If your family is in Falcon School District 49, the wait is almost over. The 2026–2027 school year begins tomorrow — and the district is using a staggered start to ease the transition for certain students.

Who Starts When

Kindergarteners, 6th graders, and 9th graders start Monday, August 3. These are students entering a new school building for the first time — moving from elementary into middle school, middle into high school, or beginning their K–12 journey entirely. The staggered day gives them time to learn the layout, find their classrooms, and meet their teachers before the full student population arrives.

All other D49 students start Tuesday, August 4.

The two-day staggered start is intentional. A new building is a lot to navigate — lockers, schedule changes, longer hallways — and giving transition-year students their own day creates a noticeably calmer first-day experience. If your child is in one of those grade levels, Monday will feel more manageable than a typical opening day.

The Student Success Center Opens This Week

This week also marks the official opening of D49's new Student Success Center. The SSC is housed at the former Falcon Elementary School of Technology and brings together several specialized programs under one roof:

• Preschool program — full-time, Monday through Thursday, available to D49 families and staff districtwide
• PEAK — services for students with disabilities
• Elevates 18–21 — transition services for students ages 18 to 21
• BASE49 — district-based alternative programming

If your family uses or plans to use any of these programs, the SSC is now fully operational at its new location.

Last-Minute Prep Checklist

If you haven't locked in the logistics yet, tonight's a good time. A few things worth confirming before tomorrow:

• Drop-off and pick-up location and timing for your specific school
• Bus route, if applicable — routes sometimes change year to year
• School start and end times — many schools adjust these slightly each year
• Whether emergency contacts are current in the school's system

The D49 website at d49.org has building-specific information, and the D49 app includes schedule and transportation details.

What's Next

D49 students who start Monday will have their full first week underway before D11 families even hit their first day (August 12) and well before D20 families (August 17–18). If you're a D49 parent, the school year is essentially here. Tomorrow morning, set the alarm a few minutes early, take the photo at the front door, and know that the district has put real thought into making the first day feel manageable for the kids who need it most.