Top San Francisco High School Ended Merit-Based Admissions Policy. In The Semester Since, More Students Received Failing Grades.

In the first semester since a top San Francisco high school ended its merit-based admissions policy and moved to a lottery system, teachers gave three times the number of D and F grades than they did before the policy change.

Lowell High School gained national attention in February 2021 when the San Francisco Board of Education voted to end its merit-based admissions policy and enact a random lottery instead, The Daily Wire reported at the time. The new admissions policy was enacted, the board said, due to COVID-19 lockdowns that disrupted learning, leading to lower grades and test scores for students looking to enter Lowell.