MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | Thousands of Minnesota Students Return to Class Tuesday as 2026-27 School Year Begins

Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Osseo and Anoka-Hennepin are among districts welcoming students after Labor Day, while a temporary state law has produced unusually varied start dates across Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (September 8, 2026). Thousands of students across the Twin Cities are returning to classrooms Tuesday as some of Minnesota's largest school districts begin the 2026-27 academic year following the Labor Day weekend.

Minneapolis Public Schools welcomes students in grades 1 through 12 Tuesday, while Pre-K and kindergarten students begin Thursday, September 10.

Saint Paul Public Schools are following a similar schedule. Students in grades 1 through 12 return Tuesday, with welcome meetings scheduled Tuesday and Wednesday for Pre-K and kindergarten families before those students begin classes Thursday.

Osseo Area Schools also begins its new school year Tuesday, bringing students back across a district that serves Brooklyn Park, Brooklyn Center, Maple Grove, Osseo and surrounding communities.

In Anoka-Hennepin, Minnesota's largest school district, the return is staggered. Students in grades 1 through 5, sixth grade and ninth grade report Tuesday, along with seventh graders at Anoka Middle School for the Arts. All grades report Wednesday.

The staggered approach is designed in part to give students entering middle and high school an opportunity to become familiar with their buildings, schedules and routines before returning students arrive.

This year's first day looks different across Minnesota because districts were given greater flexibility than usual in deciding when to begin classes.

Minnesota law has traditionally prohibited most public school districts from beginning the academic year before Labor Day, a restriction dating to 1985 and long connected to the state's tourism season, the Minnesota State Fair and summer employment.

But lawmakers approved a temporary exception covering the 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years. During those two academic years, districts may begin classes on or after September 1 rather than waiting until after Labor Day.

The change became particularly relevant in 2026 because Labor Day fell on September 7. Without additional flexibility, districts maintaining a traditional calendar faced the possibility of pushing the end of the school year farther into June.

The temporary law did not require districts to start early, producing a patchwork of opening dates across Minnesota.

Some districts took advantage of the new flexibility and welcomed students before Labor Day. Others, including Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Osseo and Anoka-Hennepin, retained opening schedules centered on the traditional post-Labor Day return.

The debate over when Minnesota schools should begin is not new.

School administrators seeking greater local control have argued that earlier starts can provide more instructional time before spring testing, make it easier to complete a semester before winter break and prevent school calendars from extending deep into June.

Tourism and hospitality businesses have traditionally opposed eliminating the post-Labor Day restriction, arguing that an earlier school year shortens Minnesota's summer tourism season and removes teenage workers during one of the industry's busiest periods.

The Minnesota State Fair has also figured prominently in the debate. The traditional calendar allows students involved in 4-H and other State Fair activities to participate without missing the opening days of school.

Families across the Twin Cities now face a different set of practical adjustments as buses return to neighborhood streets, school-zone traffic increases and students settle into new classrooms and schedules.

Minneapolis Public Schools is reminding families to ensure that schools have current contact information and to review meal, transportation and school-calendar information as classes resume.

Anoka-Hennepin is also directing families to updated versions of its ParentVUE and StudentVUE applications, which provide access to teacher assignments, class schedules, transportation information, attendance reporting, grades and school fees.

The opening week will continue beyond Tuesday. Anoka-Hennepin's remaining grades join returning students Wednesday, while Minneapolis and Saint Paul Pre-K and kindergarten students begin Thursday.

The temporary statewide calendar flexibility remains in effect for one more school year. Unless lawmakers extend or permanently change the policy, Minnesota's traditional post-Labor Day restriction is scheduled to return after the 2027-28 academic year.

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