SFUSD Closures: Which Schools Will Be Affected, and What Do Families Need to Know?

Updated, 4:55 p.m., Tuesday

For months, students, families and teachers within the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) have been waiting to hear which schools will be closed — or merged with another school — at the end of the 2024–25 academic year. Now, SFUSD has released their initial list of which 13 schools could be affected.

Keep reading for what we know about the proposal to close or merge these San Francisco schools. Remember: The list below won’t represent the final list of schools that will either be closed or merged — because the Board of Education will decide that final selection in December. So, in other words, if you see your child’s school or your place of work on this list, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the school is definitely closing or merging — just that it meets the criteria for closure or merger.

Which SFUSD schools could be closed or merged at the end of the academic year?

The district says it has “established the following criteria for closing or merging elementary and TK-8 schools and will only consider closing schools that meet the criteria”:

• Elementary and TK-8 schools that have fewer than 260 students and are in the lowest 50% of SFUSD’s composite scores, and
• High schools with fewer than 400 students that are not alternative schools.

Thirteen schools meet SFUSD’s criteria for closing or merging. Under the current proposal, three schools would close, eight schools would merge with another school and two schools would become welcoming schools for a closed school. If accepted in December by the Board of Education, these changes would take effect in August at the start of the new school year.

Proposed SFUD elementary school closures:

• Sutro Elementary:  students would attend Lafayette or Alamo (General Education) and CIS @ DeAvila (Cantonese Biliteracy)
• Yick Wo Alternative Elementary School: students would attend Redding Elementary (General and Special Day Class Program) and Sherman Elementary (General Education)
• Jean Parker Elementary: students would attend Gordon J. Lau (Cantonese Biliteracy) or John Yehall Chin (General Education)

Redding Elementary and Visitacion Valley also meet the criteria for closure, but under the proposal, these elementary schools would remain open as merged or “welcoming schools” for two of the schools above.

Proposed SFUSD elementary school merges: 

• El Dorado Elementary School: would merge with Visitacion Valley
• Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy: would merge with Sanchez Elementary
• Malcolm X Academy: would merge with Carver Elementary School
• San Francisco Public Montessori: would merge with Rosa Parks Elementary
• Spring Valley Science Elementary School: would would merge with John Muir
• San Francisco Community TK-8: would merge with Paul Revere TK-8.

Proposed SFUSD high school merges:

• June Jordan School for Equity: would merge with John O’Connell High School and move to their campus
• The Academy – SF @McAteer: would merge with Raoul Wallenberg High School and move to their campus.

SFUSD said that no San Francisco middle schools are being considered for closure or merger right now “because the facilities are at 90% capacity.” Read the full SFUSD statement on sfusd.edu.

Is the list of SFUSD schools up for closure or merger final?

No, this list won’t represent the final list of schools that will either be closed or merged — because the Board of Education will decide that final selection in December.

So, in other words, if you see your child’s school or your place of work on the list above, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the school is definitely closing or merging — just that it meets the criteria for closure or merger.

What happens if my child’s school — or my place of work — is on the list?

The Chronicle reports that students from schools that are closed will be assigned to a new school during the upcoming school assignment process, “but if they want another option, they would have high priority — just below siblings in the tie-breaker sequence — for seats at any other school they choose.”

According to the announcement from Superintendent Matt Wayne, district staff plans to meet in the coming weeks with all 13 school communities “to share what happens to their budget next year and our initial thinking about the school’s future, including why a closure or merger could result in a better educational experience for students.”

As for how this will impact educators, Wayne said in the message Tuesday that “there will be significant staff reductions, which will impact all of our schools.”

“We are particularly mindful of the impacts of these staff reductions on schools already experiencing the greatest resource challenges because of their enrollment patterns and other factors,” said Wayne.

Why are these SFUSD schools being closed or merged?

Previously, SFUSD framed the closures and mergers as a way to address declining enrollment — which the district said has decreased by over 4,000 students since the school year 2012–13 — rather than a money-saving strategy. Last month, Wayne said in a statement that “by aligning the number of schools we operate with our current enrollment, SFUSD can manage resources more effectively and ensure every school is fully enrolled and well-supported” and that “while having fewer schools may reduce our operating costs, the primary focus is on creating better learning environments for all students, not budget cuts.”

But in a video posted online on Monday, Wayne said that SFUSD was in the middle of a “serious budget crisis that we need to address now, to ensure that we are maintaining local control” and to avoid a state takeover. He also admitted that “we have not always been clear about the connection between our fiscal stabilization plan and school closures and mergers” and promised that the Tuesday list announcement would provide more context.

“The state has escalated its oversight and is watching us closely, and so the decisions we make in the coming months are going to mean the difference between the state recognizing we’ve made progress and feeling like it needs to intervene more,” Wayne said in his video message. “This budget crisis means significant reductions for the [2025–26] school year. It is within this context that we are also making decisions about school closures.”

Read all of KQED’s coverage of SFUSD and the budget crisis.

What are the criteria SFUSD will use to determine whether a school should close?

SFUSD has 10 factors it is considering when evaluating whether a school should be closed or merged, which range from the density of schools in a given neighborhood and historical inequities to academic performance, demand and enrollment, and building conditions.

You can view the full list of SFUSD’s criteria.

What are the key dates I should know about the SFUSD closures?

• Oct. 10: Budget Town Hall #1 5:30-6:30 p.m. (virtual meeting)
• Oct. 14-Nov. 1: School site engagement (see below for which schools)
• Oct. 19: SFUSD holds its annual Enrollment Fair
• Oct. 24: Budget Town Hall #2 – TBD
• Nov. 6: Budget Town Hall #3 – TBD
• Nov. 12: A proposal for which SFUSD schools will be closed or merged will be brought to the Board of Education
• Dec. 10: The Board of Education will take action on deciding the final list
• Dec. 12: Special Board of Education meeting: Adoption of 1st interim, including any additional budget balancing adjustments for current or future years.
• Jan. 31, 2025: Main Round Applications are due for SFUSD schools (Ruth Asawa School for the Arts and Lowell High School have separate deadline of Dec. 13)
• June 4, 2025: Last day of SFUSD instruction, when a finalized list of schools will be closed or merged.

Read through our SFUSD archives.

I have questions about SFUSD’s decision-making. Where can I get answers?

Wayne will hold an hourlong virtual town hall on Thursday, Oct. 10, at 5:30 p.m., where you can ask questions.

We’ll add more details on how you can submit those questions when we have more information.

Why has this closure list been pushed back so many times?

The announcement comes days after a KQED story suggested that the highly anticipated list might be delayed again.

It was originally expected in mid-September before Wayne pushed it back a month, just two days before it was scheduled to be released, saying the district needed more time to thoroughly review some aspects of the plan.

Reporting last week also suggested it might not happen until after the November election.