San Francisco’s school system is rolling out a radical new grading program that tosses out homework, weekly tests, and classroom attendance in favor of a single, retakable final exam. More than 10,000 students will be impacted starting this fall.
Key Facts:
- San Francisco Unified School District will implement “Grading for Equity” in 14 public high schools this fall.
- The plan allows students to pass with scores as low as 21 out of 100 and removes homework and weekly tests from grading.
- Grades will be based solely on a final exam that can be retaken multiple times, regardless of class participation or attendance.
- Superintendent Maria Su announced the overhaul without Board of Education approval, claiming the board cannot override it.
- The district is already facing $110 million in budget cuts and falling enrollment due to concerns over academic quality.
The Rest of The Story:
San Francisco Superintendent Maria Su unveiled the “Grading for Equity” system this week in a quiet rollout that caught many by surprise.
The policy was tucked into a lengthy board meeting agenda and presented without the approval—or even a vote—by the school board.
It will impact over 10,000 students across 14 public high schools starting this fall.
According to reporting by Voice of San Francisco, students can now earn an A with a score of 80, a C with 41, and a D with just 21 out of 100.
The new system eliminates the weight of daily assignments and class participation.
Instead, everything hinges on a final exam that can be taken repeatedly.
“It’s all about opportunity,” district officials claim, even as many parents are left shocked and frustrated.
The superintendent of SF public schools @SFUSD_Supe advocating for "Equity" grading (Bs are now As, Fs are now Cs, no homework) is Maria Su, a Gavin Newsom appointee.
She calls herself "visionary" even as SF students underperform in basic literacy and math.
mariasu@sfusd.edu pic.twitter.com/wpPDvDnTaa
— Kane 謝凱堯 (@kane) May 28, 2025
This drastic shift arrives just as President Donald Trump intensifies efforts to dismantle DEI programs nationwide.
His administration is pressuring schools to abandon similar ideologically driven experiments or risk losing federal funding.
Commentary:
This new policy is not an act of compassion—it’s an institutional betrayal.
By telling students that effort, consistency, and attendance don’t matter, San Francisco’s education leadership is setting kids up for failure in the real world.
Let’s be clear: life doesn’t offer unlimited retakes.
You don’t succeed by showing up for a single test after skipping the hard work.
Employers won’t care that you once aced a makeup exam if you can’t meet deadlines or show up reliably.
The idea that a student can pass with a 21 is ludicrous. That’s not a passing grade in any system with integrity.
It’s a number that screams failure, not achievement.
Lowering standards in the name of “equity” does nothing but mask the underlying problems and rob students of the opportunity to rise to a challenge.
This should be a wake-up call for parents.
If you’re still sending your child to a government-run school in San Francisco, you need to ask yourself: what exactly are they learning?
Because it’s not personal responsibility, hard work, or the value of persistence.
It’s also a glaring advertisement for homeschooling, private schools, or simply moving to a district that still believes in real education.
This isn’t innovation—it’s indoctrination disguised as progress.
And it comes with a hefty price tag: a generation of underprepared students who can’t compete, can’t cope, and don’t even know what they’re missing.
Common sense says this is a disaster. But in San Francisco, ideology trumps everything—even reality.
Unfortunately, it’s the children who will suffer the consequences.
The Bottom Line:
San Francisco’s school district is lowering academic expectations dramatically, allowing students to pass with minimal effort and even less accountability.
This change pushes ideology over achievement and jeopardizes student futures.
For parents, it’s a flashing warning sign to look elsewhere for real education—before it’s too late.
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