New This Year at Des Moines Public Schools 2026-2027 SCHOOL STARTS ON MONDAY, AUGUST 24 Do you have your backpack ready? The first day of school is Monday, August 24. Preschool students join us Wednesday, September 2. See the 2026–27 DMPS calendar for school breaks, professional development days and other important dates throughout the year. Bookmark it now and keep the school year on track. GET PARENTSQUARE READY Your school is already sharing important back-to-school information. ParentSquare is where DMPS sends everything from classroom news and forms to urgent alerts. Sign in and download the free app to keep it all in one place. You can also choose your preferred language and customize how and when you receive notifications. Click here to get started. BEFORE MONDAY: CHECK YOUR BUS ROUTE Don’t assume last year’s route is still your route. Bus information is available now in the My Ride K-12 app. Check your student’s route now, even if they rode the bus last year. Questions? Message the DMPS Transportation team directly through the app. Click here to download the app or see it on your desktop. RIDING DART? DON’T FORGET ROUTES HAVE CHANGED DART redesigned its transit network this summer, changing some route numbers, stops and schedules. Students who ride DART should confirm their route before leaving for school Monday. Some students who previously used DART have also been assigned to yellow school buses this year. Visit DART’s website for route details. MIDDLE SCHOOL FAMILIES: CHECK YOUR DISMISSAL TIME Most DMPS middle schools will dismiss at 3:35 p.m. this year, 10 minutes later than last year. Brody, McCombs and Weeks will temporarily continue dismissing at 3:25 p.m. while DART aligns bus service with the new schedule. The additional time aligns middle school instructional time with elementary and high schools. SCHOOL MEALS ARE FREE AGAIN THIS YEAR Every DMPS student will receive free breakfast and lunch during the 2026–27 school year. This marks the fifth consecutive year the district has provided meals at no cost to all students, regardless of household income. REIMAGINING EDUCATION: PROVIDE FEEDBACK ON SCHOOL BOUNDARY PROPOSALS Des Moines Public Schools is seeking public feedback on school boundary proposals developed by the Reimagining Education Community Boundary Committee over the summer. Visit our website before August 30 to review the proposals, take a survey, and help shape the final recommendation to the DMPS School Board. Click here to visit reimagine.dmschools.org REIMAGINING EDUCATION CONSTRUCTION IS UNDERWAY FOR FOUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS There are active construction sites at Brody Middle School, McCombs Middle School, Goodrell Middle School, and Weeks Middle School as projects designed to expand opportunities for students and modernize learning spaces get underway. Look for more groundbreakings during the 2026-2027 school year! EIGHTH GRADE STUDENTS CAN BE CONSIDERED FOR HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS Eligible eighth-grade students may now be considered for high school athletics. For sports offered in middle school, eighth graders may only be considered for varsity participation. For sports not offered in middle school, students may be considered for any level of the high school program. Families of eighth-grade students can find more information in your ParentSquare feed. SENIORS, WE HAVE YOUR GRADUATION DATES! Class of 2027 families can officially start planning. DMPS commencements are set, with spring ceremonies taking place May 22–30. Check the complete schedule now and get those dates on the family calendar. Click here to find your date. DON’T FORGET: YOUR STUDENT ID IS A LIBRARY CARD DMPS students in grades 7–12 already have a ticket to thousands of books. Student IDs now work as Des Moines Public Library cards at all DMPL locations and on Libby. Students can explore more than 40,000 eBooks and audiobooks, Comics Plus and more than 7,000 manga titles. Click here to see what’s available. FREE PRESCHOOL IS STILL AVAILABLE. SPREAD THE WORD! Know a Des Moines family with a preschool-age student? Send this their way. There’s still time to enroll in free DMPS preschool, with programs at schools and early childhood centers across the district and free transportation available for eligible students. Classes begin September 2, including a new option this year at the Smouse Early Childhood Center in the historic Smouse Opportunity Center. Learn more about how to apply for free preschool. SCHOOL HOURS FOR 2026-2027 High Schools: 8:15 AM – 3:15 PM Middle Schools: 8:30 AM – 3:35 PM (Brody, McCombs, and Weeks will temporarily continue to dismiss at 3:25 p.m.) Elementary Schools: 7:40 AM – 2:35 PM! We are excited to see you on Monday, August 24! Friday, August 21st, 2026 Tweet
Curated by Taleb Kabbara · Source: www.dmschools.org