I am a San Francisco resident, parent of two school aged children, and consultant for local families searching for school options. My own children attended public schools for 5 years before transferring to private school. In addition, I have advised numerous parents who would love their children to attend an SFUSD school.
Currently, SFUSD is facing decreased enrollment and therefore decreased funding. This decrease has caused SFUSD to receive a negative budget certification from the state, and face substantial budget cuts. In the district's words, SFUSD is facing a budget crisis.
There are two ways to handle a budget defecit, decreasing costs or increasing revenue. I will share some ideas that could grow enrollment. Please comment with your ideas to increase enrollment!
Expand programs that are popular and oversubscribed. Parents are seeking specific programs, and we can tell which they are by looking at enrollment and waitlist patterns. When parents receive an assignment not on their lottery list, they often choose to either enroll in private school or move to a suburban school district. Recently, parents at Argonne Elementary, a popular district school, were notified that their schoool in fall 2025 will reduce from three kindergartens to two. This decision seems counterintuitive when for this current school year, the school received 478 total requests (44 first choice) for the 66 seats in their 3 classes of kindergarten. We know that the lottery will place students well beyond first choice requests, so one might ask, where does the district expect to place these 22 extra students when they go to 2 classes of kindergarten? If the answer is an under enrolled school, how will they convince the parents to accept this assignment instead of committing to a private school or leaving San Francisco?
Maintaining the capacity of schools like Argonne, Clarendon, Lilienthal, and so forth will ensure enrollment in the district as a whole. Lincoln, Washington, and Galileo High Schools are examples of schools with large demand, yet capacity cut over time. This spreadsheet summarizes enrollment and the lottery over time.
Any school that has a long wait pool should be expanded to its physical capacity, and if there are two programs, and one is over vs the other under enrolled, change the balance from 50/50 to 75/25, for example with Flynn Spanish Immersion vs General Education, the Spanish is at capacity with a waitlist, while the GE program is below capacity, and the same for Starr King Mandarin Immersion vs General Education.
Optimize Elementary Schools for Larger Class Sizes in 4th Grade. Let's consider the funnel for enrollment in 4th grade when choosing the number of seats for kindergarten. The district cap is 22 student per class in K thru 3rd grade and 33 students per class in 4th and 5th grade. The optimal size for an elementary school is therefore three classes of kindergarten because, at 22 kids per class, three classes gives you 66 kids per grade, so a school can create two 4th grade classes of 33. Not only does reducing capacity of a school like Argonne from three classes of kindergarten to two leave parents unhappy at kindergarten, it eventually leaves the school under enrolled for 4th grade.
We also know also that many Spanish and Mandarin programs are sell outs, in other words, total capacity for these programs is far below the demand. And yet, some schools have one class of language immersion, making the program dramatically under enrolled by 4th grade. Therefore, both efficiency and enrollment could benefit expanding language programs at any popular school with space, for instance Monroe or Flynn Spanish Immersion and Starr King for Mandarin Immersion.
Expand Specialty High School Programs. Ruth Asawa School of the Arts and Lowell High School attract tremendous interest by students despite the application process required for each. Middle Schoolers spend years practicing musical instruments, arts, or academic subjects to attend these schools, and parents routinely prioritize these two schools over private options. Parents choose high schools in light of the college admissions their children might seek, and have specific reasons for preferring these magnet-type schools. Expanding RASOTA and Lowell would draw private school children back into the district, thereby bringing in additional revenue. Lowell might not have space, but a second site modeled after Lowell could be attractive.
Feedback from Parents Who Leave SFUSD Schools. Every year, parents enter the lottery and then decline to enroll their students. Similarly, every year, parents transfer their students out of the district to private schools and local suburban districts. These parents are a source of constuctive feedback. I suggest virtual feedback sessions and online surveys with these parents. Listen to their feedback and present an annual report with recommendations for the school board once a year.
Reconsider the New Enrollment System for Foreign Language Programs. To offer families a menu of one program for each foreign language sounds lovely on the surface if your family heritage language isn’t one of them. But let's think about this for specific parents. For instance, say your family were Chinese/Spanish, you would want the language that your relatives speak, especially to communicate with monolingual relatives. You would want the opportunity to list every program that taught in your family heritage language, not just one program. Getting a different language would be useless to you, heartbreaking even. Latinos and Asians represent 64% of our district, and their interests should be prioritized to get the opportunity for their children to learn their family heritage language.
Bring Back Math Acceleration. Math acceleration is remarkably popular, one might look at the thriving businesses of Kumon, Russian Math, and Mathnasium. While I applaud the return of Algebra 1 in 8th grade, it’s more efficient for students to spread out the extra year of math over multiple years. At private schools with Algebra I in 8th grade, students learn more math each year in K-7th, so that they don't need to double up to take Algebra I in middle school. This pace also makes the program more amenable to a variety of learning levels.
Let's next talk about single subject acceleration in math for quick learners. I will quote Carol Dweck (the author of Mindset) here, when I asked her at the end of a talk about how to deal with my student’s boredom in SFUSD math, “Ask for harder math. Insist on harder math. I never said that every child learns math at the same pace, I said that every student can learn math. Coasting teaches terrible habits and a fixed mindset.” In the past, SFUSD allowed single subject acceleration in math with the approval of the school principal. Then, the district decided to require approval of both the Chief Academic Officer and the head of the district Math Department. Next, the district decided no child could accelerate math before high school. As a parent of mathematically talented children, I saw the frustration with the district math pace and the impact it had on their mindset. Reopening acceleration at the discretion of the school principal would allow a student-centered decision with input from the teacher.
Treat College Prep as a Basic and Required Element. In a recent school board presentation, a pyramid was presented with required essential services at the base and two middle levels with optional programs to be implemented only as funding becomes available. Surprisingly, a to g classes for high school -- those required to apply to a University of California or California State Universities -- were in an optional layer. This placement will alienate parents of college bound teens. The school district has a vision that all graduates will be College and Career Ready, which requires as mandatory a to g classes. Therefore, a to g requirements should be in the base of the pyramid with guaranteed funding.
Expand Dual Enrollment with Early College. Districts including Palo Alto offer early college through the community colleges. SFUSD has the ideal site to start a similar program, Independence High School. While CCSF does not allow entry before 11th grade, local community colleges, such as De Anza and Foothill offer dual enrollment with no minimum age. For kids who want flexible schedules, whether due to sports/arts/acting or simply due to ambition to study a subject in depth, early colleges offer opportunity.
Larger Enrollment Benefits All Students
In conclusion, we must remember that the more students that attend SFUSD, the more money the district has for optional programs, including social workers, smaller class sizes, and specialized support for low income students. While we might wish parents would follow the district's requests on enrollment patterns, we must acknowledge that parents will prioritize their own children's and family's needs.
Want more input on K-12 schools?
Vicky consults with families to help select, apply to, and communicate with public and private schools in the San Francisco Bay Area. Vicky maintains a principle of non-judgment. Hourly, VIP, and Season packages include a discussion to review school options, applications, essays, and key decisions. Vicky offers a limited number of packages each year to assure her availability.
Vicky’s own children have attended both public and private schools, and have received both accommodations and curriculum changes; her elder is in high school, and her younger in middle school. New clients can email to learn more about her services, or see her website to learn about her packages.
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