Schools across the country are grappling with whether the start of classes for an estimated 56.4 million kindergarten through 12th graders will be on a computer or in person. Here's a look at the 2020-2021 back-to-school policies of the nation's 225 largest public school districts, representing more than 16.2 million students or 28.8% of K-12 students nationwide
In an effort to contain the spread of COVID-19, 146 districts are starting the year entirely remotely for their 10.5 million students. Still, 52 districts, or a total of 3.2 million enrolled students, will have in-person instruction in the first weeks of school. The majority of these districts are in the South. Twenty-three districts will adopt a hybrid model that mixes face-to-face learning with online components. Among them is New York City, home to the nation's largest school district — with over a million students — and whose reopening plan will have students in classrooms two to three days a week.
Plans for getting kids back to school vary by state and school district. While several states allow school districts full discretion to determine their policies based on local COVID-19 conditions, states like Florida and Iowa have mandates to go back to in-person instruction five days a week unless granted an exception. In Florida, at least three large school districts with high COVID-19 case numbers — Dade School District (Miami), Broward County School District (Fort Lauderdale), and Palm Beach County School District (Palm Beach) — have permission to begin the school year online.
