Fall 2026 Family Survey and Focus Groups on SFUSD's Student Assignment Policy

Families told us they want two things: a school they can count on near home, and a say in which school fits their child. Asked to choose, 82% picked a guaranteed spot near home over applying more widely. Separately, 96% agreed it is important to pick the school that best fits their child. Families rated Options A and B about the same (72% said each would likely meet their needs) and Option C lower (48%). Families most often said a nearby school would need to be safe, teach reading and math well, and keep teachers over time. About two in three (65%) were not sure SFUSD would follow through on investing in a school near them.

This report describes what families said. It does not recommend a policy option. Survey respondents do not fully reflect SFUSD families, so results should be read with the notes below.

• Survey: 
  • 2,978 responses from September 11 to October 9, 2026: 1,871 SFUSD families and 1,107 families not in SFUSD, most with children not yet in school. The survey was offered in seven languages; 316 responses came in a language other than English.
• Focus groups: 
  • 8 sessions with about 66 parents and caregivers from September 25 to October 9. They included sessions in Cantonese and Spanish, and sessions co-hosted with the African American Parent Advisory Council, the Special Education Community Advisory Committee, and Mission Graduates.

• Data is not a random sample. These are families who chose to respond. Among SFUSD-family respondents, 26% were White, compared with 15% of SFUSD kindergarten students. Latino families (18% compared with 31%) and Black families (3% compared with 6%) were under-represented. 25% of SFUSD-family respondents receive free or reduced-price meals, CalFresh, or Medi-Cal, compared with 52% of SFUSD elementary students.
• Results are shown as answered. When SFUSD-family results were adjusted to match district neighborhoods and income, ratings of the three options changed by 2 points or less. Preference for a guaranteed spot near home dropped by 3 points, and for picking from four nearby schools by 4 points.
• Focus groups are not votes. They highlight what participants said and why. Among the 42 focus group participants who filled out a demographic form, a larger share were Hispanic/Latino, lower-income, or had a child in special education than among survey respondents.
• Context for the paired choices. For reference, in March 2026, 96% of assigned kindergarten students received one of their choices (including students promoted from TK), and 71% received their first choice (SFUSD Enrollment Center).

• Survey. Online Google Form, open September 11 to October 9, 2026, in seven languages. Shared by SFUSD and community partners, with extra outreach to neighborhoods with fewer responses. Answers in other languages were translated to the English answer choices before analysis. Most questions were optional, so the number answering varies by question.
• Groups. "SFUSD families" have at least one child in SFUSD now. "Not in SFUSD" includes families with children not yet in school or in private or charter schools.
• Race and ethnicity follow SFUSD reporting: Latino (any race) first, then a single race or "Two or more races." "Black, alone or with another race" overlaps the other rows. Area of the city groups zip codes into SFUSD planning regions; some zip codes cross regions. Home language comes from a write-in answer and groups can overlap.
• Privacy and small groups. Results for any group with fewer than 30 responses are not shown (—). Groups with 30 to 99 responses are marked * and should be read with care. No names, schools, or comments that could identify a person are included.
• Written comments were read and sorted into themes using a fixed list. A comment can count toward up to three themes.
• Focus groups were one-hour sessions that used a one-page description of the three options. Themes come from facilitator notes. The September 30 Spanish-language session had no attendees. A Spanish-language session with Mission Graduates was held October 6.
• Rounding. Percentages are rounded to whole numbers, so some columns do not add to exactly 100%.

Please find detailed survey and focus group responses. Translated versions are coming soon.