On Tuesday the Board of Education will hold its third study session on the new enrollment system. Three options remain, and the Board will narrow them to one or two before its October 13 vote on which model SFUSD should develop into a final policy. This is a decision that will shape the experience of SFUSD families for years, and SF Parents has been working to make sure families understand what’s been proposed and have a real voice in what comes next.

Over the past several months, we’ve attended and reported back on every Board study session, dug into the proposals and data, talked with families about their enrollment experiences, shared information so parents can understand what’s being considered, and brought what we’re hearing back to SFUSD and the Board.

One message has come through particularly clearly: families want more predictability in enrollment, but they don’t want to lose meaningful choice.

And now, SFUSD’s own community engagement is telling a very similar story.

As a reminder, you can read about the details of Options A, B and C in our 9/11 Newsletter.

The district’s report for study session three includes feedback from 2,725 families, including 1,685 currently enrolled in SFUSD. Overall, families strongly preferred Options A (Small Zones) and B (Neighborhood School + All Schools) over the more restrictive Option C (Neighborhood School + Citywide Programs). 

Among all respondents, 73% said Option A was likely to meet their family’s needs and 71% said the same about Option B, compared with just 48% for Option C. But some of the differences become more striking when you look at families whose experiences can be most affected by where they live.

Option B received the strongest support of the three options among:

• Low-income families: 75% (vs. A 69% and C 51%)

• Black families: 67% (vs. A 62% and C 38%)

• Families responding in a language other than English: 83% (vs. A 72% and C 70%)

• Families in Southeast San Francisco: 69% (vs. A 59% and C 45%)

• Families who said they don’t have an acceptable school nearby: 60% School Reorg (vs. A 37% and C 34%)
  

These results matter because we’ve said throughout this process that a guaranteed neighborhood school is valuable, but families, especially those SFUSD has historically underserved, also need meaningful options when their neighborhood school isn’t the right fit.

The district’s survey helps explain why. Among families who said they don’t have an acceptable school nearby, the #1 thing they said would need to change for them to choose a nearby school was better reading and math teaching. We can redesign enrollment, but enrollment policy can’t substitute for making every SFUSD school one families are excited to choose. Families need great neighborhood schools, AND meaningful choices while SFUSD does the work to make that true across the district.

Based on what we’ve heard from families and what we’re seeing in the district’s own engagement, SF Parents believes Option B—Neighborhood + All Schools—currently offers the best balance.

We shared this position directly with the Board of Education in a letter, laying out what we’ve heard from families and urging commissioners to preserve an option that gives families both a guaranteed neighborhood school and the ability to choose another SFUSD school when it better meets their child’s needs. And the district’s latest survey results reinforce many of the concerns we raised. Families want more predictability, but the results also show why preserving meaningful choice matters, particularly for families SFUSD has historically underserved.

We also know Option B isn’t perfect. It comes with real questions about capacity, program placement, boundaries, and diversity that the district will need to address as the policy is developed. However, it does give SFUSD a more manageable path to implementation. It builds on the enrollment system already in place and is rated a moderate implementation risk, while Option A would require a much more complex redesign and is considered high risk for meeting the 2028 timeline.

This enrollment process is a good example of why SF Parents exists. When something this important is happening in SFUSD, parents shouldn’t have to figure it out alone, or find out about it after the decision has already been made. Our community helps us understand what families are experiencing across the city. We turn complicated district proposals into information parents can actually use. We create ways for families to weigh in. And we bring what we’re hearing directly to district leaders and the Board. That’s how thousands of individual parent voices become a collective voice that affects change for our kids.

And we’re going to keep showing up throughout this process, not just for Tuesday’s meeting or next week’s vote, but as SFUSD works through the many decisions that will determine what this new enrollment system actually looks like for families.

Now is the time for families to weigh in. At tonight’s study session, the Board will narrow the options that will move forward before it sets a direction on October 13. Read our Cheat Sheet for tonight’s study session for a breakdown of the three options, the latest parent feedback, and the tradeoffs the Board will be considering tonight.

Then join us next Tuesday, 10/13, at the BOE meeting to make a public comment! Join SF Parents on October 13 as we mobilize families to show up and make our voices heard before the Board makes its decision.

Join SF Parents at next week’s board meeting on Tuesday, 10/13, as we mobilize families to show up and make our voices heard before the Board makes its decision.

This is your city. Share your story. San Francisco families and young adults (age 18-24) are invited to join one of 14 Family Summits across the city. What families share will help inform future City and SFUSD planning for children, youth and families. Learn more at SF.gov/ThisIsYourCity.

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SF Parents Coalition is a 501c3 nonprofit that centers the needs of children and youth in San Francisco public schools by bringing together a diverse network of parents and caregivers to advocate for a thriving, equitable school system.

Join as a member, volunteer, or donate to support our work! 

SF Parent Action is our affiliate 501c4 organization that empowers public school parents in San Francisco to advocate for policy change and local candidates who support public school families and students. 

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