If you're planning to send your child to a San Francisco public school next fall, you might have thought about this at least once. Since the deadline is in February, you might think you can take your time in January.

That makes sense when looking at the paperwork. However, when you consider school tours, the situation changes. As of November 10, there are less than 12 weeks left until the deadline.

First, let's clarify the dates. According to the official SFUSD schedule, the Main Round deadline for the 2027-28 school year is February 1, 2027.

Online applications opened on October 23, and the Enrollment Fair ended the next day on October 24. This means the season has already started.

According to the schedule, the school tour start date was October 1. This means over a month has already passed. I was a bit surprised by this.

To reserve a tour, you select the grade on the district's tour page (sfusd.edu/tours) and fill out a form for each school. There's no limit on the number of schools you can apply to, and you will receive a confirmation email once you apply.

The issue is availability. Once the spots are filled, those dates and times will simply disappear from the form. This is to limit the number of attendees so that it doesn't disrupt classes.

This means that for popular schools, if you wait until January, you might not have much time to choose. The remaining dates will only be visible once you open the form, so it's safer to check early.

Why is the tour so important? Because SFUSD does not automatically assign schools based solely on home addresses. Families must list their preferred schools in order.

For elementary schools, you can list as many as you want from the 72 available. It's not first-come, first-served, so applying early doesn't give you an advantage. Therefore, ranking your choices is the real homework.

If there are more applicants than spots, decisions are made using tiebreakers and random numbers. The priority for elementary attendance area schools is siblings, PK/TK connections, lower test scores (CTIP1), residency in the district, and staff.

But you might think your neighborhood school will be fine, right? According to district guidance, 94% of kindergarten applicants who listed their attendance area school were accepted. That's a high number, but it's not guaranteed.

You need to be more cautious with TK. The district has explicitly stated that they do not guarantee placement at neighborhood schools and encourages families to broaden their applications.

The TK target for the 2027-28 school year is children who turn 5 between September 2, 2027, and September 1, 2028. If your birthday falls on the boundary, make sure to check this first.

High school applications can be even more urgent. The deadlines for Lowell and Ruth Asawa School of the Arts are not February 1, but December 11, 2026.

This means there's just over a month left. Ruth Asawa applicants must also attend auditions in January. It would be really disappointing to miss this thinking it was in February.

General high schools do not guarantee placement at specific schools. However, they do state that if you apply to five or more schools, you are almost certain to be assigned to one of them.

So what should you do now? First, pick about five candidate schools this week. Be sure to include your attendance area school.

Second, open the forms for each school to check the remaining dates and make your reservations right away. If only weekday daytime slots are available, it's realistic for working parents to take time off.

Third, if you can't make it, be sure to cancel. The district asks for this, and the spot will go to another family. You only need to submit the form once per school.

During the tour, don't just observe the atmosphere; ask about after-school programs and the commute routes. I would also check the actual time it takes to get to school during rush hour.

It's helpful to gather your documents in advance. You'll need your child's birth certificate, proof of guardian's address, guardian's photo ID, and vaccination and TB test records as a baseline. If applicable, you'll also need documents like IEPs.

You can apply online or submit a paper application at the Enrollment Center located at 555 Franklin Street, Suite 100. If you have questions, you can reach out to [email protected].

Also, be aware of the timeline after the deadline. Main Round result letters will be sent out during the week of March 15, 2027, and acceptances or rejections must be submitted by March 25.

If you miss the February 1 deadline, you'll move to the waitlist application starting February 2. According to last year's FAQ, late applicants were placed at the end of the waitlist. The first waitlist assignments will be released during the week of April 19, and Open Enrollment for schools with remaining spots will begin on April 26.

You may have heard in the news that the lottery system is being eliminated. The district decided on a neighborhood-centered assignment direction during the education committee vote on October 13, but they explain that this is not the final policy.

The final vote is scheduled for April 13, 2027, and it will apply to students entering in the 2028-29 school year. So, you should prepare your application according to the current rules.

There are valid points on both sides regarding whether neighborhood schools are best or if there should be choices for fairness. However, regardless of the stance, parents have the same tasks this year.

I would aim to finish tours at three schools before December and then focus on ranking in January. Since schedules can change, be sure to check the district's Key Dates page once more before making reservations.