That's not necessarily due to the lottery alone. That will happen when the schools are underfunded and less desirable than private, regardless of how equitably

That's not necessarily due to the lottery alone. That will happen when the schools are underfunded and less desirable than private, regardless of how equitably assignments are distributed. A majority of students get their first choice public school.[1] However there is a lot of competition for a handful of the most desired schools. Only a small percentage of students request their local school first, but if you live near a popular school and you don't get it, it is frustrating. You may end up getting placed at a much less desirable school farther away. People blame the lottery for that, but ultimately the "best" schools don't have enough seats. [1] http://www.sfusd.edu/en/assets/sfusd-staff/enroll/files/2015-16/4th-annual-report-april-8-2015.pdf http://www.sfusd.edu/en/assets/sfusd-staff/enroll/files/2015...