Thousands of students in Broward County returned to classrooms Monday, officially kicking off the 2025-2026 academic year. After summer break, students and bus drivers alike resumed early mornings, as the district prepares to welcome close to 250,000 students.
Officials across the county made first-day visits, including in Miramar, where Vice Mayor Yvette Colbourne, who is of Jamaican heritage, visited Sea Castle Elementary School, New Renaissance Middle School, and Everglades High School, among other schools.
The theme for this school year centers on embracing technology. Broward County Schools is the first K-12 district in the world to adopt Microsoft 365 Copilot, an AI-powered tool designed to boost efficiency and effectiveness across classrooms and administrative functions.
“We are the first K-12 district in the nation, and not just in the nation but in the world that has adopted Microsoft 365 Copilot,” said Dr. Howard Hepburn, Superintendent of Broward County Schools.
Hepburn kicked off the school year at Coconut Creek High School, greeting students with breakfast and sharing news of the tech enhancements. “We’ve also embraced AI so students should see and feel things going on differently inside of our classrooms, inside of our schools,” he said.
During the morning, Hepburn visited other sites, including the ribbon-cutting of the new Media Center at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in Fort Lauderdale, praising the enthusiasm of students immersed in books and technology. He also toured the Verizon Innovative Learning Lab at New Renaissance Middle School in Pembroke Pines, which provides technology training to transform learning experiences.
Security remains a top priority, with new crisis-alert badges implemented alongside metal detectors added last year. The badges allow staff to quickly alert administrators and local law enforcement in emergencies. “Our students know the routine now… Our students said they feel safer, our staff said they feel safer,” Hepburn said.
The district is also enforcing a cellphone ban: students must keep phones off or on airplane mode from bell to bell. “Students please remember to shut it off or put it in airplane mode when you’re entering campus,” Hepburn reminded.
Despite maintaining an “A” rating, Broward schools face a steady decline in enrollment, expecting roughly 8,800 fewer students this year as families increasingly opt for charter schools, private schools, or homeschooling.
To address the decline, four campuses were converted into K-8 schools focusing on specialized subjects like math, engineering, aviation, robotics, and culinary arts:
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Coconut Creek K-8 Academy of Excellence
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Coral Cove Academy of the Arts K-8
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Hollywood Central Preparatory K-8
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Silver Shores STEM Academy
This year, all students will continue to receive free breakfast, despite funding cuts, though families must complete forms to qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.
Students attending Catholic schools will return to classes Tuesday, while Miami-Dade County students are set to start on Thursday.
