Autumn is here. And while we don’t get the tell-tale foliage that our East Coast friends may post on their Facebook pages, we do have our own uniquely San Francisco sign of the changing times. They’re called school tours. And in a district that invites choice into its placement methodology, they’re essential.
I could go into a detailed description on school assignment procedures (which seem to change fairly regularly), but I won’t. Instead, let’s focus on why you should start touring schools right now if you have a 4, 10 or 13 year old in your household. You see, whether you’re looking for a san francisco public school or you’re going parochial or private school all the way (and that’s fine too, but a different blog post), there are no guarantees. The good news is, that there are plenty of awesome options, especially in the greater WestPortalish area, if you just keep an open mind.
Back when I was a tour guide at Miraloma Elementary, hordes of young parents, some with their 4 year olds in tote, asked me questions about academics, after school options and PTA activity. While their questions were valid, it was more important to me that they left feeling as though Miraloma wasn’t their only option. It’s currently one of the top requested schools in the district, but it certainly wasn’t always that way.
I remember pushing my 2 yr old on the swings at West Portal playground, while listening to a disgruntled mom sling some f-bombs about her son getting assigned this terrible school called “Miraloma”. She moved to Marin. That was about 20 years ago.
Shortly after, when I going through the search process myself, Miraloma came out our first choice. Not because it was popular or because it had great test scores (it didn’t), but because I learned on my tour that the teachers seemed fantastic, they had all sorts of programs in place and there was a small swell of parents who were stepping up and creating an amazing community. Our closest school was West Portal, but there was no neighborhood “tie breaker” at that time and it was highly sought out throughout the city. We took a chance with the lesser requested school and our kids thrived.
Now, even though the district’s latest formula gives you a better chance of getting the elementary school that’s closest to you, it’s important to consider other options. Remember, it’s still a lottery. There are likely fabulous choices that you either didn’t know about or are simply “jewels in the rough” waiting to be loved. Sunnyside, Commodore Sloat, Lakeshore, Dianne Feinstein, Sunset and Jose Ortega are a few that come to mind. Keep an open mind and call as many schools as you can to set up your tours. After all for every spring forward, it’s not so bad to have a little fall back.
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