Despite a budget crisis and bad press, San Francisco public schools have received more than 15,000 applications for the coming year, the most in more than a decade.
The demographic driving the surge is 4-year-olds, thanks to a state law mandating that schools provide universal “transitional kindergarten,” or TK, an early education program between pre-kindergarten and kindergarten, to eligible kids.
On Monday, about 15,472 applicants are expected to receive first-round school assignments from the San Francisco Unified School District for the 2025-26 year. The number represents a 10% increase from the last school year.
“We are thrilled to see increased interest in SFUSD,” Superintendent Maria Su said. “We are excited to welcome families to the 2025-26 school year, whether they are changing schools or enrolling in our district for the first time.”
Because of the state law, SFUSD has received about 2,000 applications for TK programs, 600 more than last year. Elementary, middle, and high school applications also rose.
Lauren Koehler, executive director of the district’s enrollment center, confirmed that this is the most applications for SFUSD since 2012. Even though some families may decline their assignments, she expects the coming year’s enrollment to be slightly higher than the current 50,000 students.
But the long-term trend is declining enrollment at SFUSD. Schools are down by more than 4,000 students since 2012-13 and are projected to lose 4,600 more students by 2032. These declines led to last year’s controversial proposal to close schools.
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After the closure plan stalled, the district switched gears, focusing on a workforce reduction to save $113 million. A popular early retirement incentive program has lessened the impact of teacher layoffs. Su has repeatedly stated that school closures are paused for 2025-26.
SFUSD this year rolled out a simplified enrollment process. Families must accept or decline their assignments by March 27, and a new waitlist system allows them to get results without reapplying for their preferred choice. The enrollment center will host workshops to assist families with the process.
Phil Kim, president of the Board of Education, said that while the TK surge doesn’t make up for years of declining overall enrollment, it is an exciting development for the financially struggling district.
“That will have a long-term effect on SFUSD,” Kim said in an interview with The Standard. “That [4-year-old] student ideally will stay within our system from K through 12. That’s 13 years of funding.”