Back-to-School

Enrollment/Registration: 

If your student will be new to CHCCS, visit our enrollment page for details on the registration process, school assignments and related information.

Infinite Campus (replaced PowerSchool in July 2025):  Visit our Infinite Campus page for details.

• PowerSchool is no longer being used. 

Here’s the full 2025-26 school year calendar in Google, printable (PDF) and translated formats.

Important Summer Dates:

• Athletics begin: Wednesday, July 30 
  • Athletics information is maintained at the school level. Use this link to visit your school's athletic webpage.
• Thursday, Aug. 21 (elementary schools): Meet-the-Teacher
• Thursday, Aug. 21 (middle schools): Orientations/Walk-the-Schedule/Meet staff 
• High schools: 9th grade and new student orientation dates vary. Expect communication directly from your high school.
• TBA (high schools): Open House/Walk-the-Schedule/Back-to-School Night
• TBA (elementary schools): Curriculum Night (formerly called "Open House" or "Back to School Night")
  • Times will be set by each school. Please expect school-based communication on these details.

Notable School Year Dates:

• Start Day for Students: Monday, August 25
• Thanksgiving Break: Monday, Nov. 24-Friday, Nov. 28 (a full week off for students, three optional workdays for staff)
• Winter Break: Monday, Dec. 22-Friday, Jan. 2, 2026
• Spring Break: Monday, March 30-Friday, April 3, 2026
• End Day for Students: Thursday, June 11, 2026 (3-hour early dismissal)

FULL CALENDAR: 2025-26 school year calendar in Google, printable (PDF) and translated formats.

Elementary School

• School starts at 7:50 a.m.
• School ends at 2:35 p.m.

Middle School

• School starts at 8:25 a.m.
• School ends at 3:20 p.m.

High School

• School starts at 8:55 a.m.
• School ends at 4 p.m.

Click on the links to view information about school supplies (all lists are updated for 2025-26!)

Immunizations: For Pre-K, Kindergarten, rising 7th Grade and rising 12th Grade students there are specific immunization requirements. An up-to-date immunization record indicating that students have received the required immunizations is due by the first day of attendance at school. If proof of the immunizations is not provided within 30 calendar days after school entry, students will not be allowed to attend school (in-person or virtually) until it is provided. 

• If your student is entering Pre-K or Kindergarten, or is a rising 7th grader or 12th grader, contact your primary care provider or the Orange County Health Department about immunizations required by the first day of school.

Health Assessments: Additionally, state law requires that every child (when entering public schools in N.C. for the first time) receive a health assessment. The assessment must occur within 12 months prior to entering school. The medical provider, parent or guardian must provide a completed health assessment transmittal form to the principal of the school on or before the child's first day of attendance. If the Health Assessment Transmittal Form is not provided within 30 calendar days after school entry, students will not be allowed to continue attending school (in-person or virtually) until it is provided.

• If your student is new to North Carolina public schools, please work with your healthcare provider to complete a Health Assessment Transmittal Form no later than within 30 days of entering school. Once complete, please submit these records to your school nurse. Click this link for school nurse contact information.

Breakfast and lunch: While many families may be eligible for free or reduced-price breakfasts and lunches (and if so, you must complete a new application), other families need to be aware of meal prices. Please visit this page for prices as well as the application for free or reduced-price meals.

Pre-Pay for Meals: You may pre-pay for school meals throughout the year using a service known as “K12PaymentCenter”. To sign up, visit our website and find the link for “Pre-Pay for Meals” to get started. (If using a mobile device, click that link and then expand the menu next to “Meals and Nutrition” in order to see “Pre-Pay for Meals”.)

• Note: Families who are checking their children's existing lunch balances through the payment center may find that there is a $0 balance. This is because the account has not been used since 2020. The account is temporarily inactive on the payment center's end, but not on CHCCS’s end. Therefore, you cannot see the balance or account history. Once your child makes their first purchase this school year or funds have been added to the account, the account will reactivate the balance and history. If you would like to know the balance before then, please contact the School Nutrition Office at 919-967-8211 ext. 28270.

Visit our Transportation page for information regarding bus routes, assignment maps and FAQs. Learn about and download our “Here Comes the Bus” app, which keeps families informed on the location of a student’s bus and whether or not it’s on time.

Bus Transportation Requests: If you are NEW to CHCCS or recently CHANGED YOUR ADDRESS, you may need to request school bus transportation. You should contact your school’s data manager to make the bus transportation request.

• Use this page to find contact information for your school’s data manager.
• No action is necessary if your student used CHCCS transportation last year and did NOT change address.
• If you moved and still need to change the address on file with CHCCS, you would first do that with the CHCCS registration office at Lincoln Center (click for more details.)

We are currently working on updating our Parent Handbooks (in English and Spanish) for 2025-26. Once they're ready, they'll be posted here, so please continue to check back. 

• School-specific information may be found on the same page under Parent Handbook-School Based Supplements.  Included in the supplements are, among other things, drop off and pick up information, how to report an absence, program contact information. 
• At the high school level, learn which students can leave campus, student parking, how to sign up for Driver's Education and more. 

In July and August of 2025, our policy on student cell phone usage (and other personal communication devices) was updated to comply with a new North Carolina law, and to support our belief that the school day should be a time for focused learning, engagement, personal growth, and free from unnecessary distractions. 

• For more details, visit our student cell phone policy page (information was updated in August.)

View this page for more on how the CHCCS district communicates with employees, families and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro community. Additional communication can be routinely expected from your school, teacher(s), activity leaders, coaches and more!