Application Preparation
Prepare for the pieces Lowell looks at
Admission rests on seventh and eighth grade grades and the Star test. The grades are largely set, so focus on the test, the application and the Band 2 essay.
Checked against Lowell's published admissions pages on November 5, 2026.
Testing
The criteria SFUSD publishes.
Lowell uses grades and the Star test that SFUSD already gives. Every applicant is assessed for all three bands.
- The test
- Lowell uses the SFUSD Winter Interim Assessment (Star Reading and Star Math) as its admissions test. Current SFUSD students take it at their own school in late January.
- Test dates for outside applicants
- Non-SFUSD applicants and SFUSD charter students take the test at Lowell on January 20 at 6 pm or January 23 at 8:30 am. The SFUSD page gives no year, which in context is 2027; applicants choose a date on the Lowell application.
- The three bands
- There are three bands, or qualification methods. About 70 percent of admitted students come through Band 1, about 15 percent through Band 2 and about 15 percent through Band 3. Every student is assessed for all three bands.
- Band 1
- Band 1 uses final grades in English, Mathematics, Social Studies and Science from semesters 1 and 2 of 7th grade and semester 1 of 8th grade, plus the Star Reading and Math scores. It is worth up to 89 points: 64 for grades and 25 for the test.
- Band 2
- Band 2 requires a minimum 3.00 GPA and an average at or above the 60th percentile on Star. A school-based committee then scores up to 45 points for factors such as extracurricular leadership, extenuating circumstances, hardship and family information. The maximum total is 109 points.
- Band 3
- Band 3 requires at least 64 points from grades and Star scores, and attendance at a Band 3 school, which the district identifies because the school is under-represented at Lowell. The 2027-28 list of Band 3 schools is not public until March 2027.
- Grade points and Star points
- Grade points: in 7th grade each subject semester is worth A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0 (up to 16 per semester). In 8th grade semester 1 each subject is worth A=8, B=6, C=4, D=2, F=0 (up to 32). Star Reading and Star Math are each worth up to 12.5 points from a percentile table.
- Cut-off scores
- For 2026-27 the Band 1 cut-off was 82.5 points and the Band 2 cut-off was 83 points. SFUSD says these may change for 2027-28 and has not published 2027-28 cut-offs.
- 01
Ask the school counselor which grades SFUSD has on file for seventh and eighth grade.
- 02
SFUSD links sample Star Reading and Star Math items on its Lowell page; use those rather than buying extra testing.
Essays
The Band 2 essay and personal statement.
The essay matters only for Band 2, and the school-based committee reads it with the rest of the file.
- Band 2 essay
- Band 2 considers an essay written at the applicant's current school in January 2027.
- Personal statement policy
- The board policy says all students complete a personal statement at their middle school. It informs the Band 2 and Band 3 committees and is not given point value as a writing sample.
- 01
Ask your student's school how the January essay is run and what the prompt is. SFUSD does not publish the prompt on the pages we reviewed.
- 02
Let your student write it alone, from real experience.
Preparation plan
A plan that works backward from the deadline.
Adjust the pace to your student's schedule. The order matters more than the exact days.
First
Check residency and documents
Confirm your San Francisco address and gather proof of address if it changed or your student is outside SFUSD.
Early
Review seventh and eighth grade grades
Know the grades SFUSD will use so the points are no surprise.
Next
Apply before December 11
List Lowell on the SFUSD application in ParentVUE, or submit the paper forms.
Next
Rank your other schools
Add or re-order choices before the February 1, 2027 Main Round deadline.
In January
Sit the Star test and write the essay
SFUSD students test at school; outside applicants test at Lowell.
March 15, 2027
Read the assignment
Results appear in ParentVUE. Lowell has no waitlist or appeal.