ST. TAMMANY PARISH, La. — St. Tammany Parish Public Schools will begin the 2026–2027 school year with Smart Start days Thursday and Friday, while free breakfast and lunch will be available to all students across the district’s 55 schools.
Only Pre-K through 12th-grade students whose last names begin with A through L will attend Thursday, August 6. Students with last names M through Z will attend Friday, August 7. All students begin the normal schedule Monday, August 10.
The district says all enrolled students are eligible for free breakfast and lunch this school year through the Community Eligibility Provision. Families do not have to pay or submit a free-and-reduced-meal application.
STPPS also announced updated attendance procedures. Every absence requires a written excuse. Parents may submit up to three written excuses per semester, and notes must be submitted within five days after the student returns. Consecutive sick days count as one parent excuse, but absences longer than three consecutive days require a doctor’s note.
Families can use the district’s bus-stop locator to find nearby stops and driver assignments. The transportation hotline, 985-898-3373, is available from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. August 4–7 and August 10.
Registration, supply lists, calendars and other school resources are available through the district’s official back-to-school page.