Incoming kindergartners at Brooklands Elementary School in Rochester Hills spent three days practicing school routines Aug. 11–13, getting comfortable with backpacks and drop-off lines before Rochester Community Schools' first day arrives Monday, Aug. 24.
The district's X account shared photos on Aug. 12 showing young students outside Brooklands during the Kindergarten Jumpstart program. One girl in a Hello Kitty shirt and pink backpack grinned outside the school entrance. Parents crouched beside their son on a nearby street. Another child adjusted her backpack strap in the drop-off line.
The Aug. 24 start is two days earlier than last year's Aug. 26 opening, according to Metro Parent. The first day is a half day, morning only, for all students in transitional kindergarten through grade 12 and the Adult Transition Program and Services.
Staggered start for youngest students
Kindergarten and transitional kindergarten families should note a split schedule after the half day. According to the district's Facebook page, students in grades 1–12 move to full days on Tuesday, Aug. 25, but TK and kindergarten students attend in two groups based on directions from their school. At Brooklands, that means last names A–L attend their first full day Tuesday, Aug. 25, and last names M–Z attend Wednesday, Aug. 26. All TK and kindergarten students districtwide go full days starting Thursday, Aug. 27.
New students must enroll online
Families new to the district who have not yet enrolled their children need to complete online registration at rochester.k12.mi.us/enrollment. The district posted the reminder on Instagram and X on Aug. 10. No action is required for students already enrolled.
No specific enrollment deadline was listed in district communications.
What else is new for 2026-27
The 2026-27 school year brings several policy changes across the district's 21 schools serving roughly 14,868 students in Rochester, Rochester Hills and Oakland Township. RCS is updating its cellphone policy to comply with a new Michigan law requiring districts to limit student phone use during the school day, Metro Parent reported. The district has also adopted its first districtwide guidelines for generative AI use in the classroom, developed by a team of 26 educators over the past year. Four new courses join the curriculum, though the district has not yet named them publicly.
Key dates
- Thursday, Aug. 20: World of Welcome at Brooklands
- Sunday, Aug. 23: Brooklands PTA Chalk the Walk
- Monday, Aug. 24: First day of school (half day, morning only)
- Tuesday, Aug. 25 – Wednesday, Aug. 26: Full days begin for grades 1–12; TK/kindergarten in groups
- Thursday, Aug. 27: All grades full day
- Sept. 4–7: No school, Labor Day recess
- Sept. 8: Classes resume
