Navigating the journey

I encourage everyone to have open conversations about all potential outcomes as a family. Below you will find information about notification and decision weeks. I am here if you have questions and/or want to meet to discuss this next step!

General guidelines for notification and decision periods. Please note that these are essential for students AND adults!

Admissions Process

Admissions committees have spent the last few months carefully reviewing application materials. They have very difficult decisions to make as they are not able to offer acceptance to all of the qualified students they met with throughout the admissions season. In an effort to create a class that resonates with their mission statement and school culture, admission offices have much to consider as they determine final decisions.

Before notifications are posted:

If you have yet to do so, it is important for parents/guardians and 8th graders to discuss how they will respond to all possible outcomes. This way, you will be able to act confidently and swiftly rather than feeling that there isn’t enough time to make a decision.

Honor your child(ren)’s wishes about reading notification information. Most 8th graders want to be the ones to see the results first, and some wish to do this in private. Discuss beforehand what everyone prefers, and come to a decision you all agree upon prior to notification week.

Family/Sibling Pre-Notifications

As a courtesy, some schools reach out to families who already have a sibling enrolled at their school prior to the March 20 official release time. This practice is not universal, and it varies from school to school and year to year. Do not expect a phone call if you have an older child at a school, but do know that happy or disappointing news may be delivered by phone or via email in the day(s) prior to admission decisions. If your family is notified early, please respect our positive and supportive learning environment. Again, please do not call, text, or email your child with this information during school time. Be sensitive that most families do not have the information that your family was privileged to obtain and make sure you set expectations for your child’s behavior at school.

We strongly encourage students to go directly home after school if possible on Friday, March 19 so that they can be physically and emotionally available to process the admissions information (away from their peers!).

If you pick up your child/ren at school on Friday afternoon, please do not share e-notification results. Adults must work together to be sensitive to the feelings of every 8th grader, and keeping letters out of the public eye is an essential part of this.

Privacy, Kindness, and Respect

This process is about your family, and also about every other family in the Bay Area with 8th graders. If you have decisions to make, the only people you need to disclose this information to are your family members and me. Please resist the urge to ask others about their admissions outcomes and refrain from responding to any inquiries. Everyone is going to high school; the specifics will come out in due time. We want to respect people’s privacy during this emotional period, and this goal is easier to accomplish if everyone stays off smart phones and social media. (It is also healthier for everyone to stay away from the drama that will undoubtedly unfold online!)

Every family approaches the high school journey with varying expectations and constraints; this is a personal journey. Please continue to stay positive and open-minded about all high schools. Some students will be happy, some will be uncertain, some will be disappointed and trying to figure out their next steps. Please be sensitive to other families and students at this time. If a student is unsure about where s/he/they will be attending school, it could be for a myriad of reasons, including being in a waitpool, having a different opinion from parents/guardians, financial constraints, etc.

Please note that students should not wear any high school t-shirts, sweatshirts, etc. (not their own, not something from their sibling, etc.) until we invite them to do so, which will likely be during spring spirit week.

High School Notification Dates

Some independent high schools will call sibling and/or legacy families prior to the official notification date to share decisions. As each school has its own process, it is important to keep your information private whether or not you receive a call, and to maintain this confidentiality throughout the notification period.

Boarding schools will begin posting notifications on March 10. Please check in with each school to find out when they will communicate decisions as the times will vary.

Public and charter schools will mail placement offers ________.

Independent and faith-based schools have collectively agreed to mail acceptance letters via the USPS on Thursday, March 18. Having said this, some may not be sending packages due to school closures. Make sure to look at what each school shares about this process.

Independent and faith-based schools have collectively agreed to post notifications on Friday, March 19 at 4:00 pm. For Ravenna schools, you should login to your account at that time to view decisions. Other schools will either post viewing information on their websites or send a link via email that you can use to view decisions.

High School Enrollment Dates

Independent and faith-based schools: You will have approximately one week to enroll in your future high school. If you receive a financial assistance offer, contracts are due to San Francisco and Marin schools on Thursday, March 25 by noon; all other contracts are due Friday, March 26 by noon. Please note that Independent schools in the East Bay and the South Bay do not have two separate dates for contract deadlines; these schools require contracts for all families on Friday, March 26 by noon.

Public and charter schools: Please review the specific details about registering here.

Boarding schools: Families have more time to enroll in boarding schools, and the due date for contracts vary. If you desire more time to decide between a boarding school and a day school, you will need to sign a contract for a day school by the day school’s due date.

Optional revisits

If you are offered admission to more than one school and are not sure how to choose, revisiting can be helpful, but it is not necessary for students who are clear about their game plan.

(If you decide to revisit, contact schools via email over the weekend to request an appointment, letting them know which classes you would like to see (if their schedule allows) and including any other questions that are on your mind. Please craft these requests thoughtfully, and suggest multiple dates and times for your revisit, as it is an extremely busy time for admissions offices.

Please note that while teachers are aware that some students will be out on revisits, classes will meet as per usual. Students should keep teachers (and me!) informed about their high school revisit schedule and check-in about missed work. )

Scenarios: What to do if you are…

Please keep me informed of your decisions, and let me know what you are planning to do prior to contacting schools.

Accepted to the independent or faith-based school of your choice WITH the financial assistance you need if applicable.

● Let Erin know!

● Enroll online, email or call the school immediately to accept the offer.

● Email or call all other independent/faith-based schools you received an offer from to let them know you are grateful for the offer, but will be attending another school. Swiftness is key for Bay Area applicants and will help the entire process, especially waitpools, move along in an efficient manner.

● Turn in your financial assistance agreement and enrollment contract no later than noon on Thursday, March 25 for San Francisco and Marin schools and on Friday, March 26 for all other schools.

Accepted to the independent or faith-based school of your choice WITHOUT the financial assistance amount you need or with a waitpool letter for financial assistance

● Let Erin know!

● Email or call the school to tell them you are interested, but would like to understand the likelihood of getting off the waitpool for financial assistance and/or if there is any possibility for an increase in the amount of financial assistance. For the latter, it is important to let the schools know what amount would make it possible for you to attend the school.

● Wait for schools to get back to you. Don’t call other schools to accept or decline their offers yet.

● Keep me in the loop with all communication and wait for further instructions, keeping in mind that if applicable, your deadline to accept the financial assistance offer for San Francisco and Marin schools is Thursday, March 25 at noon.

Waitpooled at the independent or faith-based school of your choice

● Let Erin know!

● If the school has an online form where you can indicate your desire to remain in the waitpool, fill it out immediately. Otherwise, email or call the school immediately to let them know you would like to remain in the waitpool.

● Wait for schools to get back to you. Don’t call or email other schools to accept or decline their offers yet.

● Be patient. Often, schools are trying to figure out how to balance their class and secure funding for students who need financial assistance. Schools will touch base with you and with me if there is any movement for the waitpool.

Assigned to the public or charter school of your choice

● Let Erin know!

● To register, please bring the following items with you:

the placement letter,
a copy of your application form (if available),
parent/guardian’s picture ID,
proof of your child’s birth: birth certificate or hospital record

Not assigned to a public or charter school of your choice

● Let Erin know!

● It is recommended that you register at the offered SFUSD school to secure the spot even if you will be appealing for a different placement. Registering at your offered school will not affect your chances in the 2nd Placement Period.

● Fill out an Additional School Choice Form for the May Placement Period and turn it into the district as soon as possible.

Accepted at the boarding school of your choice

● Let Erin know!

● Enroll online, email or call the school immediately to tell them you accept the offer.

● Email or call all other independent/faith-based schools you received an offer from to let them know you are grateful for the offer, but will be attending another school. Swiftness is key for Bay Area applicants and will help the entire process, especially waitpools, move along in an efficient manner.

Enrollment Contracts and Deposits

Schools ask families to pay a non-refundable deposit (typically a percentage of tuition) with their enrollment contracts in March.

Below are a few examples from 2017 to help guide your planning. Please do not hesitate to check in with me if you have any questions.

Sample One

Upon submitting a completed UHS enrollment contract, a $4,500 deposit is required to reserve a space for the 2017–18 school year. The deposit amount can change slightly from year to year. For recipients of financial aid awards, the deposit amount differs according to the grant amount awarded, all of which is outlined in the enrollment contract.

UHS offers two payment plans:

Standard Payment Plan – 60% of tuition is due by June 15, and the balance is due by December 15.

Ten-Month Payment Plan – Tuition is paid in installments on the 15th of each month from April through January. There is a $50 enrollment fee. You can indicate your choice for this interest-free payment plan on your enrollment contract. All families receiving financial aid will be automatically enrolled in the Ten-Month Payment Plan.

Sample Two

For many families, the cost of an independent secondary education may seem overwhelming at first. To assist families in making this important investment in their child's future, Urban has developed several payment options, including monthly payments, a loan program, and a financial aid program:

Plan 1: Tuition is paid in one installment by July 1, 2017: $40,140.90

Plan 2: Tuition is paid in two installments: Payment 1 by July 1, 2017 ($28,902) and Payment 2 by January 2, 2018 ($11,238.90).

Plan 3: Tuition is paid in 10 installments, May to February ($4,014.09). The 10-payment plan is administered through Tuition Management Systems.

Loan Program: A family may borrow up to the total cost of an Urban education, less any financial aid received. The repayment period extends from 24-84 months, and there are no prepayment penalties. Families can apply online at http://www.yourtuitionsolution.com. Also offering student loans is prepGATE, which can be found online here.

SFUSD notifications and next steps from Parents for Public School

Read FAQs from SFUSD here.

LEARN HOW TO REGISTER AT A SCHOOL

LEARN ABOUT MAY PLACEMENT PROCESS (ROUND 2)

FAMILY PORTAL (AKA PARENTVUE) INFO

SFUSD notifications and next steps

Families who applied by the January 2021 deadline will be mailed their assignment offer letter on March ______. The deadline to register is ______. We encourage everyone to accept your assignment even if you would like to continue to apply for a different school.

How to accept your school assignment for school year 2021-2022

Please choose one of these remote/virtual ways to register your student.

Online: Sign onto ParentVue to accept or reject your school assignment. If you need an activation code, a letter should have been mailed to your home on March 16th. If you have not received your activation code, please call the EPC at 415-241-6085.

By Mail: Please complete the tear-off response sheet that was included in your offer letter and mail to “Educational Placement Center, 555 Franklin Street, Room 100, San Francisco CA 94102". Mail must be postmarked by April 10, 2021. EPC will email you after we have received your response.

If you need to cancel your school assignment, please contact us.

Whether or not you have registered for your assigned school, if you are leaving SFUSD please email us at EnrollinSchool@sfusd.edu with your child’s name, Student ID number, and birthdate to let us know of your cancellation.

If you wish to apply for a different school assignment, you may participate in the May Placement Period.

Medical and Hardship Appeal

If you need to submit a Medical & Hardship Appeal, please complete Medical or Hardship Appeals Form. To submit:

By Mail: Please complete the form and mail to “Educational Placement Center, 555 Franklin Street, Room 100, San Francisco CA 94102”. Mail must be postmarked by _______.

By Email: Please email the completed form to EnrollinSchool@sfusd.edu. EPC will email you after we have received your form.

Understanding Enrollment Flowchart

Here is a graphical flowchart explaining the 2020-21 enrollment steps and dates.