Every school starts on a different day
There's no national first day of school. In the US it varies by district and state, from late July in parts of the South to after Labor Day in much of the Northeast. Colleges set their own dates, and in other countries the school year may start in January, April, or September. That's why this countdown asks for your date instead of guessing it.
Look up the first day on your school's or district's calendar and enter it above. Counting down for a child? Add their name and the result reads “Maya's first day of school is in 12 days!”
How the countdown works
The big number is calendar days until the first day. The exact countdown underneath runs to midnight at the start of that day in your time zone, and the boxes show the same wait in weeks, hours, and minutes. On the first day it says school starts today; after that, it shows how many days ago it was.
A back-to-school checklist, by time left
- Four weeks or more: check for any required forms, immunization records, or physicals, and sign up for bus routes or after-school programs that fill up.
- Two to three weeks: get the supply list from the school or teacher and shop before the popular items run out.
- One week: start shifting bedtimes and wake-up times back to a school schedule, a little each day.
- The night before: pack the bag, lay out clothes, and plan the first morning's route.
For nervous first-days
A countdown can help a child who's anxious about a new school or a first year: the number makes the date concrete, and there's time to visit the school, meet a teacher, or practice the route. Or share it the other way: for a lot of parents, it's the most anticipated date of the summer.
Share this countdown creates a link with the date built in; Download image saves a picture of it. When school's under way, count down to the next break with thesummer vacation countdown or to test day with theexam countdown.
