2026-27 Back-to-School Guide

Two smiling young girls, one with Down syndrome, hold school-themed signs in a hallway.

Two young students with backpacks walk together on a sidewalk in front of a school with a yellow bus in the background.

A young man and woman in the foreground hold hands and smile at each other while a group of people dance in the background.

We are excited to welcome our students and families for the 2026-27 school year. Find key information to prepare for back to school below.

What to Know

First Day of School

We begin the school year with staggered start dates.

Wednesday, Aug. 19: Kindergarten and entry level grades at middle and high school
Thursday, Aug. 20: All other K-12 students
Thursday, Aug. 26: Pre-K students

School hours are as follows:

Elementary: 8:50 a.m. to 4:05 p.m.
Middle: 7:40 a.m. to 3:05 p.m.
High: 7:40 a.m. to 3:05 p.m.

At Wilson Focus Elementary and alternative programs, check with the school regarding start and end of school day times.

Family Apps and Platforms

Our district uses the following approved apps and platforms for our families:

Campus Parent

Family contact information
Grades
Assignments
Attendance
Student schedules
Report cards
Unofficial transcripts (middle and high school)

SchoolCafe

Meal applications
Educational benefits applications
Cafeteria payments
Menus

SchoolCash Online

iPad insurance
School store items sold by schools

Zum

Bus routes
Dropoff/pickup updates
GPS tracking

Communications

Omaha Public Schools connects with families in a variety of ways including:

Inside OPS, our monthly newsletter with district news and information, shared by email and on ops.org/insideops
District News, sharing stories about what's happening in our classrooms, posted on ops.org/districtnews and our homepage
School and district announcements on each homepage
Direct communication with families by text, email and phone
- Be sure your information is up-to-date with your student's school so you don't miss important communications
- Email is our primary method of sharing information, and we also share time-sensitive information by text
Omaha Public Schools social media accounts
- Facebook
- Instagram
- X (Twitter)
- YouTube
- LinkedIn
- NextDoor

Meals

Breakfast is provided at no cost to all students.

Many of our schools qualify for the Community Eligibility Program (CEP), which provides lunch to all students at no charge. Families may fill out an Educational Benefits Form to be eligible for additional benefits previously provided to families who qualified for free and reduced meals. See the list of qualifying schools.

All other schools participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). This means that families must complete a Free and Reduced Meal Application to receive free or reduced-price lunches. See the list of NSLP schools.