Some students in Virginia have already returned to class, and summer break is quickly ending for many others across the D.C. region.
What’s new in each of the area’s school systems this school year? Here’s what to know.
DC
DC Public Schools
Number of schools: 115
Total enrollment: More than 49,000 last school year
First day: Aug. 29
What to know
- Students 12 and older will be required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine as part of their back-to-school shots.
- The city is continuing to phase out school resource officers after a council vote earlier this year.
- A program that’s been helping high school graduates of D.C. public schools navigate the college application process since 2020, as well as the college experience, finally got to “send off” its students in person earlier this summer.
Maryland
Anne Arundel County Public Schools
Number of schools: 130
Total enrollment: Expecting 84,000 students
First day: Aug. 30
What to know
- Almost all school hours are changing this year. Elementary schools begin between 8 and 9 a.m.; middle schools between 8:30 and 9:15 a.m.; and high schools at 8:30 a.m.
- Superintendent Mark Bedell is entering his first year. Bedell previously served as the superintendent of Kansas City Public Schools in Missouri.
- School buses will feature cameras that can automatically detect cars that illegally pass stopped buses — and snap pictures of their license plates. Once police verify the footage, drivers may face a $250 fine.
Frederick County Public Schools
Number of schools: 68
Total enrollment: 45,000
First day: Aug. 17
What to know
- It’s the first year for Superintendent Cheryl Dyson, who previously worked in Montgomery County.
- A Black and African American studies course will be offered to high school juniors and seniors this year.
- Last school year, the school board’s Racial Equity Committee drafted an anti-racist policy.
Howard County Public Schools
Number of schools: 77
Total enrollment: Over 57,300, according to September 2021 data
First day: Aug. 29
What to know:
- A series of 3-hour early dismissal days are included in the 2022-23 academic calendar.
- The county says it increased substitute teachers’ daily pay rate by 25%.
Montgomery County Public Schools
Number of schools: 209
Total enrollment: More than 158,000 students
First day: Aug. 29
What to know
- The school system reported hundreds of vacant positions, from full-time teachers to support workers and bus drivers, earlier this month.
- The county said additional security training is underway in response to an “after-action” report on the handling of the January shooting inside Magruder High School.
- Mental health is top of mind for many of the county’s students.
- At the end of July, the school board blocked plans for the district’s first charter school.
Prince George’s County Public Schools
Number of schools: 206
Total enrollment: 131,000
First day: Aug. 29
What to know
- The school system announced plans to reinstate the indoor mask mandate.
- Drastic changes are expected to come to the School Board this fall.
- Some Prince George’s County students learned coding and how to fly drones during a county summer program.
Virginia
Arlington Public Schools
Number of schools: 49 schools, centers and programs
Total enrollment: About 27,200 at the end of the last school year
First day: Aug. 29
What to know
- The school system is expected to continue conversations about proposed changes to its homework grading policy.
- About 10 minutes have been added to the school day, and start and end times have been rearranged.
- At the end of the last school year, the school board OK’d unionizing for teachers and staff.
City of Alexandria Public Schools
Number of schools: 18
Total enrollment: 15,400
First day: Aug. 22
What to know
- The city unveiled security enhancements ahead of the 2022-23 school year.
- Melanie Kay-Wyatt is entering her first year as interim superintendent, after Gregory Hutchings announced his resignation in June.
- In May, the School Board voted to make Narcan available in all schools.
- A community-based advisory group will review and offer changes regarding the school system’s relationship with police.
- The city has launched a new communication tool called ParentSquare.
Fairfax County Public Schools
Number of schools: 198 schools and centers
Total enrollment: 178,000 last school year
First day: Aug. 22
What to know
- It’s the first year for Superintendent Michelle Reid, who was hired in April.
- New rules for when students can use cellphones go into effect this fall.
- A new teacher resident program has helped the county fill vacant positions.
- Esports will be offered at select schools.
- Recess is coming to all middle schools.
Loudoun County Public Schools
Number of schools: 98
Total enrollment: 81,616
First day: Aug. 25
What to know
- The county is opening Elaine E. Thompson Elementary School, its first three-story elementary school, which has already received an award from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Decarbonize Your Design Challenge.
- It’s the first year of a new staggered schedule that aims to get more students to class on time.
- The school system tightened social media access for middle school students.
- This school year, the county will consider new discipline consequences for students.
Prince William County Public Schools
Number of schools: 95
Total enrollment: More than 89,000
First day: Aug. 22
What to know
- The county is working to fill hundreds of vacant positions and is offering middle and high school teachers an additional $14,000 for teaching an extra class.
- A report at the end of the last school year revealed that fighting and drug violations were up across the county.
- Carol E. Flenard is entering her first year as deputy superintendent, the county’s second-highest position.
- The school system has restricted virtual learning to 1,000 K-8 students who meet a strict set of criteria.
Stafford County Public Schools
Number of schools: 33
Total enrollment: More than 29,500
First day: Aug. 9
What to know
- The school system introduced a one-hour lunch for high schoolers, enabling students to work on assignments or speak with teachers as needed.
- Seniors at Stafford High School told WTOP they’re cautiously optimistic that the pandemic won’t disrupt their final year of high school.
WTOP’s Neal Augenstein, Kate Ryan, Jack Moore and John Domen contributed to this report.