First day of school 2026: Major changes for 5,000 Memphis students
Downtown Elementary School students during the first day of school on Monday, Aug. 3, 2026. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)
District leaders kicked off the school year with a four-campus tour Monday, Aug. 3, stopping at three schools among the roughly 5,000 students affected by summer closures, consolidations and a district return.
Related content:
MSCS school year begins with takeover still paused in court battle
Topics
Memphis-Shelby County Schools Roderick Richmond Downtown Elementary School Kirby Middle School Hillcrest High School Westwood High School Hawkins Mill ElementaryLaura Testino
Laura Testino is an enterprise reporter on The Daily Memphian’s metro team who writes most often about how education policies shape the lives of children and families. She regularly contributes to coverage of breaking news events and actions of the Tennessee General Assembly. Testino’s journalism career in Memphis began six years ago at The Commercial Appeal, where she began chronicling learning disruptions associated with the pandemic, and continued with Chalkbeat, where she dug into education administration in Memphis. Her reporting has appeared in The New York Times, The Times-Picayune, The Tuscaloosa News and USA Today. Reach Laura with questions, story ideas or tips: Ltestino@dailymemphian.com or Ldtestino.54 on Signal.
Comments
Want to comment on our stories? If you’re a subscriber, scroll down to the comments. If you’re not a subscriber, only paid subscribers can add their thoughts, so subscribe now. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.