TUCSON, AZ (KVOA) – Thousands of kids are returning to the classroom for the first day of the 2025-2026 school year today.
Districts starting the school year today include Tucson Unified School District, Marana Unified School District, Sahuarita Unified Schools, and more.
The Pima County Health Department is hosting a Back-to-School Clinic offering no-cost, school-required vaccines for students in grades K-12 and walk-in physicals on Thursday, August 7th at the Kino Memorial Sports Complex.
TUSD students will experience a significant reduction in standardized tests, shifting the focus to increased instructional time. This change comes after a joint effort by the district and the Tucson Education Association (TEA), the teacher’s union. A task force created a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to formalize these testing reductions, which the governing board approved on July 22. Some students may see as much as a 50 percent decrease in tests.
TUSD has introduced new bus routes and technology to improve student safety and punctuality. An interactive map allows families to view available routes and stops based on their school, and new routes and stops have been added to better serve families. Student ID scanning technology will be used for improved safety, allowing parents to track their child’s bus activity via a mobile app.