Back to school guide 2024-25

We are excited to welcome you back to school on Monday, Aug. 26. As we get closer to the first day of school, we want to connect you with resources and provide answers to frequently asked questions. 

Join us for the District Showcase on August 8 to get connected and learn more about the upcoming school year.

District Calendar and Important dates: 

Click here for the 2024-25 district calendar with all late start days and no school days. You will also soon receive a 12-month district calendar in the mail. If you do not receive one by mid-August, you can pick one up at your school or the district office. 

📅 Thursday, Aug. 8: District Showcase for Families (3 - 6 p.m. at MHSCA)
📅 Friday, Aug. 9: Schedules, classroom and teacher information available in Powerschool (1 p.m.). 
📅 Monday, Aug. 12: Start of MHS Fall Activities
📅 Monday, Aug. 12: MHS Grades 11-12 Orientation
📅 Wednesday, Aug. 14: MHS Grades 9-10 Orientation
📅 Thursday, Aug. 15: Horizon Orientation Day (12:30 - 5:30 p.m.)
📅 Wednesday, Aug. 21: Elementary Back to School Night (Time TBD by school)
📅 Thursday, Aug. 22: Horizon Back to School Night (5 - 6:30 p.m. - assigned times)
📅 Monday, Aug. 26: First day of school for E-12

Late Start and Early Out Days:

🕘 Every late start day is on a Wednesday (Oct. 9, Dec. 4, March 5 and May 7). All schools will begin two hours later than their normal start time. Late start days are for staff professional development. *JumpStart preschool will not follow late start days.*

🕘 May 30 is the last day of classes and will be an Early-Out Day, with each school dismissing two hours before their normal scheduled dismissal time.

School Supplies:

✏️ Grades K-4
✂️ Grades 5-8
📚 Moorhead High School and Career Academy
📏 Moorhead Alternative Learning Center

Make sure you save your receipts when purchasing school supplies for the 2024-25 school year! You may be eligible for a tax relief program through the Minnesota Department of Revenue. There are no income limits for the education subtraction program. Learn more here

Classroom Teachers and Schedules:

Classroom teacher assignments for elementary students and schedules for middle and high school students will be available in PowerSchool on August 9 at 1 p.m.

🚨 Need to reset your PowerSchool password?

Bus Routes:

Log on to PowerSchool to complete your back-to-school forms and update transportation information, to ensure your child’s transportation is ready for the 2024-25 school year.

🚌 Bus route information will be available in PowerSchool on August 16.

Health Office:

Our team is here to help! Do you have questions? Email healthservices@moorheadschools.org.

  • Does your child need medications at school? Please complete the Medication Request Form. If it is a prescription medication it will also need to be signed by your child’s provider. 

  • Wondering what vaccines your child needs to start school? All the requirements for school can be found at the MN Department of Health's website. Updates are required for kindergarten, 7th grade and at age 16, pay close attention to those.

  • Annual check-ups are important at all ages. All students participating in athletics need an updated sports physical every three years. This sports physical form needs to be completed and returned before participating in practice or competition. Sports physicals will be provided for $30 during the District Showcase on Aug. 8.

School Meals:

With Minnesota’s Free School Meals law, students’ first breakfast and lunch meals each day are free of charge. For federal government purposes, we encourage all families to complete the free and reduced lunch application form.

You will need:

🍊 The name, school, and grade for your school-age children
🥦 The name of all adults living in the home
🍔 Income information for all adults living in the home

Breakfast and lunch prices are:

Breakfast Costs:

  • Grades K-12: $0

  • $2.25 for second breakfast

Lunch Costs:

  • Grades K-12: $0

  • $4.95 for second lunch

Individual cartons of milk cost $0.50 each. Milk cartons that are not part of a lunch or breakfast meal are not covered by the Minnesota Free Meals Program.

School Fees:

Some students may have fees for activities, testing, Chromebook protection plan and more. School fees are paid in the e-Funds for Schools portal.

Chromebook Program:

Moorhead Area Public Schools is a one-to-one district, providing access to a Chromebook to each student in grades K-12 to support their learning in school and at home.

The Chromebook will be issued at no cost to the student. There is a $40 Chromebook insurance fee that provides accidental breakage and coverage for students in grades 5-12. The fee is optional. MHS students bring their Chromebooks to school fully charged each day (grades 5-8 do not have take-home privileges), and if they need repairs made to their Chromebooks, they should take their devices to their school’s Media Center repair assessment.

Technical support of ChromeBook and school provided electronic resources is available weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. via email and phone 218-284-3340.