Made in San Francisco
Built by parents
who just did this.
We are San Francisco parents who recently went through the kindergarten admissions process. Admitlist is the tool we wished we had at the beginning.
Who we are
We remember the open tabs, school tours, group chats, spreadsheets, and the uneasy feeling that we might be missing something important. There were plenty of facts, but no simple way to turn them into a starting list that reflected our family.
We built Admitlist to make that first step calmer. It brings San Francisco kindergarten options into one place, asks a few questions about what matters to you, and gives you a thoughtful shortlist to explore. It does not replace visiting schools, talking to families, or trusting your own judgment.
No school can pay to rank higher. We want the list to feel useful because it fits your priorities, not because someone bought the top spot.
How we handle school data
We would rather leave a field blank than make a school sound like something it may not be.
Coverage
Every active CDE-listed school in San Francisco reporting kindergarten grades or enrollment is retained. General-kindergarten eligibility requires a kindergarten grade span, with source-backed overrides for specialized or transitional programs. Judgment fields remain null until supported by a published source.
The current artifact contains 153 schools: 74 SFUSD district, 5 public charter, and 74 private schools. It was generated Sep 16, 2026.
Primary sources
- California School Directory for names, addresses, school type, grade spans, coordinates, and websites.
- CDE 2025–26 Census Day Enrollment for district and charter enrollment.
- CDE 2025–26 Private School Affidavit data for private enrollment.
- U.S. Census Geocoder for private-school street coordinates.
- SFUSD and official school language-program pages for verified pathways.
Scoring rules
- Preference fit and evidence confidence are calculated separately, so an unknown field cannot look like a verified match.
- Unknown program data lowers confidence but is not treated as proof that a school lacks the program.
- We do not infer teaching style, culture, or parent involvement from demographics or test scores.
- School size is derived from enrollment: under 350, 350–500, or over 500.
- Combined public and independent lists reserve room for both paths when enough eligible schools exist.
- Every displayed fact retains its source and retrieval date.
Important limitations
- CDE directory fields are self-reported and may contain errors.
- Private-school address and website fields come from individual CDE directory records; street coordinates use the U.S. Census Geocoder when a match is available.
- A missing program attribute means not yet verified, not that the school lacks it.
- Confirm dates and application requirements directly with each school.