Wake up!
Today, Aug. 10, is the first day of school for students in 38 of Florida’s 67 counties.
Kids in the rest of the state won’t get to rest much longer; they’ll return to the classroom between Aug. 11 and Aug. 13 this week.
Shop Amazon for school prep
If you discover you need a few more school supplies, Florida’s school sales tax holiday continues until Aug. 20.
➤ How much can you save during Florida school tax holiday? We break it down
Will this be the year for later start times for middle and high schools? That is up to each individual district instead of being required by state law.
Here are the start dates by county and what happened to the 2023 law for later start times by the 2026-2027 school year.
When will summer vacation be over in Florida?
The earliest possible start date for Florida schools is Aug. 10, according to Florida Statute 1001.42.
To get in the number of required days and end the first semester before the winter break, Florida school districts start the school year in early August.
Is this the year Florida start times change for middle, high schools?
In May 2023, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law a requiring later start times for middle and high schools starting in the 2026-2027 school year.
The law was intended to prevent middle schools from beginning earlier than 8 a.m., while high schools would have been barred from starting the school day before 8:30 a.m.
But Florida lawmakers later changed the rule after “overwhelming” feedback from school districts saying implementing the change would mean districts would have to buy new buses and hire more, already-hard-to-find bus drivers.
Senate Bill 296 provided an exemption from the required change to later school start times if the local school board or district submitted a report to the state by June 1, 2026, with the following information:
Bottom line: SB 296 lets school districts keep their existing schedules if they submit a report and essentially returned control over start times to local districts. The new law took effect in July 2025.
When will 2026 school year start in Florida counties?
Thirty-eight of Florida’s 67 counties will start the 2026-2027 school year on the earliest possible date, Monday, Aug. 10. The latest start date in Florida — for three counties — is Thursday, Aug. 13.
See breakdown by county on when the 2026-2027 Florida school year will start:
Special note: Links to school calendars often change. Here’s a state list of homepages for each Florida school district.
When is Florida’s 2026 back-to-school sales tax holiday?
Florida’s 2026 back-to-school sales tax holiday for school supplies, including clothing and computers, started July 20 and runs through Aug. 20.
What school supplies will be tax-exempt this 2026-2027 school year?
The following items will be tax exempt until Aug. 20:
Go to floridarevenue.com for a complete list of all items included in the sales tax holiday, along with exceptions.
Why aren’t school calendars the same for all Florida counties?
The decision on what days schools should be closed is made by individual school districts.
Florida school districts develop their academic calendars with input from a variety of sources, including staff, families and calendar committees.
The final decision is made by each county’s school board.
When will FAST testing be in Florida during 2026-2027 school year?
FAST testing during the 2026-2027 school year will be:
Cheryl McCloud is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida’s service journalism Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://tcpalm.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Wake up! It’s time for school in these Florida counties
Reporting by Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Treasure Coast Newspapers
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida | USA TODAY Network
