The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) maintains a system of “general enrollment” for the majority of its schools. This means that instead of simply attending an assigned local school, students may elect which schools they would prefer. The SFUSD’s Educational Placement Center (EPC) reviews the preferences listed on each person’s enrollment application and then offers an assignment at one school. The good news about general enrollment is that the SFUSD does not automatically force your child to attend a possibly inferior public school simply because it is the designated institution for your area. But the bad news is that your child is not guaranteed a place in a quality school nearby — or in any of his or her alternate choices. Considering San Francisco’s lack of quality public education, which already makes for limited options, the SFUSD’s system of general enrollment might not work for you.

If you do plan to send your children to public school, bear in mind that an offer of assignment from the EPC factors in at least two criteria. The first is whether or not the student’s home address falls within a school’s “attendance area.” Priority is given to those people who live within these boundaries, so where you choose to buy a home still matters. However, if there are more area applicants than seats available, placement is not guaranteed. The second factor the EPC considers is a student’s contribution to diversity, “as defined by the Diversity Index.” The EPC takes diversity into account when students apply for placements outside of their designated attendance areas or for assignments in alternative schools, which have no official attendance areas. Depending on the school other criteria might also apply. For instance, Lowell High School requires the California Achievement Test, while the School of the Arts (SOTA) requires talent auditions. Also, charter schools have application procedures different from the SFUSD’s general enrollment process and should be contacted individually for details.