San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), established in 1851, is the only public school district within the City and County of San Francisco, and the first in the state of California. Under the management of the San Francisco Board of Education, the district serves more than 55,500 students in more than 160 institutions.
SFUSD utilizes an intra-district school choice system and requires students and parents to submit a selection application. Every year in the fall, the SFUSD hosts a Public School Enrollment Fair to provide families access to information about all the schools in the district.
SFUSD has the second highest Academic Performance Index among the seven largest California school districts in California. Newsweek’s national ranking of "Best High Schools in America" named seven SFUSD high schools among the top five percent in the country in 2007. In 2005, two SFUSD schools were recognized by the federal government as No Child Left Behind Blue-Ribbon Schools.
SFUSD previously practiced a race-based admissions system. In 1983 the NAACP sued the school district and won a consent decree that mandated that no more than 45% of any racial group may make up the percentage of students at a single school. At the time, white and black students were the largest demographic groups in the school district. The decree was intended to benefit black children. When it was discovered that Hispanic children also had low test scores, they were added to the decree's intended beneficiaries.
In a five-year period ending in 1999, Asian and Latino students were the largest demographic groups in the SFUSD. In 1994, after several ethnic Chinese students were denied admission to programs because too many ethnic Chinese students were present, ethnic Chinese parents sued SFUSD arguing that the system promoted racial discrimination. On April 15, 1998, the Chinese-American group asked a federal appeals court to end the admissions practice. The system required ethnic Chinese students to receive higher scores than other ethnic groups in order to be admitted to Lowell High School, the city's most prestigious public high school. Waldemar Rojas, the superintendent, wanted to keep the decree because the district had received $37 million in desegregation funds. The NAACP had defended the decree. White parents who were against the racial quotas had a tendency to leave San Francisco.
In 1998 a federal appeals court ruled that the race-based criteria should not be ended, but that SFUSD is required to justify why it required higher test scores from ethnic Chinese applicants to gain admission to the school district's most prestigious high school and that the school district is required to prove, during a trial held in the 1999-2000 school year, that segregation is remaining in the school system and that the limitation of the ethnic groups at each school is the only possible remedy. On February 16, 1999, lawyers representing the Chinese parents revealed that the school district had agreed to a settlement that removed the previous race-based admission system; William Orrick, the U.S. district judge, had planned to officially announce the news of the settlement the following day. The district planned to implement a "diversity index" in which race was one factor, but in December 1999 Orrick rejected the plan as unconstitutional. Orrick ordered the district to resubmit the plan without race as a factor or to resubmit the plan under the settlement that had been reached with the Chinese parents. In January 2000 the district agreed to remove race as a factor of consideration for admission. In 2007 the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled that race may not be an admission factor for a K-12 school.
As of 2007 SFUSD admission factors include race-neutral aspects, such as the socioeconomic status of a student's family. Lyanne Melendez of KGO-TV wrote in 2007 "but the local courts and the district have found that race-neutral factors haven't worked in San Francisco's case."
Comprehensive schools
Balboa High School
Phillip & Sala Burton High School (located at the former Woodrow Wilson High School campus)
Galileo Academy of Science and Technology
Abraham Lincoln High School
Thurgood Marshall Academic High School (located at the former Pelton Middle School campus)
Mission High School
John O'Connell High School of Technology
Raoul Wallenberg Traditional High School (located at the former Anza Elementary campus)
George Washington High School
Alternative schools
San Francisco Flex Academy
The Ruth Asawa SF School of the Arts (SOTA) (Visual and Performing Arts) (located at the former J. Eugene McAteer High School campus)
Civic Center Secondary School 727 Golden Gate Ave. (located at the former John Swett Elementary)
City Arts & Technology (Charter) (located at the Luther Burbank Middle School campus)
Downtown High School (currently located at the former Patrick Henry Elementary campus)
Gateway High School (Charter) (located at the former Benjamin Franklin Middle School campus)
Hilltop High School (County) (located at the former Sunshine School campus)
Independence High School
International Studies Academy (located at the former Enola Maxwell Middle School campus)
June Jordan School for Equity (Small School) (located at the Luther Burbank Middle School campus)
Leadership High School (Charter) (currently located within the James Denman Middle School campus)
Lowell High School (Academic Magnet)
San Francisco International High School
Ida B. Wells Continuation High School (formerly Alamo Park Continuation High, Louise M. Lombard High)
Aptos Middle School [1]
James Denman Middle School [2]
Everett Middle School [3]
Francisco Middle School [4]
Gateway Middle School (Charter)[5] (located at the former Golden Gate Elementary School campus)
A.P. Giannini Middle School [6]
Herbert Hoover Middle School [7]
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Academic Middle School [8]
James Lick Middle School [9]
Marina Middle School [10]
Presidio Middle School [11]
Roosevelt Middle School [12]
Visitacion Valley Middle School [13]
Buena Vista/Horace Mann Alternative K-8
Bessie Carmichael/FEC K-8
Creative Arts Charter
Lawton Alternative K-8
Claire Lilienthal Alternative K-8
Madison Campus (Grades K-2) 3950 Sacramento Street
Winfield Scott Campus (Grades 3-8) 3630 Divisadero Street
Paul Revere K-8
Rooftop Alternative Elementary K-8 (formerly Twin Peaks Elementary)
Burnett Campus (Grades K-4) 443 Burnett Avenue
Mayeda Campus (Grades 5-8) 500 Corbett Avenue
San Francisco Community K-8 (formerly Corbett/Community Elementary and located on Corbett Avenue)
Thomas Edison Charter Academy ("TECA" formerly Edison Elementary, converted from K-5 to K-8 in 2005)
Alice Fong Yu Alternative K-8 (located at the former Christopher Columbus Elementary)
Alamo Elementary
Alvarado Elementary
Argonne Elementary
Bryant Elementary Bryant Elementary School was located at 1050 York Street in the Mission District. While that campus was undergoing upgrades, Bryant was moved to the old Buena Vista Elementary site. After the renovations were completed SF International High School took over the York Street building.
Dr. George Washington Carver Elementary
César Chávez Elementary (formerly Hawthorne Elementary)
John Yehall Chin Elementary (formerly Washington Irving Elementary)
Chinese Education Center Elementary School, established in 1969.
Chinese Immersion School at De Avila (formerly William R. De Avila Elementary and before 1979 known as Dudley Stone Elementary)
Clarendon Elementary Second Community
JBBP (Japanese Bilingual Bicultural Program) at Clarendon
Cleveland Elementary
Dr. William L. Cobb Elementary (formerly Emerson Elementary)
Dr. Charles R. Drew Alternative School
El Dorado Elementary
Fairmount Elementary
Dianne Feinstein Elementary (built on the site of the old Parkside Elementary)
Leonard R. Flynn Elementary (formerly Le Conte Elementary)
Garfield Elementary
Glen Park Elementary
Grattan Elementary
Guadalupe Elementary
Bret Harte Elementary (Enrollment: 260, Mascot: Winky Bear)
Hillcrest Elementary
Jefferson Elementary
Francis Scott Key Elementary
Thomas Starr King Elementary
Lafayette Elementary
Lakeshore Elementary
Gordon J. Lau Elementary (dedicated and renamed on October 30, 1998, formerly Commodore Stockton Elementary)
Longfellow Elementary
Frank McCoppin Elementary
McKinley Elementary
Malcolm X Academy (formerly Sir Francis Drake Elementary)
Marshall Elementary (formerly Mission Elementary)
Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy (dedicated and renamed June 25, 1996, formerly Douglass School)
Miraloma Elementary
Monroe Elementary
George R. Moscone Elementary
John Muir Elementary
New Traditions Elementary (located since 1990 in the old Andrew Jackson Elementary)
Jose Ortega Elementary
Jean Parker Elementary
Rosa Parks Elementary (reconstituted and renamed in 1995, formerly Raphael Weill Elementary)
Rosa Parks JBBP (Japanese Bilingual Bicultural Program)
George Peabody Elementary
Redding Elementary
Sanchez Elementary
Junipero Serra Elementary
Sheridan Elementary
Sherman Elementary
Commodore Sloat Elementary
Spring Valley Elementary
Robert Louis Stevenson Elementary
Sunnyside Elementary
Sunset Elementary (formerly Mark Twain Elementary)
Sutro Elementary
Edward Robeson "E.R." Taylor Elementary
Tenderloin Community School
Ulloa Elementary
Visitacion Valley Elementary
Daniel Webster Elementary
West Portal Elementary
Yick Wo Elementary (formerly Sarah B. Cooper Elementary)
International Studies Of Academy closed 2016 and was merged into John O'Connell High School.
J. Eugene McAteer High School (1973–2002) was located at 555 Portola Drive and had been built to replace 'Poly' (see below) as the most centrally located high school
Newcomer High School (was located at the old Laguna Honda Elementary)
Metropolitan Arts and Tech High School (Charter) (____-2013) (located at the former Woodrow Wilson High School campus) (merged into City Arts and Technology High School)
Polytechnic High School (1895–1972) 701 Frederick Street across from Kezar Stadium.
Urban Pioneer Experiential Academy (2002–2004)
Woodrow Wilson High School (1963-1996) 400 Mansell Avenue (renamed as Phillip & Sala Burton HS)
Aim High Academy, 2003-2006 (relocated to Luther Burbank MS site and renamed as Small Middle School for Equity at the end of the 2005-2006 academic year)
Luther Burbank Middle School (closed at the end of the 2005-2006 academic year) was located at 325 La Grande Avenue. It is currently the home for the June Jordan School for Equity (Small public school), and City Arts and Technology High School (Charter school).
Gloria R. Davis College Preparatory Academy (closed at the end of the 2006-2007 academic year) was located at 1195 Hudson Street
Excelsior Middle School was merged into International Studies Academy [ISA HS] in the fall of 2008 allowing for a 6-12 grade school.
Benjamin Franklin Middle School (closed at the end of the 2004-2005 academic year) was located at 1430 Scott Street and renamed in the fall of 2006 as the Burl L. Toler Campus and is now home to both Gateway High School and KIPP SF Bay Academy (both charter schools).
Horace Mann Middle School (was merged with Buena Vista K-5 to form a K-8 program starting in fall 2011 while supporting the 7th & 8th graders who had started at Horace Mann)
Enola Maxwell Middle School (closed at the end of the 2005-2006 academic year) (formerly Potrero Middle School) and now home to I.S.A. High School.
Willie L. Brown Jr. Academy College Preparatory School, 4-8 (formerly Twenty-First Century K-8) (closed at the end of the 2010-2011 academic year for considerable renovations as well as academic issues.)
Treasure Island School (closed mid-school year, December 16, 2005)
Twenty-First Century K-8 (became Willie L. Brown College Preparatory 2004-2005)
Cabrillo Elementary School (closed at the end of the 2005-2006 academic year) was located at 750 25th Avenue in the Outer Richmond District. It is now used as a district office for Curriculum & Instruction, VAPA & IT.
William R. De Avila Elementary (formerly Dudley Stone Elementary) was located at 1351 Haight Street, between Masonic and Central in the Upper Haight. The school was closed at the end of the 2004-2005 school year and briefly rented to City College of San Francisco. Before the start of the 2009-2010 school year, the school district re-opened De Avila as the Chinese Immersion School at De Avila. Kindergarten and 1st grade students were enrolled for 2009-2010, with the plan of gradually expanding the school to comprise grades K-5.
Diamond Heights Elementary (currently home to the San Francisco Police Academy & PAL) was located at 350 Amber Drive, just behind the Diamond Heights' Safeway. The building was built in the 1960's hugging the Diamond Heights/Glen Park Canyon. Almost immediately upon completion the property was determined to be unsafe and sliding into the canyon. The school was closed for one year, shored up and reopened. It was closed as a public school in the 1980's. Subsequently, the building was sold to the SFPD and has been used since for cadet training.
Farragut Elementary (closed in the early 1970's) was located on Holloway between Capitol and Faxon in the Ingleside District. Sold off to developers, townhouses were built on the site.
Golden Gate Elementary (closed at the end of the 2004-2005 academic year) was located at 1601 Turk Street between Steiner and Divisadero. The campus is the current home to both Gateway Middle School and Creative Arts Charter School.
JBBP West (Japanese Bilingual Bicultural Program in the Sunset) was located at 3045 Santiago Street at 42nd Avenue for 3 years, after having been housed at the William R. De Avila campus for 2 years. Due to the small size of the Santiago campus and a growing student population, the program moved to Rosa Parks Elementary at 1501 O'Farrell Street after the 2005-2006 academic year, and was renamed JBBP Rosa Parks.
Laguna Honda Elementary was located at 1350 Seventh Avenue in the Inner Sunset.
San Miguel Elementary (closed in the 1980's) was located at 300 Seneca Avenue in the Excelsior District.
John Swett Alternative Elementary (merged with John Muir after 2005-2006 academic year) was located at 727 Golden Gate Avenue, between Franklin and Gough.
The following is a list of SFUSD Superintendents: (additional information is needed to complete the list between 1851 and 1934)
1851 (1851)–? (?): Thomas J. Nevins
1905 (1905)–1922 (1922): Alfred Roncovieri
1934 (1934)–1935 (1935): Edwin A. Lee
1936 (1936)–1942 (1942): Joseph P. Nourse
1943 (1943)–1946 (1946): Curtis E. Warren
1947 (1947)–1954 (1954): Herbert Clish
1955 (1955)–1966 (1966): Harold Spears
1967 (1967)–1970 (1970): Robert Jenkins
1970 (1970)–1972 (1972): Thomas Shaheen
1972 (1972)–1975 (1975): Steven Morena
1935 (1935)–1985 (1985): Robert F. Alioto
1985 (1985)–1986 (1986): Carlos V. Cornejo (interim)
1986 (1986)–1992 (1992): Ramon C. Cortines
1992 (1992)–1999 (1999): Waldemar "Bill" Rojas
1999 (1999)–2000 (2000): Linda F. Davis (interim)
2000 (2000)–2006 (2006): Arlene Ackerman
2006 (2006)–2007 (2007): Gwen Chan (interim)
2007 (2007)–2012 (2012): Carlos A. Garcia
2012 (2012)–2016 (2016): Richard A. Carranza
2016 (2016)–present (present): Myong Leigh (interim)
