New School SF Lottery Process

Please read below to understand our lottery process. You can also view the PDF of our process in Spanish and Chinese

By law, admission at New School SF is open to all students in California wishing to attend the school.  In the event that there are more students wishing to attend the school than there are seats available, admission will be determined via a public, random lottery.

On January 9, 2020, The State Board of Education (SBE) approved New School SF’s (NSSF) request for the following conditions:

1. For every year of the term of the charter, at least 50 percent of the kindergarten enrollment shall be free and reduced-price meals (FRPM)-eligible students.

2. For every other grade (grades one through eight), 100 percent of open slots shall go to FRPM-eligible students until the entire grade’s enrollment is at least 50 percent FRPM students.

3. NSSF must amend its lottery admissions preferences to reflect the following:

   • Pupils eligible for FRPM who reside within the boundaries of San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) until the 50% floor is reached.

   • Siblings of pupils admitted to or attending to or attending NSSF

   • Children of employees and board members of NSSF, not to exceed 10 percent of the total enrollment

   • All other pupils residing in the boundaries of SFUSD

   • Pupils residing outside the boundaries of SFUSD

To determine if your family is eligible for the National School Lunch Program, please visit the CA Dept. of Education website: National School Lunch Program.

Verification of Preferences Indicated on Lottery Form

A verification of your priority will be done prior to finalizing your child's enrollment. If your child was offered enrollment via a priority area and New School SF determines that your child does not actually qualify for that priority, your child will be placed at the bottom of the waiting list. Your child may still be admitted off the waitlist, as qualifying for a priority is not a condition for admission. If you need further clarification on any of these priorities, please email admissions@newschoolsf.org. 

Continuous Enrollment Through 8th Grade

Once a student is enrolled, they remain enrolled through 8th grade unless a parent/guardian releases their seat. Enrolled families do not have to complete a new lottery form every year. 

Lottery Application Availability & Lottery Drawing

Lottery forms will be available at the beginning of November and close in March.  The lottery drawing is held in mid-March <these dates are subject to change>

How the Waitlist Works

All families of students who are not offered admission for the upcoming school year will remain on the waiting list until it is cleared at the end of the academic year for which it was drawn unless there is a written request by the parent to remove their child from the waiting list prior to that time.

Offers from the Waiting List

If a space should become available, families will be contacted in the order of the waiting list.

• If this offer is extended prior to school beginning, then families will have 72 hours to respond whether the offer is being accepted or declined.

• If this offer is extended once school has started, families will have 24 hours to respond whether the offer is being accepted or declined.

Minimum Age for Admittance to Kindergarten in California

California Ed Code states that to be admitted to kindergarten, a child must reach the age of five (5) on or before September 1st. 

Non-Discrimination Statement

Charter School shall not require a parent/legal guardian/student to provide information regarding a student’s disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, nationality, legal or economic status, primary language or English Learner status, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic that is contained in the definition of hate crimes set forth in section 422.55 of the Penal Code, or any other information that would violate federal or state law, prior to admission, participation in any admissions or attendance lottery, or pre-enrollment event or process, or as a condition of admission or enrollment. Charter School may request, at the time of, and as part of, conducting its lottery process, the provision of information necessary to apply specific admissions preferences set forth in this Charter.  

Charter School shall not request or require submission of a student’s IEP, Section 504 Plan, or any other record or related information prior to admission, participation in any admissions or attendance lottery, or pre-enrollment event or process, or as a condition of admission or enrollment.

Federal Law Compliance

Charter School adheres to all provisions of federal law related to students with disabilities, including, but not limited to, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”), and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (“IDEIA”).

Homeless and Foster Youth

New School SF adheres to the provisions of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and ensures that each child of a homeless individual and each homeless youth has equal access to the same free, appropriate public education as provided to other children and youths. New School SF is open to enroll, space permitting, and provide services for all students. Please contact admissions@newschoolsf.org for more assistance.

Volunteerism

While New School SF encourages family involvement and support, volunteerism and/or contributions are not required of any family.  Participation will have no impact on lottery placement or continued enrollment of any prospective or current student.

More questions?Contact admissions@newschoolsf.org

Lottery Process FAQs

Updated December 2020