Highlights from our first day of school for the 2026-27 year!

The first day of school is always filled with excitement, energy and possibility, and this year was no exception. Across our campuses, students walked through our doors ready to learn, grow, and make the most of a brand-new year.  

We wanted to share some photos from schools across the network capturing the joy of the day and students' hopes for the year ahead. 

Enjoy this look back at an incredible first day! 📸🍎🎉

This DSST: Green Valley Ranch student was pretty nervous to start middle school, but she hyped herself up by crocheting her own hoodie for school.

This DSST: Cedar Middle School student shared that she is “most excited to see my friends again and explore my new electives.”

At DSST: Cedar High School, these seniors are looking forward to graduation and Senior Signing Day.

There was lots of general excitement at Cole for all the possibilities the new school year brings!

At DSST: Elevate Northeast High School, these seniors were excited about going to all the senior events, like the Senior Sunrise and Senior Signing Day!

The staff at Elevate was also feeling their own excitement about the first day and were looking forward to meeting all the students!

For these students at Aurora Science & Tech, the most exciting part of the first day was experiencing high school for the first time!

We hope these photos captured just a small glimpse of the excitement, optimism and possibility that filled our campuses on day one. Here's to a joyful year ahead!