Floridian students have less than a week to enjoy the rest of their summer vacation. Starting Monday, Aug. 11, students will kick off the 2025-2026 school year.
Get a pencil and paper, or make a note in your phone’s calendar; here’s a roundup of when each of Florida’s counties will resume school this upcoming week.
When can school start in Florida for the 2025-2026 school year?
Florida law prohibits schools from starting any earlier than Aug. 10.
For the 2025-2026 school year, Aug. 10 falls on a Sunday. Florida school districts set their start dates, but the earliest school can start is Monday, Aug. 11.
When does school start in Florida for the 2025-2026 school year?
How many days are kids in school in Florida?
Florida law specifies that for a public kindergarten student to be considered a full-time student, he or she must receive a minimum of 720 net hours of instruction or four hours per day, based on 180 school days, according to the Florida Department of Education.
Will Florida see later start times in the 2025-2026 school year?
No.
The 2023 change to Florida statutes requires middle schools to start no earlier than 8 a.m. and high schools to begin their instructional day no earlier than 8:30 a.m. The law was supposed to take effect on July 1, 2026.
Under this year’s legislation, a school district will be deemed in compliance with the law if, instead of changing their start times, they submit a report that includes all of the following:
The start times of elementary, middle, and high schools in the school district
Documentation of strategies considered to implement a later school start time for middle schools and high schools, including the number of board meetings, public hearings, and opportunities for parent input to discuss the strategies
A description of the impact of implementing the new school start time requirements, including the financial implications for the school district
Identified unintended consequences to the school district, students, and the community
A requirement from the 2023 law for school boards to inform their communities about the “health, safety, and academic impacts of sleep deprivation on middle school and high school students and the benefits of a later school start time” would remain in effect.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Florida 2025-2026 school year: See start dates for all 67 counties