Miami-Dade County Public Schools students return to class Thursday, August 13, giving families a short final window to finish schedules, supplies and first-week logistics before the 2026-27 school year begins.
The district calendar lists August 10, August 11 and August 12 as teacher planning or professional learning days with no students in school. The first student day is August 13, followed by Labor Day on September 7 and the last student day on June 3, 2027.
The timing matters for family budgets, too. Florida's 2026 back-to-school sales tax holiday is still running and ends Thursday, August 20, according to state and district guidance. That leaves Miami-Dade families with school starting before the tax window closes, which makes the first-week shopping list more urgent than a normal end-of-summer errand.
What changed this week
The countdown has moved from summer planning to school-week execution. Miami-Dade is the largest local district affected, and NBC Miami's South Florida school-start roundup also lists Miami-Dade's return date as Thursday, August 13.
For parents and guardians, the practical question is no longer whether the school year is close. It is what must be checked before Thursday morning: arrival times, school-specific supply lists, bus or drop-off plans, after-school arrangements and any forms the school requires before the first day.
The district's own calendar also makes clear that the three days before students return are staff days, not student attendance days. That means families should not assume a school office or teacher will be available for every last-minute question on the same timetable as a regular class week.
What the tax holiday covers
The Florida Department of Revenue says tax is not due during the holiday on eligible clothing, footwear, wallets, bags and backpacks priced at $100 or less per item. Certain school supplies qualify at $50 or less per item, and learning aids or jigsaw puzzles qualify at $30 or less.
Personal computers and certain computer-related accessories can qualify at $1,500 or less when bought for noncommercial home or personal use. The state guidance says cellphones, video game consoles, recreational software and some accessories are not covered.
M-DCPS summarized the same window for families, saying the annual back-to-school holiday runs from July 20 through August 20 and pointing parents to examples such as notebooks, lunch boxes, calculators, markers, rulers and scissors.
What to check first
Start with the student's school calendar and school-specific list, because a tax-exempt item is only useful if it is actually needed. Families buying larger electronics should also check the $1,500 cap and whether the item is for noncommercial home or personal use.
For online orders, timing and item eligibility matter. Florida's tax publication says eligible items purchased during the holiday can qualify, but the exemption does not extend to every product that looks school-related.
The bottom line for Miami-Dade families: classes start Thursday, August 13, and the tax break continues for one more week after that. The useful move is to finish the must-have items first, then use the remaining tax-free days only for purchases that fit the state's price caps and the student's actual first-week needs.
