Summer break is quickly winding down for students in Alachua County, as the first day of classes for the 2025-26 school year is on Monday, Aug. 11.  

With a new school year fast approaching, here is some information families should be aware of. 

Back-to-school sales tax holiday underway  

Florida’s back-to-school sales tax holiday kicked off Friday and will continue through Aug. 31. During the monthlong holiday, families can purchase essential school supplies without having to pay sales tax.  

A full list of items exempt from sales tax can be found here.  

District changes cell phone/wireless device guidelines  

A new Florida law that went into effect in July has put stricter limitations on when students may use their cell phones or other personal wireless devices – smartwatches, earbuds, headphones and tablets – at school.  

In accordance with the new law, Alachua County Public Schools (ACPS) has revised its cell phone/wireless guidelines for the 2025-26 school year.  

• At all elementary and middle schools, along with High Springs Community School, Oak View Middle School, Hawthorne Middle/High School and A. Quinn Jones School, personal wireless communication devices should be powered off and unseen from arrival to the campus and to departure from the campus. 

• At all high schools – excluding Hawthorne and A. Quinn Jones, which follow the elementary/middle school guidelines – and Sidney Lanier, students are not permitted to use their devices during instructional time, unless a teacher allows it for educational purposes. 

Middle and high school students are allowed to use their devices during extracurricular activities. Additionally, all ACPS students have access to district-approved instructional technology during the school day. 

An ACPS press release states that families who need to get in contact with their child in case of an emergency or other safety concern need to contact his or her school’s front office directly. 

More information about the district’s revised guidelines can be found here.  

ACPS enrollment/registration  

Families with a child who is new to ACPS, is returning to the district following a gap in enrollment or has been enrolled in a charter, private, homeschool, or other program not part of ACPS are required to fill out a New Student Online Enrollment application.  

The form allows a parent or guardian to create a temporary online account so he or she can enroll their child, according to the district’s website.  

More information about enrollment can be found here. 

Meet the teacher  

Meet the teacher events are slated for Thursday and Friday, Aug. 7-8, across various ACPS campuses, according to information on the district’s website. 

A full schedule can be found here.  

School hours  

For the 2025-26 school year, many of the elementary schools in the county will start school at 7:45 a.m. and end at 1:52 p.m. The elementary schools not on that schedule are Alachua Elementary (7:55 a.m. to 2:02 p.m.), High Springs Community School (8 a.m. to 2:07 p.m.) and Shell Elementary (8:20 a.m. to 2:27 p.m.).  

This school year, all elementary schools in the district are returning to weekly early release Wednesdays. This also applies to High Springs Community School, A. Quinn Jones Center, Sidney Lanier Center and Duval Early Learning Academy.  

Both A. Quinn Jones and Sidney Lanier will begin the school day at 9:15 a.m. and end at 3:22 p.m., while Duval Early Learning will start at 7:30 a.m. and end at 1:30 p.m.  

Gainesville-area middle schools (Bishop, Fort Clarke, Kanapaha, Lincoln and Westwood) will start school at 9:20 a.m. and end at 3:37 p.m.  

Meanwhile, Oak View Middle School in Newberry will begin at 8:25 a.m. and end at 2:42 p.m., while Mebane Middle School in Alachua will start at 8 a.m. and end at 2:17 p.m. 

Several of the county’s high schools will begin the day at 8:30 a.m. and end at 2:42 p.m. Hawthorne Middle/High School will start at 8:30 a.m. but end at 2:43 p.m. 

Santa Fe High School (9:10 a.m. to 3:17 p.m.) and Newberry High School (8:35 a.m. to 2:47 p.m.) are the two high schools that don’t follow a similar schedule as the others.  

A full list of school hours can be found here. 

Bus transportation  

Families can find information relating to their child’s bus here.  

For assistance from a transportation staff member, call 352-955-7602 and dial 0.  

School meals 

ACPS announced in July that free meals will be provided to students at 32 local schools, including several charter schools, designated as federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) sites for the 2025-26 school year. 

Families of students who attend the 19 schools not designated as CEP sites this school year must meet income guidelines and fill out a family application for their child to receive free or reduced-price meals, according to a July ACPS press release. 

A list of Alachua County schools not assigned as CEP sites, as well as the application, can be found here.  

School calendar 

Below are some upcoming dates on the 2025-26 school calendar that families should be aware of.  

• Monday, Sept. 1 (holiday – Labor Day) 

• Monday, Oct. 13 (end of first nine weeks) 

• Friday, Oct. 17 (UF Homecoming – tentative)  

• Monday, Oct. 20 (student holiday – teacher workday) 

A link to the entire calendar can be found here. 

Nick Anschultz is a Report for America corps member and writes about education for Mainstreet Daily News.