Rockville, Md. – Today, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) officially kicks off the new school year, welcoming back over 150,000 students across the district. Grounded in a commitment to student success, classroom focus and strong community partnerships, MCPS begins the year prepared to support every learner from the first bell.

MCPS is excited and ready to serve its students with more than 12,603 educators and 1,218 bus operators. The system is 99% staffed for teachers overall and 96% for special education teachers (as of 8/19/2026). Equally important, MCPS is fully staffed in its transportation division for the 2026-2027 school year. Recruitment efforts continue, as they do throughout the year, to identify and attract suitable candidates to work with students and to support operational excellence.

Other highlights for this year include:

• Implementing an updated cellphone regulation to help students stay focused and connected in the classroom. Under the No Cell, Bell to Bell, personal mobile devices for all grade levels, including high school, will be put away from the first bell through dismissal. This action is expected to result in fewer disruptions and help students stay engaged in learning. Learn more.
• Continuing collaboration with families through "The Refrigerator Curriculum," a resource that gives families an overview of what their student is learning for the school year.
• Strengthening grading and reporting practices for clarity, fairness and measuring student learning. Learn more.
• Updating the Student Code of Conduct to set and communicate expectations, and to provide clearer overall guidance, with refinements to guidance on progressive discipline. Learn more.

These updates are part of the district’s longer-term commitment outlined in the MCPS 2025–2030 Strategic Plan, Future Ready. The plan calls for every student to graduate ready to thrive in a changing world, with the knowledge, skills and confidence to lead, adapt and make a positive impact. Grounded in the district’s core values of learning, respect, relationships, excellence and equity, MCPS is working towards 100% of schools earning four stars or higher on the Maryland School Report Card, raising proficiency rates for students who have historically faced opportunity gaps and graduating at least 95% of all students each year.

To capture the energy of the new school year, MCPS has released a welcome video highlighting opening day across the district.