search and explore TK programs here.

TK applications follow our general student assignment process, and the rules for applying to TK mirror the rules for applying to Kindergarten. That means the attendance area tiebreaker is used for TK applications, so that TK assignments use the same tiebreakers as K-5.

TK Programs at Attendance Area Schools

Attendance area schools cover a geographic area (see a map of schools). There are no attendance areas for language immersion schools or K-8 schools. Attendance areas help students get assigned to their nearby elementary school if requested. Students are not required to attend their elementary attendance area school, and there is no guarantee that students will be placed at their elementary attendance area school. 

Elementary Attendance Area School Tiebreakers (learn about Tiebreakers)

1. Sibling: A sibling of a student who is enrolled in and will be attending the school.
2. PK/TK Attendance Area: PreK students who live in the attendance area of the school requested; and are enrolled in an SFUSD PreK in the same attendance area of the requested school.
3. Test Score Area (CTIP1): Students who live in areas of the city with the lowest average test scores.
4. Attendance Area: Elementary school students who live in the attendance area of the elementary school requested
5. No tiebreakers: Students who do not have a tie-breaker.

TK Programs at City-wide Schools and Programs

City-wide schools and programs include K-8 schools, language programs, newcomer schools and programs, and the SF Public Montessori School. 

Elementary City-wide School Tiebreakers (learn about Tiebreakers)

1. Sibling: A sibling of a student who is enrolled in and will be attending the school.
2. PK/TK Citywide: Incoming TK students who attend an SFUSD PreK at the elementary Citywide school to which they are applying.
3. Test Score Area (CTIP1): Students who live in areas of the city with the lowest average test scores.
4. No tiebreakers: Students who do not have a tie-breaker.

There are two types of elementary schools: attendance area and city-wide. You can apply to any of the 72 elementary schools in the city, be it an attendance area school or city-wide school, and you can list as many schools as you like. Explore elementary schools and programs here.

Elementary School applications follow our general student assignment process.

Attendance Area Schools

Attendance area schools cover a geographic area (see a map of schools). There are no attendance areas for K-5 language immersion schools, K-8 schools, middle or high schools. Attendance areas help students get assigned to their nearby elementary school if requested. Students are not required to attend their elementary attendance area school, and there is no guarantee that students will be placed at their elementary attendance area school. 

Elementary Attendance Area School Tiebreakers (learn about Tiebreakers)

1. Sibling: A sibling of a student who is enrolled in and will be attending the school.
2. PK/TK Attendance Area: PreK or TK students who live in the attendance area of the school requested; and are enrolled in an SFUSD PreK or TK in the same attendance area of the requested school.
3. Test Score Area (CTIP1): Students who live in areas of the city with the lowest average test scores.
4. Attendance Area Elementary school students who live in the attendance area of the elementary school requested
5. No tiebreakers Students who do not have a tie-breaker.

City-wide Schools and Programs

City-wide schools and programs include high schools, middle schools, K-8 schools, language programs, newcomer schools and programs, and the SF Public Montessori School. 

Elementary City-wide School Tiebreakers (learn about Tiebreakers)

1. Sibling: A sibling of a student who is enrolled in and will be attending the school.
2. PK/TK Citywide: Incoming kindergartners who attend an SFUSD PreK or TK at the elementary Citywide school to which they are applying.
3. Test Score Area (CTIP1): Students who live in areas of the city with the lowest average test scores.
4. No tiebreakers Students who do not have a tie-breaker.

Students enrolled in 5th grade at an SFUSD K-5 school will have to apply to middle school for 6th grade. There are 13 middle schools in SFUSD. Every K-5 school in the district is matched with a single middle school, known as their middle school feeder. While the elementary-to-middle school feeders create virtual K-8s based on elementary school enrollment, the student assignment process for middle school will continue to be a choice process. Applying for the middle school your elementary school feeds is optional, but your chances of placement are higher if you do request it. Middle School applications follow our general student assignment process. 

There is no guarantee that a student will be assigned to his/her feeder middle school.

Explore middle schools here.

Middle School Tiebreakers (learn about Tiebreakers)

Students will be assigned to their highest ranked request as long as there is space at the school. If there are more students applying than there are openings at a school, choice assignments will be made by looking to all the possible combinations of tiebreakers in the following hierarchical order:

1. Sibling: A sibling of a student who is enrolled in and will be attending the school.
2. Middle School Feeder: Incoming 6th-grade students enrolled in an elementary school that is identified as a feeder for the requested middle school.
3. Bayview Elementary School to All Middle Schools: Incoming sixth-grade students who attended Carver, Drew, Harte or Malcolm X elementary schools from grades K through 5 and apply to any SFUSD middle school.
4. Test Score Area (CTIP1): Students who live in areas of the city with the lowest average test scores.
5. No tiebreakers Students who do not have a tie-breaker.

Middle School Language Pathway Tiebreakers (learn about Tiebreakers) 

If you are applying for a city-wide language pathway that has eligibility requirements, first the student must meet the eligibility requirements. Then tiebreakers are applied.

1. Language Pathway Sibling: Students who are enrolled in and want to continue in a multilingual language pathway; and they have a sibling who is enrolled in and will be attending the same program.
2. Language Pathway: Students who are enrolled in and want to continue in a multilingual language pathway.
3. Sibling A sibling of a student who is currently enrolled in and will be attending the same school.
4. Middle School Feeder: Incoming 6th-grade students enrolled in an elementary school that is identified as a feeder for the requested middle school.
5. Test Score Area (CTIP1): Students who live in areas of the city with the lowest average test scores.
6. No tiebreakers Students who do not have a tie-breaker.

Willie Brown Middle School Tiebreakers (learn about Tiebreakers)

1. Sibling: A sibling of a student who is enrolled in and will be attending the school.
2. Bayview: Students enrolled in Carver, Drew, Harte, or Malcolm X elementary schools who apply to Willie Brown Middle School.
3. 94124: Students living in 94124 who apply to Willie Brown Middle School.
4. Test Score Area (CTIP1): Students who live in areas of the city with the lowest average test scores.
5. No tiebreakers Students who do not have a tie-breaker.

There are 14 high schools in SFUSD. All high schools are city-wide schools, and there is no high school feeder system. High School applications follow our general student assignment process. 

There is no guarantee that a student will be assigned to a particular high school.

Explore high schools here.

Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts has a different application process. See here for more information. 

Lowell High School also has a different application process. See here for more information. 

High School Tiebreakers (learn about Tiebreakers)

1. Sibling A sibling of a student who is enrolled in and will be attending the school.
2. Willie Brown Middle School Students applying to 9th grade who attended Willie Brown Middle School in 6th, 7th and 8th grades. This applies to all high schools requested except Lowell and Ruth Asawa, which have different enrollment policies.
3. Test Score Area (CTIP1) Students who live in areas of the city with the lowest average test scores.
4. No tiebreakers Students who do not have a tiebreaker.

Access, the Adult Transition Program, is for students on track for a Certificate of Completion at the end of 12th grade. SFUSD students on IEPs are eligible for special education services through Access until they are 22 years of age or complete a High School Diploma.

Access Transition Program applications follow our general student assignment process. 

Alternative High Schools

Alternative high schools offer programming optimized to meet the specific educational needs of non-traditional students. All schools offer intensive guidance, a variable credit system, and individualized learning plans. They also offer students the opportunity to earn a high school diploma or to transfer to a traditional high school. Students are referred to alternative high schools through the SFUSD Office of Pupil Services.

These schools are not included in the Educational Placement Center’s general high school application.

County High Schools

In addition to schools in the SFUSD, San Francisco also operates schools under the County Office of Education. County schools serve as an additional safety net for youth whose temporary circumstances require specialized supports and structures. County schools focus on addressing the unique needs of their students and building the skills they will need for their next transition. San Francisco County students receive regular SFUSD credits.

These schools are also not included in the Educational Placement Center’s general high school application.

Charter schools are publicly-funded, privately-run schools. Unlike a traditional school district, which is centrally managed, charter schools operate independently from school districts and county offices of education. 

Students can apply to both SFUSD district schools and charter schools at the same time. Enrollment processes for charter schools differ from SFUSD enrollment. Please contact the specific charter school for more information.