The start of a new year also signals the end of a long winter break for students and teachers across North Central Florida.
Here is a list showing when every school district in the Mainstreet coverage area will resume classes.
Alachua County
- Tuesday, Jan. 6
- Monday, Jan. 5, is a student/teacher holiday.
Bradford County
- Tuesday, Jan. 6
- Monday is a teacher planning day – a student holiday.
Clay County
- Tuesday, Jan. 6
- Monday is an in-service day – a student holiday.
Columbia County
- Tuesday, Jan. 6
- Monday is a teacher workday – a student holiday.
Dixie County
- Monday, Jan. 5
Gilchrist County
- Thursday, Jan. 8
- Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are teacher workdays (no student attendance).
Levy County
- Wednesday, Jan. 7
- Monday is a professional learning day (no student attendance) and Tuesday is a school-improvement planning day (no student attendance).
Union County
- Tuesday, Jan. 6
- Monday is a teacher workday.
Suwannee County
- Monday, Jan. 5
The next legal holiday for all the school districts is Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 19. Alachua County Public Schools (ACPS) students are also off on Friday, Jan. 16, as this is designated as a teacher workday.
Meanwhile, classes at P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School in Gainesville will resume on Thursday, Jan. 8. Monday is a teacher professional learning day, Tuesday is the teacher inquiries and investigations symposium and Wednesday is a teacher workday.
Other non-public schools in Gainesville that are also resuming classes this week include Oak Hall School (Tuesday), The Frazer School (Monday), The Rock School (Tuesday), Countryside Christian School (Wednesday), Saint Patrick Catholic School (Tuesday), Saint Francis Catholic Academy (Tuesday) and Cornerstone Academy (Tuesday).
Colleges, universities
Spring and spring A classes at Santa Fe College (SF) will start on Wednesday, Jan. 7, according to the college’s academic calendar. Enrollment for the spring semester is open until Wednesday, Jan. 14, which is also the last day for students to add classes for spring and spring A terms.
Meanwhile, classes for the spring semester at Florida Gateway College (FGC) in Lake City won’t begin until Monday, Jan. 12, with the add/drop period continuing through Friday, Jan. 16, according to the college’s academic calendar.
University of Florida (UF) spring semester classes will also begin on Jan. 12, according to the college’s academic calendar. The add/drop period will take place during the week of Jan. 12-16.
Like the public schools, the next legal holiday for SF, FGC and UF is Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Nick Anschultz is a Report for America corps member and writes about education for Mainstreet Daily News. This position is supported by local donations through the Community Catalyst for Local Journalism Fund at the Community Foundation of North Central Florida.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include the return dates of additional Gainesville schools.