Students at Lennard High School, East Bay High School and Apollo Beach K-8 head back to class Monday, Aug. 10, and Superintendent Van Ayres says the district is in the strongest shape he's seen in four years on the job.

Hillsborough County Public Schools earned its first A rating from the state since 2014, with nearly 40 schools improving their letter grades and every previously D- or F-rated school now carrying at least a C. Teacher vacancies have dropped from roughly 700 a few years ago to about 200 heading into the new year.

That's manageable for a 233-school district, Ayres told Tampa Bay 28 in an Aug. 4 interview, adding: "We are ready to go."

Free full-day VPK districtwide

One change South Shore parents of young children will notice immediately: free full-day Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten is now available at all district elementary schools. In prior years, the state funded only the half-day session and families covered the rest. Only 44% of Florida children entering kindergarten in fall 2025 met the state's readiness benchmark, according to the Florida Chamber Foundation's 2025-26 Kindergarten Readiness Report. Ayres called having students ready for kindergarten "always our biggest hurdle."

Fewer tests, less screen time, more field trips

Middle and high school students at Lennard and East Bay will sit for 82 fewer semester exams this year after the district eliminated redundant assessments. K-2 students will no longer spend 45 minutes a week on digital programs like i-Ready and Amira; those have been replaced with hands-on, teacher-led instruction.

And every PreK-8 student will get a free grade-level field trip funded by the voter-approved millage referendum. Previously, only fifth-, sixth- and eighth-graders received district-funded trips.

Absenteeism in focus

Ayres is asking parents to help cut chronic absenteeism. Florida's statewide rate stood at 29% in 2025, down from 32.3% in 2022 but still nearly nine percentage points above pre-pandemic levels, according to a Harvard/Stanford Education Scorecard report published in May.

"That consistency from day one to day 180, it's important, and being in school every day is a must," Ayres said.

The first day of school for all Hillsborough County campuses is Monday, Aug. 10.