District News
A great addition to Barnstable Public Schools
Back to School! -- August 2026
District News
Welcome back to the 2026-2027 school year
As the proud Superintendent of the Barnstable Public Schools, I am eager to welcome our students back to school for the 2026-2027 school year. It is always a delight to see so many smiling faces as students reconnect with each other and get to know their teachers. I am always thrilled to welcome new students to Barnstable including our new Preschool students, incoming Kindergarten (graduating class of 2039!), and students new to our schools in all grades! With broad and deep offerings in academics, social emotional learning, and extra-curriculars, we have something for everyone and "You Belong In Barnstable!"
School starts for Grades 1-12 on Wednesday, September 2. PreSchool/PreK and K students -- your principals will be in touch about the schedules for the first few days of school as students are welcomed and oriented to our programs. Leave extra time and please drive safely, especially in the first few weeks, as everyone adjusts to their new routines.
Summer Highlights
Click the links below to access two Boston 25 news clips from the August 7 "Zip trip" in Centerville. We are so proud of the student athletes and thespians who were honored. They represented BPS very very well!
Award-winning BIS Drama Club Presents "The Lion King"
Did you know that in its FIRST year of performing after a hiatus, the club was nominated for an impressive nine Massachusetts Educational Theatre Guild Music Theatre awards and won THREE? These included:
- Best Hair and Makeup (won!)
- Best Specialty Ensemble -- the Lionesses (won!)
- Best Female supporting lead - Leah Pacheco as Rafiki (won!)
- Best Overall Musical (nominated)
- Best Choreography - Middle School (nominated)
- Best Ensemble - Middle School (nominated)
- Best Lighting Design (nominated)
- Best Stage Management (nominated)
- Best Direction (nominated)
Did you know that the Girls' Volleyball team has won, the 2026 American Volleyball Coaches' Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award? They have ALSO won the additional AVCA distinction of the Team Academic Honor Roll - representing the top 20% of GPAs nationally by division. This is the for the 14th straight year in a row that they have won the award!!!
BHS Reaccreditation Highlights
Congratulations to the BHS community - faculty, staff, students and families - for a very strong report from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEAS&C). The NEAS&C board voted to continue accreditation for Barnstable High School and numerous commendations including, but not limited to:
- positive/supportive student and staff relationships
- dedicated time in the schedule for community building
- efforts to improve school culture and student support
- the variety of well-established specialized programs and services for students with diverse needs
- improved daily maintenance and cleanliness
- implemented technological updates that support safety, security, teaching and learning
- expansion of pathway programs that provide students with meaningful, real-world learning opportunities through internships, dual enrollment, and community partnerships, enhancing college and career readiness
- the investment in building a data-informed, collaborative infrastructure for improving instruction
The reaccreditation process is an enormous effort and we are very proud of our faculty and staff for the dedication to continuous improvement, growth, and excellence.
Facility and Technology Upgrades
A number of very important facility and technology upgrades occurred this summer. The attached presentation contains a thorough summary. Here are a few we'd like to highlight:
1. All schools have new bells and paging systems, which improves overall building safety through communication. All classrooms, offices, and other areas have new phone systems.
2. Phase 1 of our security camera upgrades occurred at our K-3 schools -- older cameras were replaced and new cameras were added to provide additional coverage, especially of outdoor areas.
3. The door replacement project at West Villages, BIS, BUES, and BCIS has been taking place. New exterior doors are being installed. New front doors with vestibules and improved visitor management are planned for late summer/early fall.
4. Enviromed, our indoor air quality consultant, conducted their annual and thorough review of our indoor air quality. All buildings were measured for temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds, and particulates and all are deemed safe to occupy. Our custodians have been proactively addressing and cleaning small areas of mold if they appear, as they have been trained to do. A larger area of water damage was found at the Enoch Cobb Early Learning Center in room 6 -- the motor room and is being professionally remediated by Service Master this week.
5. The aging portable was removed at Centerville, improving safety.
6. Trees and limbs were cleared in front of Hyannis West and ECELC, creating better sight lines and improving overall safety at that campus.
7. Many schools have had updates to their HVAC systems through "Direct Digital Control" systems, improving functionality and control. The BUES system pipes are being professional wrapped to minimize condensation and water leaking.
8. BHS Tennis court renovations and modernized instructional culinary lab will be complete by the end of August.
Policy Updates - Bell-to-Bell Cell Phone and Personal Devices Prohibited
Prohibition on Cell Phones/Personal Devices Policy
The rationale for this policy is to create a distraction-free learning environment to better focus on academics, reduce bullying that may occur over devices especially during the school day, promote in-person social interactions, and improve mental health and well-being.
As in previous years, cell phones and personal devices (including Smart Watches and Smart Glasses) are prohibited in Barnstable Public Schools.
Prior to 2026-2027, students at BHS could access their phones during non-instructional times, such as passing time and lunch. The new policy is a bell-to-bell prohibition (meaning the start of the school day, the first bell, to its concluding last bell).
The school administration will create appropriate exceptions and accommodations for individual students, as needed.
Consequences for inappropriate use will be described in school handbooks.
We anticipate parents will have concerns about potentially not being able to reach their child during the school day. School administration will identify they ways parents and their children can communicate during the day.
From Food Services
From Transportation
If you applied for your bus pass AFTER the August 7th deadline and we called to let you know your pass is ready, you may come to bus pass days. If you applied after the 7th and you have NOT heard from us, we will call when the pass is ready.
In order to be more efficient at pickup, it would be very helpful if you bring your old pass with you, it would assist our staff in checking you out with your new pass. We encourage you to pickup your bus pass on pass days at the Intermediate school in order to avoid long lines and waiting at the transportation office.
Finally, due to ongoing projects at the school, we will be in the cafeteria, again we will be located in the cafeteria to the right side of the building, look for the bus with signs pointing to us. Please do NOT attempt to enter the lobby as it is closed.
(In the photo above to the right, BPS Busses participated in the "Touch a Truck" event at the West Parish Daycare, along with Barnstable Police, SWAT, West Barnstable Fire District, and other Town Departments).
School Committee Meetings
Zoom Meetings for the fall
The elevator at Town Hall will be getting serviced starting on September 8 and continuing for several months. The Town Hall meeting room will have limited public access as a result.
Starting in October, the School Committee meetings will be held over ZOOM for several months while the elevator is in service. This is expected to last approximately 3 months.
The School Committee meeting schedule and agendas are posted on our website, which you can access here: School Committee Webpage.
Update on Proposed Homeless Shelter Relocation
In May, the Barnstable School Committee issued a letter of concern regarding a proposed relocation of the St. Joseph's Homeless Shelter. We shared this letter with families in the May Community Newsletter. The proposed relocation depending on a renovation of the building on 460 West Main Street, and a building permit was issued in March of 2026.
The building permit was appealed to the Zoning Board of Appeals and, during a largely attended public meeting on July 22, 2026. at Barnstable High School, the Zoning Board voted in favor of the appellant, halting the building permit and relocation of the shelter from Winter Street to the West Main Street location.
We have no further information to share but wanted to update the community with new information since our last communication on the matter.
Upcoming -- Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Ed. Integrated Monitoring Review
The Massachusetts Department of Education (DESE) will conduct an Integrated Monitoring Review (IMR) during the week of October 26th as part of a routine three-year state review cycle. This review ensures compliance with special education and civil rights, and English Language Learner laws.
As part of this required state review, we are collecting vital feedback from our families regarding our special education services, communication, and parent engagement efforts. Parents and guardians of students with disabilities will soon receive a survey from DESE. The purpose of this survey is to measure how effectively our schools partner with families to improve services for students with disabilities.
Your insight is incredibly valuable! It helps us understand what we are doing well and highlights areas where we can improve to better support your child's education and development. The responses are completely confidential and secure and personal identity will never be tied to your responses. Once we receive the summary of the survey results, we will use this information to improve services and further enhance family-school partnerships.
2026-2027 School Calendar
Bookmark this page for our 2026-2027 school calendar!
Registration for 2026-2027 is Open!
You belong in Barnstable!
Families need to begin the process online through the Aspen portal, and then they will make an appointment at the Family & Community Engagement Center.
If you have any questions - our general email is bpsengagementcenter@mybps.us, and our WhatsApp is 508-356-4906.
