It’s back to school day in San Francisco, and thousands of parents and children are waking up far earlier than they have all summer to start the 2024 year.
The coming year will bring hardship: The school district is mulling closures, and parents across the city have voiced opposition and fear that their children’s campus will be on the chopping block. There are still too few teachers across the city, enrollment is declining, and the state has stepped in to manage a budget shortfall and propose cuts.
But on Monday, it was mostly smiles at the schoolhouse gates.
Marshall Elementary School
At Marshall Elementary School, at 1575 15th St., students and parents trickled into the front gates at 8:30 a.m. Kindergarteners took turns taking pictures in front of a blue-and-white poster reading “Bienvenidos,” surrounded by colored balloons.
“I’m so excited,” said Isaha about entering third grade. He stood posing alongside his mother, Sarah, and his younger brother Elijah, who is entering kindergarten.
“I’m so excited that my brain is going to grow!” said Elijah, glancing at his mom. Entering kindergarten, Sarah said, he’s a bit nervous; it’s both of the siblings’ first year at Marshall.
But they seemed prepared: They squirmed and readied themselves to go through the gates. Isaiah peered through a gap in the fence and watched older kids play basketball on the blacktop.
“What matters is that they come to school right,” Sarah said. “And act right.”
“And have fun!” Isaiah added. With that, he darted inside and, within minutes, was on the basketball court himself. Sarah and Elijah watched from the side of the court with other parents until the school bell rang.
–Zenobia Pellissier Lloyd
Cesar Chavez Elementary School
Juan is entering transitional kindergarten at Cesar Chavez Elementary School at 825 Shotwell St. A little before 8:30 a.m., he showed off his Spider-Man lunchbox and said he’s having a sandwich and a mango for lunch, clearly more excited about the mango. His sister, Lily, sat next to him, waving a blue “First Day of 2nd Grade” flag and smiling.
Five minutes before the bell rang at 8:40 a.m., the courtyard was full of kids’ delighted squeals. Some climbed on the monkey bars or posed for first-day pictures. Others milled about, looking for teachers and friends.
Ashley Smith, 39, directed traffic at Folsom and 23rd streets, the intersection just south of the school courtyard. It is Smith’s second year on the job.
“Hey, how are you doing?” she called out to parents crossing the street after dropping off their kids. The best part of coming back to school, Smith said, is seeing the children smile, greeting old students, and meeting new ones.
—Anne Li
Everett Middle School
An hour and a half before Everett Middle School officially opens at 9:30 a.m., a couple dozen kids and families wait on its steps at 450 Church St. For some, like Fatima Medina, 12, it is their first day of school in this country.
Medina immigrated here from Guatemala last month, and has not learned English yet. On Monday, she waited with her dad, Ever Gudiel, while her uncle, Orlin Santiago, tried to figure out when school starts.
He said they were not sent much information from the district. Medina held a thin packet with highlighted information about the school’s address. Her backpack was full of different notebooks for any occasion, because she did not yet know which classes she would be taking.
Another parent said something similar: They did not receive the school schedule until late last night.
Still, that was not top of mind for all. Wilson Jones, the owner of the cafe chain CoffeeShop, beamed as he walked Nika, the older of his two daughters, to her first day of sixth grade. The chance to remember his own childhood by taking his kids to school was a “powerful,” “deep,” and “wonderful” experience, Jones said. He was determined to savor it.
Nika, meanwhile, was more skeptical. She was nervous about the other kids and their “vibes.” The silver lining, though, was that she will get to fill the blank sketchbook in her bag using the “crapton of crayons” Everett has to offer.
Nearby, Jeremy stood aside from the crowd as his sixth-grader mingled with friends who’d also graduated from Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy. Jeremy said the class schedules came out around 8 p.m. last night, but that they were not necessarily correct — unless his kid actually has three math classes and no gym. That was a “bit of a shocker,” he said, but when it comes to middle school, you just have to “roll with it.”
“It’s the district,” Jeremy said. “You prep for the worst, and then you’re happy when the bar is raised a little bit higher.”
—Abigail Van Neely
Sanchez Elementary School
Families at Sanchez Elementary School know the drill. Even those dropping their kids off at 325 Sanchez St. for the first time were cool and collected, saying that as long as their kindergarteners were learning and healthy, they were happy. Just before 8 a.m., they held their kids’ hands up to the door.
Older kids ran off the bus and hugged Anna Gearon, who’s been a para-educator at the school for 34 years. A minivan drove by and the backseat window rolled down. “I haven’t seen you in forever, man!” a soon-to-be sixth grader calls out to another para-educator, Jose Avalos. He finished fifth grade at the school last spring.
When asked if she was carrying anything special in her bag, 5-year-old Sophia held up her Hello Kitty lunch box and announced: “Soup!”
—Abigail Van Neely
Mission High School
After a long summer of work and college applications, two girls were looking forward to their final year of high school.
“I actually missed it so much,” Laudenorio said laughing. “And there’s so many special things for seniors that I’m excited for.”
“Plus, I’m ready for sports to be back,” she added. Blazer agreed, her tennis racket swinging in a bag on her shoulder.
“I’m so ready to get back out on the court,” she said. “Also, I’m a busy person, so I’m honestly excited for the work.”
This semester, both girls are loading up their schedules, taking seven classes, many of which are AP (advanced placement) level. But they’re prepared to enjoy their last year at Mission High, at 3750 18th St., nonetheless.
“I’m ready to just hang out and meet new people,” Laudenorio said with a shrug. “I think it’s gonna be a good year.”
A few minutes behind schedule, the girls walked up the stairs, past a dancing Mission High bear mascot, and through the front doors.
–Zenobia Pellissier Lloyd
Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8
It was loud in the courtyard of Buena Vista Horace Mann at 9:10 a.m. as students reunited with their friends after a long summer.
Two girls squealed as they ran and engulfed each other in a giant hug. One lost balance and tumbled to the ground, laughing.
Santiago, who is entering first grade, was most excited to color; Chela, who is entering fourth, was excited to meet new people. When asked to show off their favorite items, Chela scrambled to fish out a brand-new box of crayons.
“I was going to show that, too!” Santiago said indignantly. At their mom Andrea’s behest, Santiago and Chela showed off their new notebooks, too.
Andrea was excited that the school will be renovated soon; she attended Buena Vista Horace Mann for middle school herself, and said it was definitely “worn down.” But she was also nervous and hoped for more communication from the district about the renovations.
Those renovations were top of mind for some Buena Vista Horace Mann parents. One said she was looking into moving her daughter to their neighborhood school in Noe Valley ahead of the renovations, which are tentatively planned for 2025. “We’re trying to get ahead of it,” she said, calling it “bittersweet” because her older kid attended Buena Vista Horace Mann for kindergarten through eighth grade. “We like this school.”
Others are taking a wait-and-see approach. A group of moms, who stuck around to chat after their kids went inside, agreed they would not stress about the renovations until they knew the plan.
“We’re waiting for a plan,” another added. “We’ve been waiting for a plan.” She said that in the meantime, the teachers are “great” and the kids are “thriving.”
—Anne Li
Hilltop + El Camino Alternativo
Hilltop and El Camino Alternativo schools offer classes that allow young parents to finish their high-school education, and hosts a daycare for students in the district who have infants between two and 18 months old.
Jocelyn Hernandez rushed to the center, at 2730 Bryant St., with her 2-year-old daughter. It is her last year of high school, and she could not be more excited.
“I’m running a little late, but it’s all going pretty well so far,” said Hernandez in Spanish about the morning preparations. “I’m doing everything for her. And that makes me really happy.”
Hernandez’s daughter seemed to share her mom’s excitement. She was all smiles as the two walked in the school and she waved goodbye.
A few minutes later, Annabelle Bolaños also rushed her 3-year-old fraternal twins, a boy and a girl, to the school’s preschool at its daycare.
“I am hoping they will learn some new letters this year,” said Bolaños. She said she is somewhat concerned about the district’s budget deficit and the repercussions they may have on her little boy’s early autism education.
“He’s gonna have to move on from this school soon, so we’re just hoping for the best,” she said.
—Oscar Palma
John O’Connell High School
Around an hour before school started, a few teens trickled into John O’Connell High School, ready to start another year.
Stiban Sambrano wandered around near the entrance by a large blue and gold balloon arch. “I’m feeling good because I’m going to see my friends and I’m going to see my favorite teachers,” he said.
Now a sophomore, he’ll have the same math and world history teachers as his freshman year, so he’s particularly excited for those.
He also shouted out his backpack, a gray and black bag emblazoned with the Puma logo. “It’s a normal one, but it’s from my aunt from Honduras,” Sambrano said. He loves everything about it, he said.
Dashawn, a freshman, was wandering up and down the block. He was excited to meet new people and for “all the stuff that comes with high school,” including more relaxed phone rules. At Everett Middle School, he had to lock his phone into a Yondr pouch during the school day. Now, he can have it on his person.
Dashawn wants to become a chef, and was excited for culinary classes this year. He already has a lot of cooking experience: Yesterday, he made pasta with cream of mushroom and chicken, but his signature dish is his baked chicken with broccoli.
“I like putting creole seasoning, pepper, probably a little pinch of salt, and some Slap Ya Mama,” he said with a giggle, referencing the brand of creole seasoning.
—Io Yeh Gilman
Moscone Elementary School
At 8 a.m., 40 minutes before school started at Moscone, a gaggle of parents and kids were assembled, waiting. Some went up to look at the class lists posted on the school doors to see which classrooms their children had been assigned.
Angela Mei, an incoming kindergartener, waited with her mother. She toted a sparkling blue and pink bag packed with snacks: Bread, cereal, and some other treats.
Her mother said Mei is her second child; she has a younger brother at home and an older sister in high school.
“I’m your baby,” Mei interjected in Mandarin.
“Yes, my second baby,” her mom responded.
Closer to the door, first grader Alik, wearing a Minecraft-themed backpack, played with his “Corvette,” a royal blue Razor scooter with light-up wheels. “It’s loud,” he said, making noises as if he were revving it up.
It goes “million six thousand miles per hour,” Alik said, explaining that “Corvettes are really fast.”
“My Corvette can do a wheelie,” he added, tilting the front wheel of the scooter off the ground.
—Io Yeh Gilman
Beautiful piece, and great reporting too from a super talented team. “I’m your baby!” Love that you shared these moments
This is one of my favorite articles of the year, every year, from ML. Thank you for highlighting the stories of our schools, students, teachers, and parents. Best wishes to EVERYONE for the new school year!
Love this article, and thank is for also highlighting Ashley the crossing guard by Cesar Chavez Elementary. We see her on the regular and she’s a delight. Great for school kids to see an energetic and joyful person on their way to school. 🙂