San Francisco Schools Shift from Lottery to Neighborhood Enrollment

The San Francisco Unified School District board will vote on Tuesday evening to adopt a neighborhood-based enrollment plan, with implementation slated for the 2028–2029 school year. Incoming kindergarten students in fall 2028 would be the first to be assigned to a school based on their home address. The district will redraw attendance boundaries over the coming months and announce the new neighborhood schools in the spring.

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SFUSD eliminated its lottery system in 2018 after data showed it had not reduced socioeconomic segregation. A zone-based proposal approved in 2020 was delayed by the pandemic and budget shortfalls and was later removed from consideration. Board President Phil Kim framed the current direction as “neighborhood schools,” arguing it will make enrollment more predictable and keep students closer to home.

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A district survey of 2,725 families showed 71 % favored Option B (guaranteed neighborhood placement with the ability to apply citywide) while 48 % supported Option C (guaranteed placement even for missed deadlines but limited citywide applications). The existing lottery often yields hundreds of applications for a handful of kindergarten seats at some schools, while other schools struggle to fill a single classroom.

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Board member Alida Fisher emphasized that “for any of these systems to be successful, we’ve got to address the resources.” Parents warned that assigning students to their nearest school will not fix disparities in underserved neighborhoods. Roberto Guzman Rivera, a parent at Guadalupe Elementary, highlighted chronic absenteeism, excessive suspensions, and low literacy levels in Black and brown communities.

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• “The complexity and lack of predictability of the lottery is driving families away and creates unnecessary anxiety,” — Jaime Huling, board vice president

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• “Chronic absenteeism, the excessive suspension of our communities, literacy levels. Black and brown communities, they don't read up to level,” — Guzman Rivera, a parent at Guadalupe Elementary

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• “For any of these systems to be successful, we've got to address the resources,” — Alida Fisher

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• “But also we know that location alone does not guarantee equity,” — Blanca Catalan, a parent organizer at Coleman Advocates

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