13 San Francisco schools facing closures
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
13 schools are on the San Francisco Unified School District's shortlist for potential closure or merger. Photo: Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) announced Tuesday the 13 schools that are up for potential closure or merger.
Why it matters: The highly contentious plan faces significant pushback from parents, teachers and students. It comes in the wake of declining student enrollment and revenue, staffing issues and deteriorating facilities.
The schools that will be considered are:
- El Dorado Elementary
- Harvey Milk Civil Rights Elementary
- Jean Parker Elementary
- Malcolm X Academy
- Redding Elementary
- San Francisco Community Alternative
- San Francisco Public Montessori
- Spring Valley Elementary
- Sutro Elementary
- Visitacion Valley Elementary
- Yick Wo Elementary
- June Jordan School for Equity
- The Academy - San Francisco @ McAteer
State of play: The schools were selected based on specific criteria.
- Elementary and TK-8 schools had to have fewer than 260 students and be in the lowest 50% of the district's composite scores.
- High schools had to have fewer than 400 students and not be an alternative schools.
- Middle schools are "not being considered for closure right now" because the facilities are at 90% capacity, per the district.
Yes, but: This might not be the final list. It only comprises schools that "meet the district's criteria" for closures and mergers, according to superintendent Matt Wayne.
- The closures won't be finalized until the city's Board of Education weighs in, which could take until December.
The big picture: The district, which faced a $420 million budget deficit at the start of the 2024-25 school year, says it selected the campuses after assessing each one across several criteria, including equity, excellence and effective use of resources.
- It said Tuesday that it plans to merge schools where possible and aim to assign impacted students to schools within a 10-minute driving distance from their current campus.
- It's also prioritizing accommodations for students' language programs and/or special education services.
The other side: The teacher's union, United Educators of San Francisco, maintains that closures will harm students and has called on SFUSD to address mismanagement issues.
- Parents have also said that closing schools won't solve declining enrollment, which some attribute to a lack of attractive programming like robust language education.
Between the lines: School closures have well-documented negative impacts on academic outcomes.
- More recent research shows they can also lower housing values, raise crime rates and diminish the social fabric of a community.
What to watch: SFUSD has said it will prioritize input from the affected communities on how to use the empty school properties.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include the specific criteria considered for school closures.