Since 2009, one in eight San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) elementary schools has received a rainwater cistern or barrels and increased garden space under the Tap the Sky initiative. A quarter of San Francisco elementary schools and two of the city's nine alternative configured schools are planned to have received a cistern system by the end of next year.

This report seeks to identify the impacts and key components of this rainwater capture initiative, both in terms of sustainable water management and environmental education goals, while also suggesting recommendations for the ongoing implementation and expansion of this practice in San Francisco elementary schools.