Applying to Lowell High School

The deadline to apply to Lowell for 9th grade for the 2023-24 school year has passed. 

If I applied to Lowell before December 16, can I re-order my other high school preferences?

If you applied to Lowell by December 16, you can add more schools to your application by February 3. However, you will not be able to use the Online Application to do your revision, because Lowell will no longer be an option.  You will need to use the 2023-24 Main Round Revision form which is available on our website and in our office.

Per the Admissions Policy, Lowell applicants who have not taken the 7th grade California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP), also known as SBAC, in a California public school must take the Lowell Admission Test on one of these scheduled dates:

• Saturday, January 7, 2023, 8:30 a.m. at Lowell High School, 1101 Eucalyptus Ave., San Francisco, CA 94132
• Wednesday, January 11, 2023, 6:00 p.m. at Lowell High School, 1101 Eucalyptus Ave., San Francisco, CA 94132

Applicants must select one of these test dates on their Lowell application.

• There will be no confirmation letter sent. Applicants are expected to appear on their selected date.
• Students arriving late will not be permitted to take the test.
• The Saturday test will be over by approx. 11:00 a.m. The Wednesday test will be over by approx. 9:00 p.m.
• There is a 15 minute break in which refreshments are allowed but not provided.
• Dictionaries and calculators will not be allowed. Pencils and paper will be provided.
• Usage of mobile phones or other smart devices during the test is prohibited and may result in disqualification. Phones and other smart devices will be collected at the start of the test and returned at the end.
• To be admitted to the test setting, all students must bring some form of picture identification.
• Students who have taken the CAASPP(SBAC) test in the spring of the 7th grade will not be permitted to take the Lowell admission test. If a student takes the test and the EPC receives earlier scores, the earlier scores will be used and the new scores will be discarded.
• Parents/legal guardians who wish to receive their children’s composite scores in March 2023, must indicate so on the Lowell application. The composite score is the point value derived from the applicants’ grades and test score. Detailed individual test reports will not be provided.
• Students who receive test accommodations at their current school through an IEP, 504 plan or other documented school plan, must check the box on the application. If available, please attach documentation. If unavailable, EPC will obtain it from the current school.

Report card grades from 7th and 8th grades and CAASPP or Lowell Admission test results will be obtained by the Educational Placement Center (EPC) from the District or the applicant’s current school.

Complete information about the process is available on the Lowell application form and the Lowell Admissions Policy, available soon at sfusd.edu/enroll. 

Update: SFUSD will be reviewing emerging data on learning loss and its impact on students' SBAC scores. Pending this analysis, SFUSD will review cutoff scores and determine if a “COVID adjustment” is necessary. The timeline for making any adjustments would likely occur in late January. We will communicate in February the outcome of that review process and students will receive assignments in March.

The EPC will not have any additional information to share regarding a possible "COVID adjustment" until SFUSD makes a determination if a "COVID adjustment" is necessary.

Because adjustments may be made, we encourage all students interested in Lowell to apply. 

Please check this page for any updates. If you any questions or concerns, please call the Student Family School Resource Link at (415) 340-1716. 

All applications received for Lowell are reviewed, and students who meet the admissions criteria are identified before the school assignment run in March.

Students who meet the admission criteria and list Lowell as their first choice will receive an assignment offer to Lowell.

Those who meet the requirements but list another school as a higher choice will go into the school assignment process for their higher choice. If they are assigned that higher choice, they will not receive an offer to Lowell. However, if they do not receive their higher choice, they will be assigned to Lowell.

Students who do not meet the admissions criteria for Lowell will not be negatively impacted for other school choices. They will still be included in the assignment process for other school choices listed on their application.

Due to the student assignment process, it is very important that students list their school choices in order of their preference.

Assignment offers will be mailed by March 20, 2023. There is no wait pool or appeal process for Lowell. There also is no sibling tiebreaker for Lowell, nor are the other regular high school tiebreakers applied. All students must meet the admissions criteria to enroll.

Additional details can be found here: 

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The Lowell application process for grades 10-12 for the 2023-24 school year begins May 8, 2023.

Apply Online

Students may apply online through ParentVue using the Lowell Transfer Application.

Apply by Paper

Paper applications will also be available at the Educational Placement Center (EPC) and sfusd.edu/enroll.

• The paper application must be submitted in person to EPC or via email to enrollinschool@sfusd.edu between May 8 and June 23, 2023.

Applications submitted after the June 23, 2023 deadline, or those received by mail or fax, will not be considered.

Grades

To qualify for Lowell admission into grades 10-12, the best grades from four of the five academic subjects from each semester of high school will be considered:

• English
• Laboratory Sciences
• Social Studies
• Mathematics
• Foreign Language

These classes must be listed on their official transcript. No more than one course from each of the five academic subject areas will be considered. Courses completed in summer school are not acceptable.

Transcripts

Current SFUSD students do not need to submit transcripts.

Students who attend school outside of SFUSD or attend a charter school must submit their official transcripts to the EPC by July 3, 2023. Transcripts can be submitted separately from the application by the July 3, 2023 deadline. Transcripts must arrive sealed to be considered official and may be mailed or emailed directly from the applicant’s current school.

Availability for grades 10-12

Availability for grades 10-12 depends on the number of available seats at Lowell. Notification letters will be mailed no later than July 28, 2023.

There is no wait pool or appeal process for Lowell.

There also is no sibling priority for Lowell, nor are the other regular high school tiebreakers applied.

All students must meet the admissions criteria to enroll.

Additional details will be provided in Spring 2023.