SAN FRANCISCO — Families applying to San Francisco public schools for the 2027–28 school year can begin submitting applications Oct. 23, starting a process that runs through the Main Round deadline on Feb. 1.
SFUSD says online applications open and paper applications become available on Friday, Oct. 23. The district’s all-schools Enrollment Fair follows the next day at Moscone Center.
For most TK–12 applicants, the date to remember is Feb. 1, 2027. Families applying to Lowell High School or Ruth Asawa School of the Arts have a substantially earlier deadline: Dec. 11, 2026.
When does the SFUSD 2027–28 application open?
The application becomes available Oct. 23.
SFUSD says families can submit the application online or obtain a paper application. The district also publishes school-tour information during the enrollment season so families can compare programs before ranking schools.
Applying months ahead does not create a first-come, first-served advantage in the Main Round, but families do need to submit before the deadline that applies to their program.
When is the SFUSD Enrollment Fair?
The 2027–28 Enrollment Fair is Saturday, Oct. 24 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Moscone Center, 747 Howard St.
SFUSD describes the fair as the formal start of the annual enrollment cycle. Families can meet school representatives, learn about the application process and speak with district and community organizations.
The Moscone area is served by several Muni lines and is within walking distance of Powell Street BART. Families should check current transit conditions before leaving.
What is the SFUSD Main Round deadline?
The general Main Round deadline is Feb. 1, 2027.
That is the last day to submit, revise or cancel a TK–12 Main Round application. SFUSD plans to mail Main Round assignment letters during the week of March 15, with March 25 as the deadline to accept or decline the assignment.
Families applying for the first time after Feb. 1 move into later enrollment processes rather than the Main Round.
What happens if you do not get your first-choice school?
SFUSD says families who apply during the Main Round and do not receive their first choice will be automatically added to waitlists for up to three schools from their application.
The district says waitlist status becomes available in ParentVUE during the week of March 15, with the first waitlist assignments expected beginning the week of April 19.
That is different from the district’s current-school-year transfer process. Families dealing with a move during 2026–27 can read SF News Today’s separate SFUSD spring-transfer guide.
When are Lowell and Ruth Asawa SOTA applications due?
Both have an earlier Dec. 11, 2026 application deadline.
Ruth Asawa School of the Arts also requires an audition process. Its current schedule places audition day on Jan. 9, 2027, and some departments require audition materials to be uploaded by the Dec. 11 application deadline.
Families interested in either selective-admission school therefore should not assume the Feb. 1 Main Round deadline applies to them.
What should families do before Oct. 23?
Families can use the weeks before the application opens to review school options, tour campuses where tours are available, gather documents and decide which schools they want to rank.
The Oct. 24 Enrollment Fair is especially useful for families trying to compare several schools in one place shortly after the application window opens.