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FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL AUGUST 20, 2026

Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools will kick off the 2026-27 school year on Thursday, August 20, 2026. We eagerly look forward to the return of our GJPS students and staff to our schools, classrooms and big yellow buses.

We hope this list of TOP GJPS BACK TO SCHOOL TIPS will help you keep track of all the important information you need for a great back-to-school season.

Stay in the Game!

We are proud to share that GJPS is an All-Star District in the Stay in the Game! Attendance Network. We believe that student success starts with school attendance, and our shared mission is to prioritize attendance by connecting our learning community to resources aimed at tackling chronic absenteeism.

By working together, we can keep our students in the game and set them up for success. At home, at school and in our community, families and caregivers make a difference in student behavior and can be positive role models for attendance.

Everyone — educators, parents and families, community partners and even students, can do their part to tackle absenteeism. Take the Attendance Pledge, and help us spread the word to Stay in the Game!

BACK TO SCHOOL TIPS

2026-27 DISTRICT CALENDAR

To help you get started on the right foot, be sure to download our 2026-27 District calendar and hang it on the fridge for all to see.

FIND 2026-27 DISTRICT CALENDAR

SAFER OHIO SCHOOL TIP LINE

Back-to-school season can be a stressful time for everyone. Please take time to learn all about our Safer Ohio School Tip Line.

This tip line is a free safety resource available to all Ohio schools. The tip line is an anonymous reporting system that accepts tips via call, text, webform and mobile app 24 hours-a-day.

Safer Ohio School Tip Line allows students and adults to anonymously share information with school officials and law enforcement about threats to student safety.

LEARN ABOUT THE SAFER OHIO SCHOOL TIP LINE

MEAL PRICES AND MENUS

What's for lunch? Don't worry, our FOOD SERVICE DEPARTMENT has you covered with well-balanced and nutritious meals each day.

Check out the GJPS Food Service Department website for:

Breakfast and lunch menus
Meal prices
Free/Reduced Price Meal Application

Reminder as stated in the handbooks:

Students are not permitted to have food delivered to school from UBER eats, Grubhub, DoorDash, etc. These delivery drivers will not be permitted to enter the building to deliver food, and our office staff will not accept the deliveries.

FIND MEAL PRICES, MENUS AND APPLICATIONS

FREE OR REDUCED PRICE MEALS

This is important information for families who think they may qualify for free or reduced price meals.

Families must complete a new application each school year. The good news? It only takes a few steps through your Infinite Campus Parent Portal. Choose MORE in the left-hand menu, then select MEAL BENEFITS to get started.

Once approved, your student is covered for the entire 2026-27 school year, unless your family’s income changes.

FIND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT FREE OR REDUCED PRICE MEALS

TRANSPORTATION

Searching for your bus number or pick-up location?

Find out everything you need to know about bus routing on the GJPS Transportation Department page of our website.

FIND TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION

FREQUENTLY USED FORMS

The beginning of the year ALWAYS means many forms to complete. Have you misplaced one of those forms in your pile of back-to-school TO-DOs?

Search no further than the link below to our frequently used GJPS forms found on our District website.

FIND FORMS YOU MAY NEED

SCHOOL SUPPLIES

School supply lists for students in grades K-8 are found on YOUR SCHOOL'S HOMEPAGE on our GJPS website.

High school students will receive a list of supplies from each of their teachers during the first few days of school.

FIND HOMEPAGES FOR OUR SCHOOLS

ANNUAL INFORMATION UDATE

If you have not done so, please complete the Annual Student Information Update in the INFINITE CAMPUS PARENT PORTAL.

The update must be completed for ALL STUDENTS.

FIND INFINITE CAMPUS PARENT PORTAL

HERE COMES THE BUS APP

Have you downloaded the Here Comes the Bus app?

Here Comes the Bus is an easy-to-use website and app that enables families to see the location of their student’s school bus on a smartphone, tablet or personal computer.

Learn all about it and download it TODAY!

FIND HERE COMES THE BUS APP INFORMATION

DISTRICT NEWS AND UPDATES

Want to keep up with all things GJPS? Make sure you frequently check out the DISTRICT NEWS AND UPDATES page on our GJPS website.

This is where we post important updates, articles and videos about great things happening around the District. You can even find links to past newsletters.

FIND GJPS NEWS AND UPDATES

TEXT Y TO RECEIVE TEXTS

Want to receive a text when GJPS is closed or delayed due to weather or any other reason? Simply text Y to 67587 to opt in to District text notifications.

A quick text now means one less thing to worry about on those snowy mornings!

INFO EMAIL

We are here to help! If you have any questions heading into the new school year, do not hesitate to email info@gjps.org.

For questions specific to your student's school, reaching out to their building is the best option.

First Day Photo

We can't think of anything better than a great FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL PHOTO!

Download and print our GJPS First Day of School sign for your student to hold while posing for that special photo on Thursday, August 20.

FIND FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL PRINTABLE SIGN

Let's Be Social

GJPS has very active Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube accounts.

Please check us out and LIKE US, give us a comment and SHARE us!

Have a question about something school related? We bet you can find the answer on our Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools website at www.GahannaSchools.org.

Sign Up For the GJPS Weekly District Newsletter

The newsletter you are reading (the GJPS NEWS TO KNOW District Newsletter) is emailed to our families and GJPS community once a month.

If you live in the GJPS community and want to stay in the know about what's happening in YOUR school district, please SIGN UP for our weekly update.

(Psssst, families of current GJPS students already receive this newsletter, so there is no need to sign up again, but please share with a friend who does not receive it.)

Sign Up for the GJPS Weekly Newsletter

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