When do Stanislaus County students go back to school? See 2025 start dates

While some California students are already dusting off their backpacks, others still have a few sunny days of vacation left to enjoy.

School start dates can vary by district.

As public schools across the Modesto area gear up for the 2025-26 academic year, The Modesto Bee looked into when classes officially begin.

Here are the key start dates for students attending elementary, middle and high schools in and around Stanislaus County:

When is the first day of school in Modesto? Stanislaus County?

Stanislaus County is home to 25 public school districts, serving students from transitional kindergarten through 12th grade, according to the county’s Office of Education.

Here’s when classes begin for each district, according to their websites:

Ceres Unified School District — Wednesday, Aug. 13

Chatom Union School District — Tuesday, Aug. 12

Denair Unified School District — Wednesday, Aug. 6

Empire Union School District — Tuesday, Aug. 12

Gratton School District — Thursday, Aug. 7

Hart-Ransom School District — Tuesday, Aug. 12

Hickman Community Charter District — Wednesday, Aug. 6

Hughson Unified School District — Thursday, Aug. 7

Keyes Union School District — Tuesday, Aug. 12

Knights Ferry School District — Thursday, Aug. 7

Modesto City Schools District — Tuesday, Aug. 12

Newman-Crows Landing Unified School District — Monday, Aug. 11

Oakdale Joint Unified School District — Wednesday, Aug. 6

Paradise Elementary School District — Thursday, Aug. 14

Patterson Joint Unified School District — Thursday, Aug. 7

Riverbank Unified School District — Thursday, Aug. 7

Roberts Ferry School District — Wednesday, Aug. 6

Salida Union School District — Tuesday, Aug. 12

Shiloh School District — Wednesday, Aug. 20

Stanislaus County Office of Education — Monday, Aug. 11

Stanislaus Union School District — Monday, Aug. 11

Sylvan Union School District — Wednesday, Aug. 6

Turlock Unified School District — Tuesday, Aug. 12

Valley Home Joint School District — Wednesday, Aug. 6

Waterford Unified School District — Monday, Aug. 11

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This story was originally published July 30, 2025 at 6:00 AM.

Angela Rodriguez

The Modesto Bee

279-386-2738

Angela Rodriguez is a service journalism reporter for The Bee. She is a graduate of Sacramento State with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. During her time there, she worked on the State Hornet covering arts and entertainment.