Back to School 2026-27: The Complete Broward & Palm Beach County Guide

The 2026-27 school year in South Florida starts earlier than a lot of parents remember, and it lands right in the middle of hurricane season. Both Broward County Public Schools and the School District of Palm Beach County have set Monday, August 10, 2026 as the first day for students. That gives families about four weeks from mid-July to get physicals scheduled, immunizations updated, supplies purchased, and the morning routine dialed in.

This is your Broward and Palm Beach County guide to the 2026-27 school year. It covers the calendar, the permanent Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday (July 20 - August 20 for 2026), immunization and physical requirements, transportation and meal programs, and a checklist that gets you from now to the first bell without missing anything.

Key Dates for 2026-27

Both districts publish full calendars at the district website. The dates below match the adopted 2026-27 calendars for Broward County Public Schools and the School District of Palm Beach County. Confirm any single date with your child's school before making travel plans, since individual campuses occasionally shift early release days.

Palm Beach also closes Wednesday, November 11 (Veterans Day) and Monday, September 21 (Fall Holiday); Broward observes select Jewish High Holy Days. Confirm any single date with your child's school before making travel plans.

Broward posts the official calendar at browardschools.com. Palm Beach posts theirs at palmbeachschools.org. Both districts publish printable PDFs plus a bell-schedule finder that will give you your specific school's start and dismissal time.

The Full 2026-27 School Calendars

Here are the official 2026-27 calendars for both districts. Tap either image to view it full size.

Broward County Public Schools

Palm Beach County School District

Calendars are published by each district and subject to change. Confirm at browardschools.com and palmbeachschools.org.

The Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday: Now Permanent, New Dates for 2026

Florida's Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday is now permanent - it's written into state statute as a recurring annual event, so families no longer have to wonder if it will happen. But the dates changed for 2026. Under HB 7031E (signed June 2026), the holiday now runs July 20 through August 20 each year.

For 2026, the window is Monday, July 20 - Thursday, August 20, 2026 - and it's already underway. Shop now, and note it ends August 20, not the end of the month. Purchases made August 21-31 are taxed as normal.

Exempt items (per-item price caps, applied item by item):

• Clothing, footwear, and certain accessories - $100 or less per item
• School supplies - $50 or less per item
• Learning aids and jigsaw puzzles - $30 or less per item
• Personal computers and related accessories - $1,500 or less, for noncommercial home or personal use

Buy the big-ticket laptop before August 20. The cap is per item, so a $95 pair of sneakers and a $95 jacket in the same order both qualify. Full official lists: floridarevenue.com.

Immunizations: What You Need Before Day One

Despite 2025 news about ending Florida's school vaccine mandate, the requirements are still in force for the 2026-27 school year. The "Medical Freedom Act" passed the state Senate but died in the House, so nothing changed. Proof is still required before day one, with no grace period at enrollment.

Florida law requires every student entering a public or private school to be immunized against specified diseases. Proof is submitted on Florida Certification of Immunization form DH 680, which is issued by your child's healthcare provider or the county health department. A school will not enroll a student without a valid DH 680 on file, and there is no grace period on the first day.

Kindergarten and grades 1-6:

• 4 or 5 doses of DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis)
• 4 or 5 doses of IPV (polio)
• 2 doses of MMR (measles, mumps, rubella)
• 3 doses of Hepatitis B
• 2 doses of Varicella (chickenpox), unless documented history of the disease

Entering 7th grade:

• 1 dose of Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis booster)
• Verification that all prior immunizations remain up to date

Exemptions. Florida recognizes exactly two - religious (Form DH 681, from the county health department) and medical (documented on the DH 680 by a physician). There is no personal-belief exemption. New to Florida? Out-of-state exemptions don't transfer, though schools can grant a temporary 30-day window while records catch up.

Florida SHOTS. The free statewide immunization registry. Most providers report to it automatically, and parents - especially families moving in - can request their child's record through their provider or county health department to rebuild a complete DH 680.

Get DH 680 forms through your pediatrician, or free through the Florida Department of Health in Broward County (browardchd.org) or Palm Beach County (palmbeach.floridahealth.gov). Both county health departments offer walk-in and appointment immunization clinics that peak in July.

The Physical Exam (DH 3040)

Every student entering a Florida school for the first time, including kindergarten and any transfer from out of state, must submit a School Entry Health Exam on Florida form DH 3040. The exam must be dated within 12 months of the first day of school.

Your pediatrician, a walk-in clinic, or a county health department can complete the form. The health departments in both counties run low-cost school physical clinics in July and early August. Athletes at all grade levels need a separate FHSAA Preparticipation Physical Evaluation form (EL2) dated within 365 days of the first practice.

Registration and Enrollment

New to the district (kindergarten, transfers from out of state, or moves between Broward and Palm Beach): register online through the district portal, then bring documents to your assigned school. You will need:

• Proof of the child's age (birth certificate, passport, or Florida driver license)
• Two proofs of residency (current utility bill plus lease or mortgage statement)
• Parent or guardian photo ID
• Completed DH 680 immunization certificate
• Completed DH 3040 school entry physical
• Prior school records if transferring in

Broward enrollment starts at browardschools.com under Enroll. Palm Beach enrollment starts at palmbeachschools.org under Enrollment.

Boundary and school assignment. Both districts operate address-based boundary tools that tell you your assigned neighborhood school plus your feeder pattern for middle and high. Broward uses the School Locator; Palm Beach uses the Boundary Locator. Both are searchable by street address. If you are shopping the Coral Springs boundary, note that Coral Springs Charter School's planned new campus would eventually shift where roughly 1,700 charter families do drop-off and pickup.

Transportation: Buses, Walk Zones, and Car Line

Bus eligibility in both counties is based on distance from the school. Students living more than two miles from the assigned school generally qualify for bus transportation. Students inside the two-mile radius fall within a walk zone and are expected to walk, ride, or be driven.

Route information posts to each district's parent portal about a week before the first day. Bus stops, pickup times, and route numbers are all searchable by address. Broward parents check bus info through the district's Focus parent portal. Palm Beach parents use the SDPBC parent portal and the Here Comes the Bus app.

Car line reality. The first two weeks of school are the slowest car line of the year at nearly every school. Add 20 minutes to your morning drop-off estimate for the entire month of August, and expect afternoon pickup lines to stretch. Middle schools with rolling dismissals from the front lobby move slower than elementary campuses.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Free Programs

Both districts participate in the National School Lunch Program. Many schools in Broward and Palm Beach qualify for the Community Eligibility Provision, which allows the school to serve free breakfast and lunch to every student regardless of household income. Check your school's status on the district's food and nutrition services page.

Households not in a CEP school can apply for free or reduced-price meals through the district's online meal application. Applications open in July and remain open all year. One application covers all children in the household.

Broward meal applications and menus: browardschools.com/foodandnutrition. Palm Beach meal applications and menus: palmbeachschools.org (under Departments, School Food Service).

Supply Lists and Uniforms

Elementary teachers typically post supply lists to the school website by mid-July. High schools do not publish a single list; supply needs come from individual teachers during syllabus week.

Uniform-optional vs uniform-required. Broward is a uniform-optional district; each school sets its own policy after a parent vote. Most elementary schools in Broward require or strongly encourage uniforms. Palm Beach follows the same school-level approach. Confirm your school's dress code through the school website or the front office before you buy.

The Countdown: Week by Week

Four weeks out (mid-July). Book the pediatrician for the physical and any missing shots. Check your child's DH 680. Verify enrollment status if you moved or are entering kindergarten.

Three weeks out. Pull the school supply list from the school website. Confirm uniform requirements. Log into the district parent portal and verify all contact information is current.

Two weeks out. Buy supplies, backpack, and clothing during the sales tax holiday (window closes August 20). Check your child's bus route through the parent portal. Start the school-year sleep schedule now, one week is not enough to reset a teenager.

One week out. Attend meet-the-teacher or open house night. Label everything with your child's name. Do a practice run of the morning routine at real school-day timing.

Night before, August 9. Backpack packed and by the door. Uniform or outfit laid out. Lunch or lunch money set. Alarm set 15 minutes earlier than you think you need. Take the first-day photo before you leave, not after, because you will forget.

For New Movers to Broward and Palm Beach

If you moved to South Florida this summer, the school assignment is set by your address. Both districts require two proofs of residency at enrollment, and the address on file determines bus eligibility, boundary school, and feeder pattern for the next grade level.

Hurricane Season Overlap

Do not overlook the calendar. The first day of school lands right at the front edge of the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season. Both districts build severe weather makeup days into the 2026-27 calendar for exactly that reason. If you have not already, walk through our hurricane season prep guide before August, because a Category 2 in September is a school closure and your family's makeup plan starts the day of the storm.

Quick Reference

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The Friendly Scoop covers Broward and Palm Beach County. Calendar dates, immunization rules, and sales tax exemptions can change; always confirm with the district and the Florida Department of Health before enrollment.