Pasco County Schools opens for the 2026-27 year on Thursday, August 13, and Wesley Chapel families should check their school's exact bell time before then. Several campuses moved tiers from last year, and elementary schools in this area now split between a 9:40 and a 9:50 start. The last day of school is Friday, May 28, 2027.
Before that, there is one more thing on this weekend's list. Meet the Teacher for elementary students is Monday, August 10. Secondary schools held theirs on August 7.
Elementary bell times
| School | Start | End |
|---|---|---|
| Wesley Chapel Elem. | 9:50 | 4:00 |
| Watergrass Elem. | 9:50 | 4:00 |
| Quail Hollow Elem. | 9:50 | 4:00 |
| New River Elem. | 9:50 | 4:00 |
| Achieve Center at Wesley Chapel | 9:50 | 4:00 |
| Seven Oaks Elem. | 9:40 | 3:50 |
| Sand Pine Elem. | 9:40 | 3:50 |
| Wiregrass Elem. | 9:40 | 3:50 |
| Double Branch Elem. | 9:40 | 3:50 |
| Veterans Elem. | 9:10 | 3:20 |
| Kirkland Ranch K-8 | 8:40 | 3:00 |
Ten minutes sounds like nothing until it collides with a work start time or a second drop-off. Look up your school, not your tier.
Middle and high schools
| Middle school | Start | End |
|---|---|---|
| Cypress Creek Middle | 8:20 | 2:40 |
| Thomas E. Weightman Middle | 8:20 | 2:40 |
| Kirkland Ranch K-8 | 8:40 | 3:00 |
| Dr. John Long Middle | 9:10 | 3:30 |
| High school | Start | End |
|---|---|---|
| Wesley Chapel High | 7:07 | 1:34 |
| Cypress Creek High | 7:10 | 1:34 |
| Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation | 7:10 | 2:05 |
| Wiregrass Ranch High | 8:10 | 2:36 |
That is a 63-minute spread between the earliest high school bell and Wiregrass Ranch, and a 50-minute spread across the four middle schools. Households with a middle schooler and a high schooler are running two different mornings.
Charter schools
| School | Hours |
|---|---|
| Innovation Preparatory Academy (K-8) | 7:45 - 3:15 |
| Pinecrest Academy Wesley Chapel (K-8) | 7:45 - 3:15 |
| Pinecrest Academy Wesley Chapel High (9-11) | 7:45 - 3:15 |
| Union Park Charter Academy (K-8) | 8:00 - 3:00 |
Those hours come from the district's charter directory. Charters set their own calendars, so August 13 may not be their first day. Call the school and confirm.
Buses, portals and paperwork
Bus routes, stop times and bus pass information post in the myStudent parent portal. Pasco buses carry GPS, so parents can track arrival times once routes go live. If you do not have a portal account, set one up before Thursday rather than at 6:30 a.m. on the first morning.
Florida requires a current immunization record and a school entry physical for new students and kindergarteners. Schools cannot enroll a student without them.
On phones: state law bans student phone use for the entire school day in grades K-8. High school rules covering non-instructional time are set at the district level, so read the student code of conduct before your teenager tests it.
Thursday morning traffic
Wells Road, Old Pasco Road, Mansfield Boulevard and Overpass Road all load up at the same time on day one, and the 9:40 and 9:50 elementary starts push a second wave of car lines into mid-morning. School zone speed limits are back in effect Thursday. Enforcement is heaviest during the first week.
Dates worth putting in your phone now
- Monday, September 7: Labor Day, no school
- Friday, October 9: end of first grading quarter
- Wednesday, October 28: first early release day
- November 23 to 27: Thanksgiving break
- December 21 to January 1: winter break
On that October 28 early release, dismissal runs roughly two hours ahead of normal: 2:00 p.m. at the 9:50 elementary schools, 1:50 p.m. at the 9:40 schools, 12:40 p.m. at Cypress Creek and Weightman middle, and 11:34 a.m. at Wesley Chapel High and Cypress Creek High. Two more early release days follow in January and February. Spring break is set for March 22 to 26, 2027, with students back the following Monday.
For more back-to-school coverage as the year gets going, keep up with Wesley Chapel Community Website and our education stories. Follow along on Facebook, Instagram and X.
Got a car line horror story or a bus route question? Join the conversation in our Community Forum, and check community news for what else is happening around the neighborhood this month.
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