SBCUSD Kicks Off 2023–2024 School Year on Monday, July 31

The first day of school for San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) students is Monday, July 31. It’s a minimum day and the launch of later start times for middle and high school students, as part of the Portantino Rule.

The Portantino Rule, SB328, requires California middle schools to start no earlier than 8 a.m. and high schools to start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. to help prevent sleep loss in adolescents.

SBCUSD high school students will attend school from 8:30 a.m. to 1:20 p.m. on July 31 only. The regular school day schedule will be 8:30 a.m. to 3:35 p.m. On Collaboration Mondays, also known as late-start Mondays, high school students will attend school from 9:45 a.m. to 2:50 p.m.

Sierra and San Andreas High Schools, the District’s continuation high schools, each have two sessions daily. The July 31 minimum day morning session is from 8:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. and the afternoon session is from 11:50 a.m. to 3:05 p.m. The regular school day class schedule is from 8:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. for the morning session and 12:50 p.m. to 5:05 p.m. for the afternoon session. Sierra’s and San Andreas’s collaboration days are on Tuesdays.

Middle College High School, which follows the San Bernardino Valley College schedule, starts the new school year on Wednesday, August 2, 2023, at 8:30 a.m.

SBCUSD middle school students will attend school from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on July 31 only. The regular school schedule will be 8 a.m. to 2:31 p.m. On Collaboration Mondays, also known as late-start Mondays, middle school students will attend school from 9:45 a.m. to 2:35 p.m.

Students attending Paakuma’ K–8 School will all follow a modified middle school schedule, with students in grades kindergarten through eight attending school from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on July 31. The regular school schedule will be 8 a.m. to 2:40 p.m.

SBCUSD elementary school students will attend school from 8:50 a.m. to 1 p.m. on July 31 only. The regular school day schedule will be 8:50 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. On Collaboration Mondays, also known as early-release Mondays, elementary school students will follow the minimum day schedule from 8:50 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Kindergarten students in the half-day program attend from 8:50 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. for the morning session and 12:10 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. for the afternoon session. Students in half-day kindergarten start and end at the same time on regular and minimum days, including July 31.

The majority of SBCUSD kindergarten students will eventually be enrolled in a full-day program, which will follow the same schedule as other elementary students. However, students will start with a half-day morning schedule from July 31 through September 1 before transitioning to a full day on September 5. This means most kindergarten students will attend school from 8:50 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. on July 31.

Cole, Fairfax, Norton, Palm Avenue, Vermont, and Wilson Elementary Schools will remain on the traditional half-day kindergarten schedule for the entire 2023–2024 school year. Families of kindergarten students should check with their child’s school for more information.

Elementary students attending SBCUSD’s Virtual Academy will follow the middle school schedule, starting their online classes at 8 a.m.

In order to continue to provide the level of school bus service SBCUSD families have come to expect while also accommodating the new start times for middle and high schools mandated by the Portantino Rule, SBCUSD’s Transportation Department has contracted with three different bus companies. First Student, Durham, and Zum will all provide transportation for SBCUSD students. According to SBCUSD Transportation Director Marie Espinoza, the only difference is the company name on the side of the bus. Each provider will provide the same level of care and service for SBCUSD students.

There is still time to register your child for school with SBCUSD. Families may enroll their children online or at the July 29 Enrollment Fair from 9 a.m.–1:30 p.m. at Jones Elementary School, 700 North F Street in San Bernardino.

SBCUSD families may visit the online School Site Locator to determine their child’s home school. For more information about determining your child’s home school or how to enroll, contact Enrollment and Placement Services at (909) 889-7576 or enrollmentcenter@sbcusd.k12.ca.us.

Inland Career Education Center (ICEC), SBCUSD’s adult and career education school, kicks off the new school year on Monday, August 7. Call (909) 388-6000 or click here for more information.