Superintendent's Memo
Hopkinton Public Schools
September 2026 Superintendent's Memo
Dear Hopkinton Families, Students, Staff, and Community Members,
As we begin the 2026–2027 school year, I am incredibly grateful to be entering my second year as Superintendent and my twenty-second year in the Hopkinton Public Schools.
My first year as superintendent was very much about listening and learning. I spent a lot of time talking with students, staff, families, and community members about what we do well, where we can get better, and what we want for the future of our schools. I learned a great deal through those conversations, and I am appreciative of how many people took the time to share their experiences, ideas, concerns, and hopes with me.
As I enter year two, I am excited to begin turning much of that listening into action.
This will be an important year for Hopkinton Public Schools. We will develop a new three-year strategic plan that will help set our direction and guide our work over the next several years. We will pilot elementary literacy programs across Marathon, Elmwood, and Hopkins, learn from our teachers and students throughout the year, and ultimately select one program next June that we believe will best support literacy instruction for our elementary students moving forward.
At the same time, we will be preparing for some significant changes coming in the 2027–2028 school year. The opening of the new Charleswood School and the grade reconfiguration that follows will impact nearly every part of our district. We will also be working through decisions around school start times and transportation as we prepare for that transition.
There is a lot ahead of us. It is exciting work, but it is also important and sometimes complicated work. These are decisions that will impact our students, staff, and families for years to come, and I know we will not always agree on every decision or every detail. What I can promise is that we will do our best to listen, communicate openly, consider different perspectives, and keep our students at the center of the decisions we make.
I am looking forward to your partnership and collaboration as we navigate this year together. One of the things I have always appreciated most about Hopkinton is how invested people are in our schools. That investment comes with high expectations, thoughtful questions, different opinions, and a shared desire to provide the very best experience we can for our students. I believe that makes us better.
Through all of the planning and change ahead, what matters most will remain the same. We want our students to be challenged, supported, known, and cared for. We want them to enjoy coming to school, develop meaningful relationships with the adults and students around them, discover what they are passionate about, and leave us prepared for whatever comes next.
I am incredibly proud of our schools and excited about where we are headed. There is a lot of work to do, and I am looking forward to doing it together.
Thank you, as always, for the trust you place in our schools and in the people who work in them every day. Looking forward to a great year ahead.
Go Hillers,
Evan Bishop
Superintendent of Schools
Wednesday, September 2: First Day of School Grades 1 - 12
Thursday, September 3: First Day of Kindergarten
Friday, September 4: No School
Monday, September 7: No School (Labor Day)
Wednesday, September 9: First Day of PreSchool (4 years olds)
Thursday, September 10: First Day of PreSchool (3 years olds)
Friday, September 18: District-Wide Early Release Day
Monday, September 21: No School (Yom Kippur)
SUMMER OF HILLERS!
It was incredible to see Hiller pride on full display all summer long! From vacations and adventures to camps, summer programs, and time spent with family and friends, our Hillers found so many ways to stay connected and represent Hopkinton near and far. A huge thank you to everyone who shared photos and let us follow along.
Be sure to check out the Summer of Hillers slideshow below—filled with great pictures, big smiles, amazing adventures, and plenty of Hopkinton gear! From right here at home to destinations around the world, it was pretty awesome to see our Hillers representing wherever summer took them. Summer of Hillers was a great reminder that even when school is out, our community stays connected—and Hiller pride travels everywhere!
