When is your kid going back to school? Here's a list of district, college start dates

Michael Lee and Sheridan Hendrix, The Columbus Dispatch
·4 min read
Woodcrest Elementary student Ayden Bailey, 6, walks into school with instructional coach Jeri Hensley on the first day back to school on July 27. Woodcrest Elementary is the only Columbus City Schools year-round school.
Woodcrest Elementary student Ayden Bailey, 6, walks into school with instructional coach Jeri Hensley on the first day back to school on July 27. Woodcrest Elementary is the only Columbus City Schools year-round school.

Summer break is nearing its end, which means it's time to start shopping for school supplies and getting ready for classes to start once again.

So when should you start getting ready?

The short answer is now — the sooner the better. In fact, some schools like Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools begin quite early, starting the second week of August.

Plus, Ohio's sales tax holiday weekend runs from Friday through Sunday. There are a few specific items that will become tax-free that can help your children prepare for classes. These include clothing items priced at $75 or less and school supplies or instructional materials costing $20 or less.

But figuring out exactly when your child will start school can be complicated. Since many districts offer staggered start dates by grades and even students' last names, it can get confusing.

The variety of dates when schools start in Greater Columbus contrasts with other states, like Michigan, where state law prohibits school districts from beginning their academic year before Labor Day. (This is exempted if a collective bargaining agreement in a district includes a complete school calendar).

Regardless of when school starts in Ohio, The Dispatch has you covered.

Here's a list of when each school district in Franklin County and some in neighboring counties — as well as Greater Columbus colleges and universities — start this month:

Franklin County school districts

Bexley City Schools: Aug. 18 (all students)

Canal Winchester Local Schools: Aug. 22 (grades 1-6 and 9), Aug. 23 (all grades 1-12 report), Aug. 24 (preschool), Aug. 29 (kindergarten)

Columbus City Schools: Aug. 24 (all students except Woodcrest Elementary, which began July 27)

Dublin City Schools: Aug. 17 (K-12), Aug. 24 (preschool)

Eastland-Fairfield Career & Technical Schools: Aug. 15 (all students)

Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools: Aug. 10 (all students)

Grandview Heights City Schools: Aug. 15 (all students)

Groveport Madison Local Schools: Aug. 12 (grades 1-6 and 9 report), Aug. 15 (grades 1-12 report), Aug. 17 (kindergarteners with last names A-L only), Aug. 18 (kindergarteners with last names M-Z only), Aug. 19 (All kindergarteners attend)

Hamilton Local Schools: Aug. 17 (all students)

Hilliard City Schools: Aug. 17 (K-12), Aug. 23 (preschool)

New Albany-Plain Local Schools: Aug. 18 (grades 1-12, last names A-K only), Aug. 19 (grades 1-12, last names L-Z only), Aug. 22 (grades 1-12 all students; all-day preschool and kindergarten last names A-K only), Aug. 23 (all-day preschool and kindergarten last names L-Z only), Aug. 24 (half-day preschool and kindergarten last names A-K only; all-day preschool and kindergarten all students report), Aug. 25 (half-day preschool and kindergarten, last names L-Z only)

Reynoldsburg City Schools: Aug. 22 (grades K-9 last names A-K, grade 10 starts), Aug. 23 (grades K-9 last names L-Z, grades 11-12 report)

South-Western City Schools: Aug. 24 (grades 4-12 all students; grades K-3 last names A-G only), Aug. 25 (grades K-3 last names H-O only), Aug. 26 (grades K-3 last names P-Z only), Aug. 29 (all K-3 students report)

Upper Arlington City Schools: Aug. 16 (grades 1-6 and 9), Aug. 17 (All students grades 1-12 report)

Westerville City Schools: Aug. 11 (grades 1-6 and 9-12), Aug. 12 (grades 7-8), Aug. 16 (preschool), Kindergarten gentle starts on Aug. 11, 12 and 15 (parents will receive a letter from their child's school with an assigned date and time), Aug. 16 (all kindergarten students report)

Whitehall City Schools: Aug. 18 (grades 1-12), Aug. 25 (kindergarten)

Worthington City Schools: Aug. 17 (all students)

Some other central Ohio school districts

Big Walnut Local Schools: Aug. 22 (all students)

Buckeye Valley Local Schools: Aug. 18 (all students)

Delaware City Schools: Aug. 18 (all students)

Fairbanks Local Schools: Aug. 17 (grades 1-12), Aug. 22 (preschool and kindergarten)

Licking Heights Local Schools (part of which is in Franklin County, but most of which is in Licking County): Aug. 17 (grades 1-9 and kindergarteners last names A-K), Aug. 18 (grades 10-12 and kindergarteners last names L-Z)

Marysville Exempted Village Schools: Aug. 17 (grades 1-8 last names A-M only, grade 9 only), Aug. 18 (grades 1-8 last names N-Z only; all high school students grades 9-12 attend), Aug. 19 (grades 1-8 all students report), Aug. 22 (kindergarten)

Olentangy Local Schools: Aug. 18 (all students)

Pickerington Local Schools: Aug. 15 (grades 1, 5, 7 and 9 only), Aug. 16 (grades 1-4 all students attend; grades 6, 8 and 10 only), Aug. 17 (all students)

Greater Columbus colleges and universities

Capital University: Aug. 24

Columbus State Community College: Aug. 29

Denison University: Aug. 29

Kenyon College: Aug. 25

Ohio Dominican University: Aug. 15

Ohio State University: Aug. 23

Ohio Wesleyan University: Aug. 24

Otterbein University: Aug. 22

Some other public Ohio universities

University of Cincinnati: Aug. 22

Ohio University: Aug. 22

Bowling Green State University: Aug. 22

Miami University: Aug. 22

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Back-to-school: Here's when Columbus-area districts, colleges start