By Delayna Earley
The Island News
It’s almost time for students to return to public schools in Beaufort County and to prepare, the district and other local groups are holding back-to-school events aimed at helping returning students get all the supplies and necessary information that they need to have a successful school year.
The 2025-2026 school year begins on Wednesday, Aug. 6, in Beaufort County School District (BCSD) public schools, and students and parents are in full swing trying to get ready.
BCSD held its annual Back-to-School Expo on Saturday, July 26, at Battery Creek High School and saw a large turnout of parents and students hoping to get supplies like backpacks, pencils and crayons, in addition to information about community services aimed to help school-aged students.
More than 1,000 people attended Saturday’s Back-to-School Expo, according to district spokesperson Candace Bruder.
The expo also offered free onsite dental and health services, for those who registered, from Beaufort-Jasper-Hampton Comprehensive Health Services and Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC).
St. Helena Parish Church in downtown Beaufort also held its annual Back-to-School Bash on Sunday, July 27, where they invited foster and adopted children and their families to come and celebrate the new school year.
This year, Beaufort County parents and students can expect the countywide free meal program that began in the 2024-2025 school year to continue. All students who attend Beaufort County public schools are eligible to receive a free meal for breakfast and lunch in the 2025-2026 school year, according to Bruder.
Finally, after what the district has considered to be a widely successful first year without cell phones allowed during school hours, parents and teachers can expect the same rules to apply once again this year.
For more information regarding the upcoming school year, visit www.beaufortschools.net.
Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.
