The kindergarten waitpools, sorted by the ratio of waitpool applicants to kindergarten seats. The number of spots are my best guess. For the language programs, I assumed a ratio of 9 English:13 target language spots.
SCHOOLS WITH OPENINGS
The list of schools with openings has been posted as well. Eyeballing the schools with openings, if I were 0/21, I'd try Longfellow Filipino FLES, Parker, or Lau. All have good test scores.
Longfellow has an active PTA and raised money for playworks and smart boards for their classrooms. They also got the Oakland Raiders to come to Longfellow in 2011, and give them $10,000.
Parker has an active PTO and is very academics focused--all parents sign a contract to limit TV, make sure their kids get adequate sleep, and give their kids 20-30 minutes of reading time a day. They also have Acrosports, field trips to places like Muir Woods and Davies Symphony Hall, and a before-school dance program by Fei Tien Academy of the Arts.
Lau has good CST scores, and I give them credit for having the most widgets I've ever seen on a school loop site. Wish I had more info, but their presence seems to be mostly off-line.
Longfellow has an active PTA and raised money for playworks and smart boards for their classrooms. They also got the Oakland Raiders to come to Longfellow in 2011, and give them $10,000.
Parker has an active PTO and is very academics focused--all parents sign a contract to limit TV, make sure their kids get adequate sleep, and give their kids 20-30 minutes of reading time a day. They also have Acrosports, field trips to places like Muir Woods and Davies Symphony Hall, and a before-school dance program by Fei Tien Academy of the Arts.
Lau has good CST scores, and I give them credit for having the most widgets I've ever seen on a school loop site. Wish I had more info, but their presence seems to be mostly off-line.
2013-14 WAITPOOL LISTS, as of 4/11/2013
General Education
| School | Prg | Wait Pool as of 6/2013 | Kindergarten Capacity |
| CARMICHAEL | GE | 1 | 66 |
| HILLCREST | GE | 1 | 44 |
| LAFAYETTE | GE | 3 | 88 |
| FEINSTEIN | GE | 3 | 87 |
| MILK | GE | 2 | 44 |
| SANCHEZ | GE | 1 | 22 |
| SERRA | GE | 1 | 22 |
| MONTESSORI | GE | 2 | 22 |
| MOSCONE | GE | 2 | 22 |
| SF COMMUNITY | GE | 3 | 33 |
| STEVENSON | GE | 9 | 88 |
| ALAMO | GE | 9 | 86 |
| GLEN PARK | GE | 5 | 44 |
| JEFFERSON | GE | 10 | 85 |
| WEST PORTAL | GE | 8 | 66 |
| CHIN | GE | 3 | 22 |
| KEY | GE | 12 | 88 |
| MONROE | GE | 3 | 22 |
| ULLOA | GE | 9 | 66 |
| SUNNYSIDE | GE | 10 | 66 |
| TAYLOR | GE | 7 | 44 |
| SLOAT | GE | 12 | 66 |
| MCKINLEY | GE | 13 | 66 |
| SHERMAN | GE | 13 | 66 |
| REVERE | GE | 5 | 22 |
| MIRALOMA | GE | 16 | 59 |
| SUNSET | GE | 18 | 65 |
| NEW TRADITIONS | GE | 13 | 44 |
| LAWTON | GE | 19 | 64 |
| LILIENTHAL | GE | 21 | 66 |
| GRATTAN | GE | 23 | 66 |
| PEABODY | GE | 15 | 43 |
| ARGONNE | GE | 24 | 66 |
| ROOFTOP | GE | 25 | 65 |
| ALVARADO | GE | 20 | 44 |
| CLARENDON | GE | 23 | 44 |
FLES (Foreign Language in Elementary School)
School | Program | Wait Pool as of 6/10/2013 | Kindergarten capacity |
LONGFELLOW | FB | None-has spots | 22 |
CARMICHAEL | FB | 1 | 22? |
CLARENDON | JB | 14 | 44 |
PARKS | JB | 2 | 44 |
FB= Tagalog, JB=Japanese
Cantonese Immersion
English spots
Name | Prg | WP | Total Kindergarten Seats |
GARFIELD | CE | 2 | 9 of 22 |
CHINESE IMMERSION | CE | 16 | 27 of 66 |
WEST PORTAL | CE | 5 | 13 of 33 |
YU | CE | 10 | 44 of 66 |
Cantonese spots
Name | Prg | WP | Total Kindergarten Seats |
WEST PORTAL | CN | 12 | 20 of 33? |
YU | CT | 22 | 22 of 66? |
CN=passed the Cantonese proficiency test. CT=listed Cantonese as a home language, regardless of whether they took the proficiency test.
No wait pool but no openings for CIS or Garfield for applicants who passed the Cantonese proficiency test, so some English spots may open up.
No wait pool for applicants who passed the Mandarin proficiency test at Ortega. Starr King has open spots for Mandarin proficient applicants.
Revere has no wait pool for Spanish proficient spots. Webster has open spots for Spanish proficient applicants, so more English spots may open up.
This suggests that if you have the fortitude to hold out until Sept 6, a 14-day count this year, your chances would be higher at say, Lilienthal which is about a third white, than at Alice Fong Yu, even though both have the same ratio of wait pool applicants to kindergarten spots. McKinley and Lakeshore were mentioned in the report as two schools that had a high number of students not showing up on the first day of school.
No wait pool but no openings for CIS or Garfield for applicants who passed the Cantonese proficiency test, so some English spots may open up.
Mandarin Immersion
English spots
Name | Prg | WP | Alloted Kindergarten Seats |
ORTEGA | ME | 9 | 9 |
STARR KING | ME | 3 | 18 (more will probably open up) |
No wait pool for applicants who passed the Mandarin proficiency test at Ortega. Starr King has open spots for Mandarin proficient applicants.
Korean Immersion
Name | Prg | WP | Alloted Kindergarten Seats |
LILIENTHAL | English | 2 | 9 |
LILIENTHAL | Korean | 2 | 13 |
Spanish Immersion
English spots
Name | Prg | WP | Alloted Kindergarten Seats |
FLYNN | SE | 1 | 18 of 44 |
MARSHALL | SE | 1 | 18 of 44 |
MONROE | SE | 2 | 18 of 44 |
REVERE | SE | 2 | 18 of 44 |
WEBSTER | SE | 5 | 18 of 44 |
BUENA VISTA/MANN | SE | 12 | 27 of 66 |
FAIRMOUNT | SE | 15 | 27 of 66 |
ALVARADO | SE | 14 | 18 of 44 |
Revere has no wait pool for Spanish proficient spots. Webster has open spots for Spanish proficient applicants, so more English spots may open up.
Spanish proficient spots
Name | Prg | WP | Allotted Kindergarten Seats |
BUENA VISTA/MANN | SN | 6 | 39 of 66 |
FLYNN | SN | 1 | 26 of 44 |
MARSHALL | SN | 3 | 26 of 44 |
MONROE | SN | 5 | 26 of 44 |
FAIRMOUNT | SN | 10 | 39 of 66 |
ALVARADO | SN | 9 | 26 of 44 |
Never Say Die Strategies
Applicants who of "Other" ethnicity are the most likely to opt out of their kindergarten assignment (35%), although there are not many of them. White kindergarten applicants are the next most likely to opt out of public school assignment (25%), followed by non-Chinese Asians (17%). Chinese applicants are the least likely (11%), and Latinos and African Americans are only slightly higher (13%). Of the kindergarteners who registered for a spot and did not show up on the first day of school, 40% were white.
This suggests that if you have the fortitude to hold out until Sept 6, a 14-day count this year, your chances would be higher at say, Lilienthal which is about a third white, than at Alice Fong Yu, even though both have the same ratio of wait pool applicants to kindergarten spots. McKinley and Lakeshore were mentioned in the report as two schools that had a high number of students not showing up on the first day of school.
