The San Francisco Unified School District mailed roughly 14,250 school assignment letters to families last week, with roughly 60 percent of them receiving their top choices.

According to district data, more families applied this year than last to place their children in kindergarten, sixth grade and ninth grade.

This year, 4,968 families applied for a kindergarten spot compared to 4,799 last year. At the sixth-grade level, 3,484 families applied for placement, up from 3,252 last year. And for ninth grade, the numbers were 4,334 this year and 4,188 in 2012.

Parents must apply for a spot at San Francisco schools. Any number of schools can be included in the applications, which were due to the district in February. But some schools are more coveted than others.

At the kindergarten level, for instance, some 1,259 families hoped to grab one of the 21 available spots at Clarendon Elementary School. The most popular pick for middle school was A.P. Giannini, which received 1,199 requests for 338 available spots. Lincoln was the top high school choice, with 2,652 applications for 375 spots.

Overall, roughly 80 percent of applicants received one of their choices, but only 60 percent of those applicants received their first choice, according to district data. About 19 percent of applicants did not receive any of their choices.

Parents happy with their school assignments must register at their schools by April 12. If they try for a different campus, they are encouraged to register at their assigned schools but try their luck in the next lottery by filling out a form for the May round of placements.

akoskey@sfexaminer.com