Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools completed a successful first week of the 2026-27 school year, welcoming nearly 140,000 students back to classrooms across Mecklenburg County.

“What a fabulous first week of school this has been,” Superintendent Dr. Crystal Hill said. “I want to thank the amazing staff of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools for their hard work and preparation to make the start of the 2026-2027 school year a resounding success.”

The school season officially began Aug. 10, the first day of classes for CMS schools affiliated with Central Piedmont Community College, including Hawthorne Academy of Health Sciences. Deputy Superintendent Dr. Melissa Balknight visited Hawthorne, as well as Charlotte Engineering Early College and Charlotte Teacher Early College on Aug. 13. CEEC and CTEC are at UNC Charlotte, which began the year on Aug. 11.

In preparation for the opening of traditional schools on Aug. 25, Dr. Hill and other district leaders held a back-to-school media briefing on Aug. 18 at J.T. Williams Secondary Montessori. The school has a new home this year at the former site of Marie G. Davis School, thanks to the 2023 Bond.

Before dawn on Aug. 25, Dr. Hill arrived at the Downs Road Transportation Garage in Pineville for the traditional rollout of school buses and to meet media partners. She then began school visits over the next four days at South Mecklenburg High School, Endhaven Elementary School, South Charlotte Middle School, Beverly Woods Elementary, Dilworth Elementary (a new school on the former Park Road Montessori site, built with the 2023 Bond), Pinewood Elementary School, Starmount Academy of Excellence, Oakhurst STEAM Academy, Hickory Grove Elementary School, Reedy Creek Elementary School, Davidson Elementary School, Bailey Middle School, Cornelius Elementary School and Governors’ Village STEM Academy (Lower and Upper). Dr. Balknight also visited Berewick Elementary School and Berryhill School. 

To round out the week, an end-of-first-week media briefing was held on Aug. 28 at the new Cato Ridge Middle School, another new facility built with the 2023 Bond. Highlights included academics, operations and staffing:

• The district began the year with its lowest number of teacher vacancies in recent years. CMS currently has 135 teacher vacancies, with more than 98.5% of teacher positions filled – 77 fewer vacancies than at the start of the last school year.
• CMS increased the number of academic specialists supporting schools this year, bringing additional instructional support closer to teachers and students.
• CMS Transportation serves nearly 102,000 student riders with 750 buses and is the largest public school fleet in the state. Morning on-time arrivals improved from 75.2% at the beginning of the week to 91% Friday morning, while afternoon performance also improved throughout the week.
• CMS School Nutrition served more than 27,000 free breakfasts and 61,000 lunches each day, with 114 schools participating in the Community Eligibility Provision program. The program allows schools to provide healthy breakfasts and lunches each day at no charge for all students enrolled in the school. 

Families are encouraged to visit the CMS back-to-school website for all the information and details needed to ensure a successful school year.