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kovocked December 31, 2008

Moving to SF and Enrolling in SFUSD

kovocked
Hello -

I am a parent of a 7th grader that will be moving to San Francisco in June. Since I'm not currently living in SF, I'm wondering what my options are in applying for enrollment. I've downloaded the enrollment forms from the SFUSD site and it seems that until I can supply a documents with my name and address on it, I can't do anything. My fiance lives in the city and has an SF address, but he is not my son's legal guardian. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
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Parent Answers to "Moving to SF and Enrolling in SFUSD "

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msrunnerup
msrunnerup February 9, 2009
Well, now I'm terrified.

I seemed to successfully bend the Oakland Unified School District to my will three years ago...I'm wondering if that's going to help me at all with SF.

We're moving in June-July from Oakland, enrolling my daughter in Jr. High...this seems impossible! How does one plan for things like commute, budgeting commute costs, afterschool care, etc. when one can't even speak to the district before they have an address that seems to not at all be a factor in school choice/selection?

Yes, officially, I'm terrified.
sfmom3
sfmom3 February 8, 2009
Since you will be moving in June and you are too late for the 1st and 2nd round school assignments, as soon as you are settled and can prove your SF residency requirements, march into EPC and apply and see what middle schools they have open. By law, they have to assign you a public school. Then look at my previous posting as to good public middle schools in SFUSD.
sfmom3
sfmom3 February 8, 2009
The name of the Executive Director in charge of SFUSD Educational Placement Center (EPC) is Darlene Lim. Basically, don't worry about what school you want at this point, try concentrating on getting a SF residential address and proving it. You may need a Driver's license, utility bills. They will need 2 docs to prove this. The cut-off date for the 1st round school assignment for Fall 2009 was Jan 9, 2009, but you can still apply for the March, 2009 2nd round assignments (caveat: you might not get the popular middle schools in this round). You need: 2 proof of address, birth certifs, and proof of shots (but the school will collect the shots history not EPC). Once you get your docs, apply for the March round 2 deadline and pick your 7 schools. Again, doesn't matter where you live, they pick by lottery. Good SF public middle schools are: Presidio, A.P. Giannini, Hoover are the tops picks. Gems that are not inundated with applicants are: Roosevelt, Aptos, James Lick and Marina. Stay away from schools in the Bay View/Hunters Point area (Visitation Valley, etc). You can live across the street from Presidio MS and still not get in, there are no neighborhood schools policies in SFUSD---that's why the system is screwed up. Hope this helps.
crystallena
crystallena January 9, 2009
Be Prepared for many frustrations while dealing with the SFUSD! I moved here from Salt Lake City, UT 3 weeks ago, and STILL have not been able to enroll my kids in school! I have been down to the placement center every non-holiday day for the last 2 weeks, and I am one step away from declaring my children homeless so that they can get enrolled. It doesnt state on the website, but you also need to get a TB test before you can enroll, and GOOD LUCK navigating the SF health care system! I am also one step away from lying and saying that I do NOT have health Insurance, because, apparently, you can get immediate appointments if you are indigent, but must wait 3 weeks if you are paying for it! DOn't get me wrong, I love San Francisco, but I am on my last nerve trying to get my kids enrolled in school!!!!
tjlove
GreatSchools Staff tjlove January 6, 2009
And welcome to San Francisco!
MagnetMom
MagnetMom December 31, 2008
Hi kovocked, and welcome to GreatSchools.

You've already been on the website, but it does say that you will be able to enroll in any school with openings as soon as you move to the district. The FAQ is located here: portal.sfusd.edu/template/default.cfm?page=policy.placement.enrollment0708

My only suggestion would be to contact the district office when they reopen after the holiday break and talk to someone IN the district office. Sometimes there's a great deal to be gained by talking to a live body in charge rather than trying to guess here what will work best for them. And if you get a name, it will be even better when you do go in and try to enroll.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

Any contributed content above is the subjective opinion of that member or external author, and not of GreatSchools. GreatSchools does not check for accuracy in community posts or verify the contributor’s identity. If you are searching for health-related advice we strongly suggest you seek professional medical support. View our Community Guidelines for more details.
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