Ben Mitchell and Dominique Jack
4 hours ago
NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) — The school year is finally upon us!
To ensure a smooth start, here are some important things to know for the upcoming year!
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The 2026-2027 school year kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 10. The last day of school is scheduled for June 28.
Key dates to mark down in September:
Thursday, Sept. 10: First day of school
Monday, Sept. 21: Schools are closed for Yom Kippur
Wednesday, Sept. 23: Parent-teacher conferences for middle schools and D75 schools
Thursday, Sept. 24: Parent-teacher conferences for high schools, K-12, and 6-12 schools
Wednesday, Sept. 30: Parent-teacher conferences for elementary schools and Pre-K centers
Immunizations
In New York City, children ages 2 months to 18 years who enter or attend childcare, public school, or private school are required to be vaccinated against certain diseases.
There may be a medical exemption if your child has a specific health condition where a vaccine may be harmful. Print the medical request for immunization exemption form and have it filled out by a New York State-licensed medical doctor or an osteopathic doctor.
To see the list of immunizations, click here.
NYC School Bus App
If your child is taking a school bus for the upcoming school year, you will be able to receive updates and track the buses via the NYC School Bus App, a free app available for download on the Apple App Store and Google Play.
The app will tell families the expected arrival time of the school bus and send notifications regarding any delays and additional information.
Click here for more information.
School meals
Breakfast, lunch, and afterschool meals are free to all NYC public school students. To see school menus, click here, search for your school, and scroll to ‘Free Student Meals.’
Generative AI ban
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels announced a one-year ban on student-facing generative AI use for children in 2K through eighth grade. The ban is expected to impact as many as 600,000 public school students in the 2026-2027 school year.
Alongside the AI ban, younger students will also have reduced screen time. Students in second grade and below will have restricted one-on-one screen time, while students in third through fifth grade will have a cap of 30 minutes each day. Students in sixth through eighth grade will be restricted to 45 minutes per day.
For more details, click here.
Ben Mitchell is a digital content producer from Vermont who has covered both local and international news since 2021. He joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of his work here.