Education

Pasco Schools Set to Finalize $2.28 Billion Budget and Lower Tax Rate Tuesday

The Pasco County School Board holds its final hearing Sept. 8 to adopt a $2.28 billion budget and a millage rate that would save the owner of a $350,000 home about $29 this year.

Pasco Schools Lost 2,415 Students This Fall, More Than Expected. A Building-Use Review Is Next.

The district's official fall count came in about 400 students below projections, and Superintendent John Legg says a countywide look at how school buildings are used is coming, with public input sought within the month.

Pasco School Board Wants a Tougher Capacity Test Before New Homes Get Approved

The board voted Tuesday to lower the crowding threshold that allows new subdivisions to move forward, from 115% of capacity down to 100%, and to split the county into five school service areas instead of two. County and city officials get the final say.

Pasco Schools Return Thursday, Latest in Florida, With About 2,000 Fewer Students

The 2026-27 year starts Aug. 13 with bell times ranging from 7:05 a.m. to 10:10 a.m., an extended bus hotline running through Aug. 19, and daytime lane closures on US 41 and US 98 the same week. Here's what families need before Thursday morning.

Pasco's New School App Kills the $3.50 Lunch-Money Fee. What Parents Must Do Before Aug. 13

Pasco County Schools dropped MySchoolBucks and its per-deposit charge in favor of a free district-built app, Pasco One. Meal balances have already moved over, and parents need to log in before the first bell.

Pasco Schools Cap Classroom Screen Time: 30 Minutes for K-1, an Hour Through Eighth Grade

New district guidelines taking effect when students return Aug. 13 limit what Pasco County Schools calls passive screen time, with a 90-minute daily average in high school. Teachers get the details during planning week.

Pasco Schools Weigh $17M Property Tax Increase; Public Can Speak — and the Board Votes — July 28

The School Board of Pasco County has issued formal notice of a proposed property tax increase, from about $419.6 million to $436.6 million. A single public hearing on July 28 is both the residents' chance to speak and the board's final vote.

Pasco Schools Earn an 'A' — and No D or F School for the First Time Since 2004

The Florida Department of Education raised Pasco County Schools from a 'B' to an 'A' for 2026, and every district campus earned a grade of C or higher — a milestone the district hasn't hit in more than two decades.

Pasco Schools Start Aug. 13: Your Countdown Guide to Free Physicals, Supply Help and Every Day Off

The 2026-2027 year opens Thursday, Aug. 13, and it's already time to plan — here's when school starts, where families can get free physicals, and every break to circle on the calendar.

Nine Candidates Qualify for Pasco School Board's Two Open Seats Ahead of Aug. 18 Primary

With two longtime members stepping aside, a crowded field is competing to shape Pasco schools' policies, budgets and boundaries — and one incumbent drew a single challenger.

Pasco Plans a Medical Magnet High School in Wesley Chapel to Open by 2028

Pasco County is planning a health care–focused magnet high school in Wesley Chapel, a roughly $80 million campus targeted to open by August 2028 and built to relieve two of the area's most overcrowded high schools.

Pasco Is Growing — So Why Are Its Schools Cutting 500 Positions?